Stephen A. Smith Responds To Criticism From Michelle Obama originally appeared on The Spun.
Last week, Michelle Obama made the bold decision to call out ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith on her podcast.
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During the latest episode of the “IMO” podcast, Obama compared Smith to reality TV stars. She also compared ESPN’s shows to “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” It was a pretty ruthless take from the former first lady.
“It’s all a sociological study. They think that sports is better reality TV, I’m like, ‘it’s the same thing.’ If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching the ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ you know?” Obama said, via Fox News Digital. “It’s the same drama, and they’re yelling at each other, and they don’t get along, you know?
“I mean, Stephen A. Smith, he’s just like every other. So that’s why I’m like, ‘what’s the difference?’ It’s just, you know, it’s just sociological drama. I mean, the fact that people over seasons of working still can’t get along. They still have the same arguments, you know, and it’s not just women. But this happens in sports, too. I find it fascinating.”
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There were plenty of sports fans who agreed with Obama’s comments about the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Obviously, Smith wasn’t one of them.
Before Smith stated his counterargument, he brought up an issue he has with Obama.
BOSTON, MA – JUNE 14: Stephen A. Smith looks on during the game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks during Game Four of the 2024 NBA Finals on June 14, 2024 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Jim Cowsert/NBAE via Getty Images)Jim Cowsert/Getty Images
“When you were campaigning on behalf of the former Vice President Kamala Harris … you said a vote for Trump was a vote against you and a vote against y’all as women. I want to say for the record – I took major offense to that. I think to this day is the only thing that I didn’t like that you said, I didn’t appreciate it,” Smith said, via OutKick. “Because there’s so many things that go into deciding where your vote is going to go. For some people, it’s all about the economy. For others, it’s all about national security. For some people, it is immigration. For some people, it’s safety in the streets of America. Long before they think about pro-choice or pro-life.”
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Smith then addressed the former first lady’s remarks about ESPN basically being reality TV.
“So this doesn’t have anything to do with what you were talking about, how sports and reality TV mirror one another, even though we would beg to differ. Because a lot of things on reality TV are made-up situations and scenarios to provoke reactions and all of that stuff. We’re at sports, that’s live entertainment, and you’re actually competing against one another is big time. No, reality TV is not like that. You’re so wrong about that, about that assertion, but that’s neither here nor there.”
Smith finished his rant by saying he’d never “utter a negative word” about Obama. That being said, it’s unlikely this turns into some full-fledged war of words.
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Related: Sports Fans React To Michelle Obama Calling Out Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A. Smith Responds To Criticism From Michelle Obama first appeared on The Spun on Aug 3, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 3, 2025, where it first appeared.