Stephen A. Smith
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Stephen A. Smith promised us that he would have more commentary regarding his insistence that Will Smith still owes “the Black community” an “explanation” for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022. Now that he has heard the response of the Black community, most of whom told him to speak for himself and that Will doesn’t owe us anything, he is sharing those thoughts, but it really isn’t helping his case.
Seriously, maybe he should have kept this in the drafts.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get over what Will Smith did to Chris Rock,” Smith began. “But that doesn’t mean I have to, and it doesn’t give me a license to negatively impact Will Smith.”
Now, Smith could have stopped right there, and all would have been fine. After all, it’s OK that he still hasn’t gotten over it, and it’s nice that he acknowledged that his personal inability to get over it doesn’t give him “license to negatively impact” Will, whose latest Bad Boys film has proven to be massively successful despite the controversy surrounding the Fresh Prince of Belair actor. (Although, really, Strephen does have every right to say what he has to say about Will regardless of whether or not it “negatively impacts” him, as we all have a right to our opinions.) But Where the sports analyst loses me is when he implies that Will owes Black people a special apology due to the impact of white racism.
“It was a blemish on all of us because I know how much white America reveres Will Smith and the thinking along the lines in my mind was, ‘Hell, if he did that, what would the rest of us do?’” Smith went on to to say after suggesting that the slap may have prevented Black director Antoine Fuqua from receiving an Oscar for Emancipation. “There are certain things that happen in the lives of an individual where those incidences are used as a license to castigate the rest of us.”
So, it appears that Stephen A. Smith isn’t so much bothered by what Will did to another Black man as much as he is afraid of the optics of it, which is to say he’s in fear of the white gaze. In Smith’s initial remarks, he speculated that Will “wouldn’t have smacked Ricky Gervais, Bill Maher, Bill Burr or a host of others.” While that may or may not be true, it’s definitely true that if Ricky Gervais had slapped Bill Maher on the Oscars stage, we wouldn’t be having a conversation about how it might negatively affect the careers of other white actors, comedians and directors. That’s not even a thought that would come up because that logic simply doesn’t apply to white people of any profession.
But Smith isn’t lecturing white people for allowing this glaring double standard to persist, and he certainly isn’t lecturing the myriad of white comedians and media personalities who went full fire and brimstone on Will after the slap but never have that same energy in response to the hideous anti-social behavior displayed by their fellow Caucasian celebrities. Instead, Stephen A. Smith is lecturing Will Smith about what he owes Black people for exacerbating the anti-Black racism of white people—much like Chris Rock did when he declared at the end of his “Selective Outrage” comedy special: “I got parents, and you know what my parents taught me: Don’t fight in front of white people.”
Besides the fact that Stephen (and probably Rock as well) is mad at the wrong thing and possibly the wrong person, maybe he should be dealing with his feelings about Will, the slap and his fear of the white gaze by working them out with a therapist instead of on national television.
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Stephen A. Smith offered his viewpoints on Will Smith just as the celebrated actor is enjoying some success due to the latest film in the Bad Boys franchise going number over the weekend. Stephen A. Smith, using his podcast platform, believes that Will Smith should address the Black community regarding the slapping incident involving Chris Rock at the Oscars, although it appears the community in question still loves The Fresh Prince.
Via an X reply from The Art of Dialogue page, a clip of Stephen A. Smith went wide with the host opening the clip saying that forgiveness aside, Will owes the Black community an explanation. Smith did go on to add that he doesn’t harbor any hatred towards the Philadelphia native and even said that conversations with Charlie Mack, a longtime friend of the rapper and actor, helped him see the light.
That said, Smith is committed to the idea that enough wasn’t done to ease the minds of the community and that Chris Rock is owed more than what he’s received. As most would know, apologies have long been issued for the Oscars slap, which were inspired by Rock making jokes about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s appearance.
It has been a long climb back to glory for Smith after largely staying out of the public eye before resurfacing and allowing himself to provide content and entertainment to his legion of fans. Alongside Martin Lawrence, the success of Bad Boys: Ride or Die has inspired some people to say it deserves the same sequel-heavy treatment as the Fast & Furious franchise.
Check out the video from Stephen A. Smith regarding the Chris Rock Oscars incident, along with reaction to this latest clip and more, below.
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2. He’s probably not the only person that feels this way but point made.
13. Now that needs addressing.
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The WNBA is enjoying increased media coverage due to big names from the current season’s draft class, including Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, and more. Things got tense on the set of First Take, ESPN’s popular morning sports program after analyst Monica McNutt checked Stephen A. Smith on his WNBA coverage, or lack thereof.
Eagle-eye fans of First Take caught wind of the moment during the Monday (June 3) broadcast of First Take which had a segment on the WNBA with Stephen A. Smith, 56, having himself a self-congratulatory moment with Monica McNutt, 34, shutting it down as it happened.
Smith began with, “Who talks about the WNBA, who talks about women, who talks about women’s sports more than First Take?”
McNutt’s rebuttal was, “Stephen A., respectfully, with your platform, you could have been doing this three years ago if you wanted to.”
Things got tense after this as Smith reacted to McNutt’s jab in incredulous fashion and the two began talking over each other with Shannon Sharpe interjecting at some point. Show moderator Molly Qerim did her best to get the strong personalities of Smith and McNutt on the same page but seemed frustrated by the overtalking and arguing over the point.
McNutt’s words echo some of the frustration WNBA players and fans have expressed that the larger sports outlet has ignored the league for years until the new influx of young talent, who brought with them the NCAA fandom that the collegiate game grew over the past few years with the aforementioned Reese, Clark, and numerous stars undergoing their rookie campaigns in the W.
On X, formerly Twitter, fans reacted to Monica McNutt dressing down Stephen A. Smith and his WNBA coverage. Check out the replies below.
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Photo: Screengrab/ESPN
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ESPN host Stephen A. Smith is siding with Drake in his brewing rap beef with Kendrick Lamar in the latest Drink Champs episode.
It’s not an understatement to say that Stephen A. Smith, the host of ESPN’s First Take, is highly opinionated. So in his appearance as a guest on the Drink Champs podcast, the talkative media personality was asked for his take on who he’d pick in the burgeoning rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. “First of all, major props to both of them,” Smith began. “I’m gonna go with Drake because even though everybody knows Kendrick Lamar and knows how gifted he is, you got too many people periodically trying to come at Drake, and he’s always standing.”
The veteran sports journalist added, “I mean, he’s one of those dudes. It could be the look, it could be how he communicates, it could be his flavor—it could be anything. But Drake damn near seems impenetrable, and what I take from Drake is, I don’t hear too many people coming at Kendrick Lamar.” Smith finished his point by sympathizing with the Certified Lover Boy rapper, likening the constant scorn he gets to what Drake goes through. “But everybody always trying to come at Drake, and, obviously, I can relate to that,” he said.
Smith’s voice is the latest to chime in on the tension between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, which took on another level after J. Cole released his Might Delete Later project last Friday (April 5). It contained the track “7 Minute Drill,” which leveled serious jabs at Kendrick Lamar. The track was in response to the verse the To Pimp A Butterfly rapper delivered on “Like That” from Future and Metro Boomin’s recent album. Cole would later declare that the song didn’t sit right with him at his Dreamville Festival on Sunday (April 7) and offer up an apology on stage.
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If we’ve learned anything about Jay-Z over the years it’s that he isn’t one to play about his family whether it be immediate or business related. So when Stephen A. Smith threw a tad bit of shade at Rihanna’s Super Bowl Performance, Hova had a little something to say.
Recently, during a sit-down interview on the Connect The Dots podcast, the sports journalist icon revealed that when he implied that Rihanna’s 2023 Super Bowl Halftime performance couldn’t measure up to that of Beyoncé’s in 2016, not only did some celebrities take issue with his comments, but Jay himself chimed in when the two spoke on the phone.
Saying “people who will remain nameless” and “Hollywood stars,” Smith said people were so mad at him that they never spoke to him again. And it had him wondering what was so taboo about his opinion. Ultimately, things came to a head when Stephen A. spoke to the GOAT himself, Jay-Z.
Recalling a conversation the two had some time later, Smith said, “Months later, Hov and I were on the phone. Hov was like – simple and plain, ‘My dawg, you family, that’s family. That’s too close to say that.’ I said, ‘I didn’t know.’ He said, ‘I know.’ Done! In other words, it’s a business, it’s a part of it, you don’t know how she’ll receive it, etc. etc. etc. That’s all he had to say. I appreciated that.”
We don’t know much, but what we do know is that you do not want Jay-Z in your ear telling you how you F’d up. Either personally or in a business sense. Good thing he didn’t say the opposite and imply that Rihanna was superior to Beyoncé. Things could’ve gotten hella ugly. Just sayin’.
Check out Stephen A. Smith tell his side of the story below, and let us know your thoughts on the situation in the comments section.
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Stephen A. Smith has the reputation of being a fiery commentator from his years at the top of the sports talk show world, and now it looks like he’s got beef in that arena. In a new video, Stephen A. Smith took heavy shots toward fellow sports journalism and reported MAGA enthusiast Jason Whitlock which has X reacting.
Smith, 56, published a new episode of his The Stephen A. Smith Show framed as a response to Jason Whitlock. It appears that the beef has been brewing for a while after Whitlock claimed that Smith’s memoir, Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes, was nothing but a bunch of tall tales.
As is Whitlock’s typical tactic, the sports commentator known for his outsized right-wing takes and harsh critique of Black people never ducks an opportunity to use his platforms to take shots. According to people who have observed this behavior over time, they’ve said that Whitlock is fishing for a reaction and an attempt to gain momentum for his various endeavors.
Whitlock responded on X, writing, “Stephen A Smith, the self-proclaimed face of ESPN, embarrassed himself and ESPN last night. He vows to never say my name again. No problem. He doesn’t have to say my name to explain the hard-to-believe stories in his “memoir.” Amazed seemingly no media outlet in the country is interested in why the face of ESPN tells so many farfetched stories about himself in a book. Make it make sense.”
Well, it appears that Smith has had enough. In the latest episode of his podcast, he opened up the show by saying that while there were several topics in the sports world to get into, it was time for him to fire back at Whitlock, whom he referred to as a “fat b*stard” and a “piece of sh*t” in the opening segment.
It is an explosive and intense display of anger, irritation, and frustration that is starting to buzz heavily on social media. As a result, fans on X, formerly Twitter, are chiming in with their thoughts complete with the requisite jokes and such.
We’ve got all the reactions to Stephen A. Smith banging it on Jason Whitlock below.
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Source: Kevork Djansezian / Getty / Shannon Sharpe
Former Undisputed Host Shannon Sharpe is allegedly heading to ESPN’s First Take to take on Stephen A. Smith.
According to Andrew Marchand and Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post, Shannon Sharpe will join ESPN’s First Take “twice per week — Mondays and Tuesdays — during the NFL season,” Pro Football Talk reports.
The reported move comes after Sharpe ditched his longtime partner Skip Bayless in June. Per Pro Football Talk, Sharpe will be replaced by another former NFL superstar, Richard Sherman, who has a dicey history with Bayless. Rapper Lil Wayne, a good friend of Bayless, will have a weekly segment on the debate show.
Following his exit, Stephen A. Smith made it clear on his podcast he wanted Shannon Sharpe to join him at First Take, and it would seem he has gotten his wish. But, in a recent episode of the Stephen A. Smith Show, screaming Stephen made it clear that nothing has been finalized yet.
“I respect Shannon, I like him, I think he would be a tremendous asset to the show, my show which is my day job, First Take, ESPN,” Smith begins. “It would be great to have him, but here’s the issue, we don’t. Sorry Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, it’s a bit premature. Shannon Sharpe has yet to sign on the dotted line to be a member of First Take.”
X Users Are Excited At The Prospect of Shannon Sharpe & Stephen A. Smith Joining Forces
Even though the news is not yet official, X users are still hilariously reacting to the report of Shannon Sharpe bringing his cognac-fueled energy to First Take.
Smith and Sharpe have electric personalities, and we are sure it will make for entertaining sports television. Until that day arrives, you can see more reactions to the possibitly of Shannon Sharpe coming to First Take in the gallery below.
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3. Mmmmhmmm
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Stephen A. Smith had plenty to say about the mass layoffs at his employer ESPN last week on his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show.
Sports fans were following the massive layoffs that saw ESPN lay off about 20 on-air personalities on Twitter, like following Adrian Wojnarawski’s timeline during the beginning of NBA free agency.
On the latest episode of his show, the Disney-owned sports network’s workhorse, Stephen A. Smith spoke about long-time on-air talents like Jalen Rose, Neil Everett, and more being let go.
He gave a shoutout to Rose, who he worked alongside during NBA Countdown and numerous appearances on his weekly sports debate show, First Take, and former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Per Deadline:
“ESPN laid off about 20 members of its on-air talent … friends of mine, actually, definitely respected colleagues who’d done a phenomenal job and deserved better,” the sports analyst said on The Stephen A. Smith Show. “It’s not Disney or ESPN that they deserved better from. They deserved better than the times we’re living in.”
“Got a lot of love for that brother,” he added. “A lot of the great work he’s done over the years, what he’s represented for the company… I’m going to miss him. Jalen Rose has always been good to me, and I loved working with him on NBA Countdown. He is a brilliant basketball mind. He is somebody that worked his ass off all the time. There was never an assignment he backed away from. There was never a time he didn’t want to work.”
Smith also name-dropped former NBA coach and ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy saying, “Jeff was an outstanding, brilliant basketball analyst for ESPN for years. I could say I’m gonna miss him, but I just can’t imagine he’s gonna be out of work for long. I’m sure I’ll see him on-air doing his thing. He’s been a Hall of Fame analyst and commentator.”
Stephen A. Smith Says ESPN Is Not Done & He Could Be Next
After talking about his former colleagues, Smith hinted at more possible layoffs coming, even suggesting that he could be next on the chopping block.
“If we’re going to be real about it, let’s deal with reality. This ain’t the end. More is coming,” Smith said. “And yes, ladies and gentlemen, I could be next.”
Interestingly, we do think it’s unlikely that ESPN would let go of one of its most popular personalities, joining his former First Take co-host Max Kellerman, Keyshawn Johnson, Matt Hasselbeck, Chris Chelios, Steve Young, Rob Ninkovich, Neil Everett, Ashley Brewer, Joon Lee, LaPhonso Ellis, Todd McShay, and Jason Fitz.
You can watch the entire episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show below.
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Stephen A. Smith is one of the most notable sports pundits in modern times but he largely isn’t thought of as someone who offers opinions on politicians. However, the veteran ESPN host made a statement that he doesn’t think Donald Trump is racist but says he’d stop short of voting for him should he become a presidential candidate again.
Stephen A. Smith recently appeared at the Semafor Media Summit on Monday (April 10) and spoke about a variety of topics during the chat. Smith shared that he and Trump used to have a friendship that involved the pair talking about sports before the business mogul’s presidency. However, Smith says that while he no longer speaks with Trump, he doesn’t believe his old associate has racist tendencies.
“I think he’s changed, but I will tell you this: I think when people call him racist and stuff like that, I’ve never thought of Trump that way. He’s not against black people, he’s against all things not named Trump,” Smith said.
Smith went on to add that while he shares conservative political views and isn’t above voting for a Republican Party candidate, he would withhold his vote from Trump.
Check out a portion of Stephen A. Smith speaking at the Semafor Media Summit below.
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Now, we all know that famed sports commentator Stephen A. Smith has a big mouth—big enough for him to occasionally stick his entire foot in it while using his other foot to walk things back a bit. Also, Smith is pretty old. So old, possibly, that he’s a little too detached from the popular music scene to understand that Rihanna arguably has as big of a “hive” as the Queen Bee herself, Beyoncé. (Can the “Rih-hive” be a thing, or is that a little too on the nose?)
From TMZ Sports:
Stephen A. Smith had a BOLD take this week, but it wasn’t about whether Dak Prescott is elite … it was his reaction to Rihanna performing the Super Bowl halftime show — simply saying, “she ain’t Beyoncé.”
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The ESPN personality made the comment during his appearance on “The Sherri Show” Wednesday … claiming it’s no shade to RiRi, but will most certainly come across that way with the singer’s diehard fanbase.
“Rihanna’s music is fantastic,” SAS said during the interview. “She’s great. She’s a sister. I love her dearly, I listen to her music, I’m gonna support her ’til the cows come home.”
“I’m just telling you, for me, there’s Beyoncé and there’s everybody else. Just like there’s Michael Jackson and there’s everybody else.”
Smith says he isn’t NOT excited to see Rihanna do her thing … but makes it clear there’s only room for one at the top.
In the immortal words of Jill Scott: “Or maybe we can just be silent!” Sometimes I feel like Smith just enjoys getting himself dragged up and down by Black Twitter.
I mean what did Smith think, that the Beyhive would be any happier with him than Rihanna’s Navy while he’s arbitrarily pitting two beloved Black woman pop sensations against each other?
Anyway, in a rare humbling moment for the loud and proud sports journalist, Smith recorded a video apologizing to Rihanna for perceivably disrespecting her.
More from TMZ:
“I want Rihanna to know you’re a superstar, you’re sensational, you’re spectacular. You’re no joke and you are a worthy person to be doing Super Bowl halftime show,” Smith said on Wednesday.
Stephen A. clarified his words … saying he personally believes Beyoncé’s performance was so iconic, that anyone who gets the opportunity to do the halftime show will “have to measure up to that.”
“I meant it as no disrespect to Rihanna. I know she’s phenomenal and she’s my sister. Nothing but love for her, but Beyoncé is my sister, too.”
Stephen A. ends his apology by saying he knows Rihanna will do her thing next month … and he’s looking forward to watching her perform.
Of course, some on Twitter pointed out that while Smith can often be a bit of a jerk, he’s not usually an apologetic negro.
https://twitter.com/coxthaone/status/1616171399831515137
Welp, you can’t please everyone.
However, in Smith’s case, it’s OK to just STFU once in a while.
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