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Stephen A. Smith has beaten back to Michelle Obama.
The former First Lady took a jab at Smith’s employer, ESPN, where he dropped the long-time host and said the network’s shows were like watching reality TV, namely “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”
“It’s all a sociological study. They think sports are better reality -tv, I’m like ‘it’s the same thing.’ If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’, you know? I mean, Stephen A. Smith, he’s like any other …
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Stephen A. Smith reports from the sidelines during match 4 in 2025 NBA Western Conference Finals on May 26, 2025, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while Michelle Obama under SXSW Conference & Festivals at the Austin Convention Center on 13, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Getty Images)
“So that’s why I like, ‘what’s the difference?’ It’s just, you know it’s just sociological drama, ”Obama added. “I mean, the fact that people over seasons of work still can’t get together. They still have the same arguments, you know, and it’s not just women. But this is also happening in sports. I think it’s fascinating.”
These comments found their way to Smith himself, and he used them as an opportunity not necessarily to respond back, but vote his opinion on one of her strategies while campaigning for Kamala Harris last year.
“I think today is the only thing I didn’t like that you said I didn’t appreciate it. Because there are so many things that decide where your voice will go. For some people, it’s all about the economy. For others it’s about national security. For some people it’s immigration. For some people, it’s security in the street in America. Long before thinking about pro-choice or pro-life.”
The former first lady Michelle Obama on the set of her podcast in June. (Michelle Obama YouTube Channel)
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Smith reiterated that he voted for Harris and “would not vote for Trump,” but “was not excited” how he threw his voice to the former vice president, “especially after I heard about some of the Shenanigans that the Democratic Party participated in leading to the election.
“But I speak specifically to you, Mrs. First Lady. You are not just loved, you are honored. You are sensational in so many ways. I’ve been on the record on this show and many others said you had driven to president you would have beaten Trump. I still think … I think that if your husband chose to come back, he would beat Trump.” Smith continued.
Smith then came into Obama’s comments about ESPN and said he also disagreed with them.
“So this has nothing to do with what you talked about how sports and reality TV mirror each other, even if we would ask to be different. Because a lot of things on reality TV are composite situations and scenarios to provose reactions, and all that you are in sports, it’s live entertainment and you’re competing against each other.
“You will never hear me express a negative word about you but I respectfully disagree and still remain pretty salty about what you said about us,” Smith said, adding that he felt Obama “sort of extortion[ed] us emotionally to try to force us to vote in some way. “
Stephen A. Smith at Disney 2024 in advance presentation held in the North Javits Center on May 14, 2024 in New York City. (Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)
Maybe we might get another episode of this apparently Obama-Smith cooking.
