{"id":519383,"date":"2025-11-12T09:35:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T09:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/519383\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T09:35:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T09:35:53","slug":"stephen-a-smith-fires-back-at-michelle-beadle-cari-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/519383\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen A. Smith fires back at Michelle Beadle, Cari Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stephen A. Smith had time. <\/p>\n

During Monday\u2019s installment of his \u201cStraight Shooter\u201d podcast<\/a>, Smith responded to his former colleagues at ESPN, Michelle Beadle and Cari Champion, after they separately took to social media to air out their own grievances with him.<\/p>\n

Smith opened the show by addressing Beadle, who said Thursday that she\u2019s praying for his downfall <\/a>after the \u201cFirst Take\u201d host endorsed Papaya Gaming \u2014 which is battling a federal lawsuit accusing it of rigging games, as reported by\u00a0Front Office Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cYou wanted my attention, you got it,\u201d Smith said. \u201c\u2026 I have not said a word about [Beadle] in over 11 years. Do y\u2019all know? I don\u2019t know her. You would think there is some beef that\u2019s been going on that has been pervasive throughout the industry for years \u2014 it\u2019s all because of her.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 So when you hear her talking about me, please understand I don\u2019t know her. I have no relationship with her. She says I don\u2019t like her. How would you know? It has to be because of how you\u2019re acting Michelle Beadle. It cant be because of me\u2026 If I don\u2019t like you, which is true now it because of the multitude of times you\u2019ve been on the attack.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beadle, who left ESPN in 2019, publicly ripped Smith<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 saying she doesn\u2019t respect him, among other things \u2014 after the reveal that he would replace her time slot on Mad Dog Sports Radio with his new Sirius XM show, which launched this September.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Beadle doubled down on her disdain for Smith, saying it is \u201cgross\u201d that he would go into business with Papaya Gaming amid the ongoing allegations against the company. <\/p>\n

Michelle Beadle at SiriusXM Studios in New York City. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Smith was named the\u00a0company\u2019s official ambassador<\/a>\u00a0for the first ever World Solitaire Championship in February.<\/p>\n

Beadle said ESPN is at fault for \u201ccreating this monster that\u2019s bigger than you now\u201d because the company \u201clet [Smith] run rampant\u201d \u2014 adding that the Worldwide Leader \u201cpays him a gazillion dollars to get a lot of stuff wrong and yell\u201d on-air. <\/p>\n

Champion, who hosted \u201cFirst Take\u201d alongside Smith and Skip Bayless from 2012-15, entered the chat when she responded to Beadle\u2019s comments about Smith on social media over the weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m old enough to remember being on that show [\u2018First Take\u2019] and getting in trouble based on some comments you said about women and whether or not they should know their place when it comes to abuse or non abuse \u2014 Ray Rice comes to mind, but I\u2019m not gonna get into the details of all of that,\u201d Champion said in a video on social media, which Smith replayed on his show. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut Beadle just came for you yet again, like she did when I worked at ESPN. I wonder do you have that same smoke for her that you have for Jasmine Crockett, Michelle Obama, that you sometimes have for me and Jemele Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have that same smoke? I\u2019m sick of it. Keep the same energy and I call you and I root for\u2026 but you keep that same energy sir, for everybody.\u201d <\/p>\n

Cari Champion speaks at the Atlantic Festival in New York on September 19, 2025. Deont\u00e9 Lee\/BFA.com\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

In 2014, Beadle called out Smith on social media<\/a>\u00a0for controversial comments made about domestic violence\u00a0in the wake of ex-NFL player Ray Rice\u2019s violent assault on his now-wife. Smith was suspended by ESPN for a week for his comments. <\/p>\n

During Monday\u2019s \u201cStraight Shooter\u201d show, Smith responded to Champion and said she should be ashamed of herself for her comments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve shown you nothing but love,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWhat are you talking about? You were hired at \u2018First Take\u2019 in large part because of me\u2026 When have I spoken against you?\u2026 That is a lie. Me, dogging Cari Champion? When?<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if I did it, why did you call me and root for me? What are you sick of? Or did you just want the attention\u2026 I\u2019m not going to be scared by women that I have loved on for many years\u2026 Y\u2019all are talking without facts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephen A. Smith responded to Michelle Beadle and Cari Champion over comments they made about him during his \u201cStraight Shooter\u201d podcast on Monday, November 10, 2025. YouTube\/Stephen A. Smith<\/p>\n

Smith went on to say that he was primarily responsible for bringing Champion to ESPN, despite the opinions of Bayless and others.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sick of the attention you\u2019re not getting?\u201d Smith said of Champion. \u201cBecause you\u2019re not on ESPN anymore. I didn\u2019t ask you to leave. It was your choice.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Smith added that he helped set up a meeting between ESPN and Champion because she was \u201cwanting to come back\u201d to work at the network. <\/p>\n

He did not say when the meeting took place. <\/p>\n

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