The Breakfast Club - Stephen A. Smith vs. Black Women: Correct Him, Don’t Cancel Him

Episode Date: August 18, 2026

Loren LoRosa dives into the controversy surrounding Stephen A. Smith after the National Association of Black Journalists gave him its “Thumbs Down Award” over comments about prominent Black women. Loren breaks down Stephen A.’s response, his history of supporting Black journalists and HBCUs, and the criticism surrounding his comments about Jasmine Crockett, Serena Williams, Kamala Harris, and Michelle Obama. She also explores the bigger question: Can we hold Black men accountable while still recognizing the work they’ve done for the Black community?YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. The new Red Bull Dragonberry and Tropic Berry Energizers, now at McDonald's, made with freeze-dried fruit and an electric burst of flavor. The all-new Red Bull Energizers, now at McDonald's. This product may not be right for you. High in caffeine, details at McDonald's.com. I'm Hoda Cotby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby.

You know, I'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy. Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space. You're hired to fill the space with you. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Our hometown is not a test tube. Northeast of Nashville, a battle for the future of America plays out in one small town. Developers with right-wing ties have purchased hundreds of acres of land.

We need cities on a shining hill. This is Our Town, a podcast about what happens when a small town becomes the site of a social experiment and fights back. Guess you didn't move in on a bunch of dumb hillbillies now, did you? Listen to Our Town on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nancy Glass, host of the Burden of Guilt Season 3 podcast. This is a story about a horrendous situation that destroyed two families. It's a scorched earth war that shows just how far someone will go to get what they want. Cindy said, I had to choose between the truth and my family, and I had to choose the truth.

Listen to Season 3 of Burden of Guilt on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm a homeguard that knows a little bit about everything and everybody. Give me that excuse. I know if you don't lie about that, right? Lauren came in hot. Hey, y'all, what's up? It's Lauren La Rosa, and this is another episode of the latest with Lauren La Rosa. This is your daily dig on all things, pop culture, entertainment news, and all the conversations

that shake the room, baby. So today we're going to get right on into the episode because there is a lot to talk about. Let's get on into the last. So we talked a lot on our last episode. If you did not get a chance to listen, go back and take a listen to the episode prior to this one about the National Association of Black Journalists, which is an organization. It is the largest organization in support of black journalists in the U.S. and a shot that they threw Stephen A. Smith's way. Let's take a listen to the NABJ giving Stephen A. Smith the Thumbs Down Award.

Let's take a listen. Stephen A. Smith, sports analyst and political commentator. Smith has established a recurring public pattern of disparaging commentary directed at prominent black women across politics, sports, and media. Such commentary reinforces harmful narratives, undermines the fair and respectful representation of black women in public discourse, and stands in direct conflict with NABJ's longstanding commitment to accurate, responsible, and inclusive portrayals of black communities. Now, this award annually is a mock or a dishonor that is given by the National Association of Black Journalists or NABJ to individuals or institutions whose reporting, commentary, or actions conflict with the group's missions and values. Their mission, their values is all about uplifting black journalists, making it just easy for black journalists to be in spaces, doing their job, telling their stories, and being factual about it, and people being factual about them as they do it. Now, this award was first presented in 1989.

It's been given out dozens and dozens of times. But this year, president of the NABJ, Aaron Haynes, decided to give it to Stephen A. Smith, who was a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and has done a ton of work with them and he did not take it lightly. So he has finally responded. Let's take a list of Stephen A. Smith on him just even finding out about this and trying to figure out why he was awarded. this. What the hell does this thumbs down award have to do with journalism? Disparaging black women? How? I've heard people bringing up Jasmine Crockett. Did I sit up there asking, why would you curse out the president of the United States with the cameras rolling? How is that going to help you? Yes, I did. Why did I do that? Not only because she's in Texas,

and I know they're a little bit different in Texas, a bit more conservative, and I didn't think that would work with her constituency down there. How is that disparaging? Oh, Stephen A. after Michelle Obama. She's the one that compared first take to a reality show. And I use that as an opportunity to say that this marvelous, wonderful woman, who is the greatest first lady in American history, who I have raised and praised and praised time and time and time again.

All I did was say, I don't like the fact that you said a vote for him, as in Donald Trump, would be a vote against us as women. All I said was there's a whole bunch of pro-life is out there. There's a whole bunch of people that care about the economy or immigration or safety in the streets. They might not even be thinking about this issue. Now, I told you guys in my last episode

that I personally know of a lot of work that Stephen A. Smith does in the black journalist space, the HBCU space. He mentions a bit of this on his show in his response as well to. Let's take a listen. In 1994, I began my career at the Philadelphia Inquirer, courtesy of Sandra Long,

a longtime executive for the Philadelphia Enquirer, synonymous with, the NABJ, whom I first met at the jobs fair of the NABJ. My career started because I was at the NABJ job fair. And yet, Saturday night, I saw the president of the organization, Erin Haynes, go up on stage and give me a thumbs down award for disparaging black women. But again, just because a person is doing and donating, I don't think that is a reason for them to go without criticism and critique.

I don't always agree with how Stephen A. Smith does his job, but I do think that the points that he puts on the board, not just for his own career and himself, but what he does for other people should mean something. You know, I think, and I also think him apologizing when he gets it wrong should mean something as well. And he made a good point. They talk about, you know, the remarks that he had, you know, towards Serena Williams, which were out of pocket and he did apologize for. Let's take a listen to those remarks. I'm married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex. Go back to his ass because clearly you don't do you, you don't belong with me. What you worried about him for and you would be? No, I can't get that league back.

But Steve. Steve. Hey, stop it. Stop it. What? Stop it, Stephen A. This is true. If you went Serena Williams, you're going to be a kept man anyway.

Those, don't start. And the apology. I didn't utter a disrespectful word towards Serena Williams. So I don't know where the whole. Serena protection protocol kicks in. I didn't say anything about her. I said, hey, listen, if I'm a man and I'm married, I certainly don't want my wife showing any kind of energy,

positive, negative, or otherwise to another dude. That happens to be her ex. That'll make me think, what's she thinking about him. Why is she thinking about him so much? Why does she feel the need to exert any energy, emotional or otherwise when it comes to that? That's where I was coming from But it was more of a gender issue

More so than anything else in terms of men And how a lot of men feel I'm not going to say most I'm not going to say all because I don't know I'm going to tell you how I feel What I expressed Is exactly what I meant I'm not apologizing for it

I'm not condoning it either The Jonas Brothers are running his back An Up Tour and Sett the biggest Jonas Brothers hits that have defined a generation. One incredible celebration. One unforgettable night. See the Jonas Brothers live at RBC Amphitheater, September 28th.

Get tickets this Friday at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.ca. Jonas Brothers, the burning up tour all over again. I'm Hoda Kotby, host of the podcast Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby. If you know me, you know, I'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy. So this podcast lets us uncover those things together through meaningful conversations with fascinating people. Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space. You're hired to fill the space with you.

You have something in your guts. You go with it. And Sean Johnson recalled the moment she realized her now husband, Andrew, was the one. He was just so unapologetically himself and knew nothing of Hollywood. He hadn't been on a plane before without his family. It was so pure. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nancy Glass, host of the Burden of Guilt Season 3rd.

podcast. This is a story about a horrendous situation that destroyed two families. It started more than seven years ago when Cindy and Kenny were two 40-somethings who had just gotten engaged. Days later, they walked into a scorched earth war they never saw coming. Turn around and place your hands by your back. The cops given to my house and threw me in jail. And to Cindy's surprise, her fiance, Kenny, was charged with abusing one of her children. I never once doubted Kenny, and I always doubted the accusation. On season three of burden of guilt, you'll hear a story about the length someone will go to in order to get what they want. This case has got to be one of the most despicable.

Listen to season three of Burden of Guilt on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Our town is small taters by most standards, right? but to the people who grew up here, it's everything. What happens when a quiet Tennessee town becomes the front line in a battle over the future of America? Developers with right-wing ties have purchased hundreds of acres of land in the area. The first thing you see when it pops up is pioneers in Appalachia. But they weren't just planning houses. We need cities on a shining hill that exemplify and embody the Christian way of life.

Stop right there. Is that normal? A podcast about what happens. when a small town becomes the site of a social experiment. God need men to rule. Great. And decides to fight back. Do not use my hard work to sell your bull. They're not just opposing what's being planned for here. Our hometown is not a test tube.

They feel like they're standing in opposition to an entire administration. Guess you didn't move in on a bunch of dumb hillbillies now, did you? Listen to our town on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. They also talk about Jasmine Crockett. We talked about that on our last episode and the fact that he had talked about her in a way to me that was just very, it was respectability politics. Like, black people should talk like this

and sound like this and do these certain things because if not, it'll never work for us in our perspective areas, which I don't believe. But they also had critiques of him and, you know, different things that he said about Kamala Harris. Now, he reveals something that we didn't know on this episode. He talks about how his critiques of Kamala Harris

and being able to do so because she's a person in the political seat, led to a very real in-person conversation. Let's take a listen. Kamala Harris. Everybody wants to bring up the fact that I sat up there and I pointed out how she didn't even make it to Iowa in 2020, which is fact. And that Democratic primary was bypassed in order to facilitate her being a Democratic nominee for the presidency of the United States of America.

And then you have it in the palm of your hands and in support of millions upon millions of people. And you go on the view and Sonny Houston ask you a softball question with Sunny Houston acknowledged for the view. And you passed by saying, I can't think of anything I would do differently when it was clearly a border crisis. Last time I checked NABJ, that ain't journalism. That ain't talking facts. Now, I did reach out to NABJ President Aaron Haynes, who says that she will be coming

on the show to have the conversation about her decision. Stephen A. Smith did reveal that he's never met Aaron Haynes. They don't personally have a relationship, even though he is very close with a lot of the board members. He also says that there were some board members and people who were actively there that were disgusted by the fact that he was given this award. And he talks just a bit about why he believes these attacks are coming his way. He says it's political. This ain't about disparaging women. This is about people who've politicized everything looking for an excuse to come

at me because you don't like what I have to say. I'm going to put it out there. This is about a bunch of liberals, a bunch of Democrats coming for me, which is why I should be flattered because you hear the footsteps, don't you? You know, at any given moment, I can decide to come at it. I can decide to run. Because with the stuff that I'm seeing, it wouldn't be hard to win. I do have some conservative views. And I understand as trifling as this president can be with his behavior and some of the policies he's tried to implement, I get to fear. It's real. It's real. I understand it. I'm a black man.

But that does not give a journalist organization the right to attack me that way. And again, I mean, look, again, I think that you should be able to criticize people on the side of your table and across the table. But I do think that there is a regard that should be always thought about when speaking of black women, especially because you know as a black woman, I just know how, for us, it's like we already out here fighting the world. And black men, I hear y'all when y'all say this. We fight the world every day when we walk outside of our house. When we come home, we want peace. Black women feel the same way.

And home just isn't literally your actual home. It's when you come into your community, when you are indulging with your people. And it's not always just peace. Sometimes it's just reverence. Like, I just know that you want, I just want to know that even if we disagree, you regard me in such a way that there's a boundary to where we go in conversation in our disagreement. And look, all skin folk and kinfolk at the same. time. So I understand that sentiment as well. But I think with Stephen A. Smith, it's, we should correct, not cancel, has always been my sentiment when having a conversation about a Stephen A. Smith

and, you know, I don't feel like that about everybody. But in his situation, again, I didn't like a lot of the comments he made, especially about Jasmine Crock. And I've said that other places. But at the same time, I think we can't get around what the, the, the path that he has forged. Now, I will say, I think, you know, him having these conversations about wanting to run for president, I felt like when he responded to Donald Trump, you know, calling his IQ low, his response was very soft, and he had way more energy for a Jasmine Crockett or a Kamala or Michelle Obama when Michelle Obama talked about his show and called, you know, the show he's on a reality TV show. The energy was just different. That's what I also think has gotten him to this point, where black. people feel like there's a there's Stephen A. Smith, the man, the myth, the legend who does all these things for black people, black journalists. And then there's a caricature of Stephen A. Smith that right now is positioning himself for something. And he's saying he's being attacked because of politics. Whereas other people look at it like because of politics, that caricature is now

coming out and we don't like it and we want to correct it and we want to get as far away from it as as we can. This is a conversation that I think is really interesting though because again, And it's like, does the NABJ as an organization, is this a good look for them to pick aside and not be neutral when coming at a journalist like Stephen A. Smith? The new Red Bull Dragonberry and Tropicberry Energizers now at McDonald's, made with freeze-dried fruit and an electric burst of flavor. The all-new Red Bull Energizers, now at McDonald's. This product may not be right for you. Pie in caffeine, details of McDonald's.ca, at participating Canadian restaurants, excluding Quebec.

I'm Hoda Kotbby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb. If you know me, you know, I'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy. So this podcast lets us uncover those things together through meaningful conversations with fascinating people. Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space. You're hired to fill the space with you. You have something in your guts. You go with it. And Sean Johnson recalled the moment she realized her now husband, Andrew, was the one. He was just so unapologetically himself and knew nothing of Hollywood. He hadn't been on a plane before without his family. It was so pure.

Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nancy Glass, host of the Burden of Guilt Season 3 podcast. This is a story about a horrendous situation that destroyed two families. It started more than seven years ago when Cindy and Kenny were two 40-somethings who had just gotten engaged. Days later, they walked into a scorched earth war they knew. never saw coming. Turn around and place your hands behind your back. The cops given to my house and threw me in jail.

And to Cindy's surprise, her fiance, Kenny, was charged with abusing one of her children. I never once doubted Kenny, and I always doubted the accusation. On season three, a burden of guilt, you'll hear a story about the length someone will go to in order to get what they want. This case has got to be one of the most despicable. Listen to season three, a burden of guilt on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Our town is small taters by most standards, right? But to the people who grew up here, it's

everything. What happens when a quiet Tennessee town becomes the front line in a battle over the future of America? Developers with right-wing ties have purchased hundreds of acres of land in the area. The first thing you see when it pops up is pioneers in Appalachia. But they weren't just planning houses. We need cities on a shining hill that exemplify and embody the Christian way of life. Stop right there. Is that normal? A podcast about what happens when a small town becomes the site of a social experiment. God need men to rule. Great. And decides to fight back. Do not use my hard work to sell your bull-h. They're not just opposing what's being planned for here. Our hometown is not a test tube. They feel like they're standing in up.

position to an entire administration. Guess you didn't move in on a bunch of dumb hillbillies now, did you? Listen to Our Town on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Now, Aaron Haynes, the president of the NABJ, she sat down with Roland Martin and she talked a bit about the decision and some of the things leading up to this. Let's take a listen. Look at what we named this year. I think we have to agree that there's a clear through line.

We're looking at the forces that make it harder for black journalists to do that. their jobs and harder for black communities to be covered fairly and fully. Right, that includes government officials that are exerting their pressure on the press, news organizations that are making decisions that weaken diversity and coverage, media owners who are facing questions about the treatment of black journalists, who we know are under attack by internal and external forces across this country. And also influential commentators whose rhetoric can reinforce harmful narratives about black people, particularly black women.

Now, you know me. We've been on this board together for a year now, and I've been very clear that advocacy is central to my presidency, particularly advocacy around black women in our profession. Let me know what you guys think. Like, I really want to know. Get in the streets, get into tweets. I was going to say, do we even pick a side,

but I don't think that it is that we pick a side. I think more so what conversation should be coming out of this? How do we police or how do we set boundaries for the people that we know are important to us and should we even have to do that? I'm Lauren La Rosa. This is another episode of the latest with Lauren La Rosa. Your daily dig on all things, pop culture,

entertainment news, and all of the conversations that shake the room. I tell you guys every episode, y'all can be anywhere within your body, but y'all choose to be right here with me, my lowriders. I appreciate y'all, and I'll catch you in my next one. I'm Hoda Cottenby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Cotty. You know, I'm always searching for inspiration

and useful tools to maximize Joy. Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space. You're hired to fill the space with you. Listen to Joy

101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Our hometown is not a test tube. 90 miles northeast of Nashville, a battle for the future of America plays out in one small Developers with right-wing ties have purchased hundreds of acres of land.

We need cities on a shining hill. This is Our Town, a podcast about what happens when a small town becomes the site of a social experiment and fights back. Guess you didn't move in on a bunch of dumb hillbillies now, did you? Listen to Our Town on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nancy Glass, host of the Burden of Guilt Season 3 podcast. This is a story about a horrific. horrendous situation that destroyed two families. It's a scorched earth war that shows just how far someone will go to get what they want.

Cindy said, I had to choose between the truth and my family, and I had to choose the truth. Listen to season three of Burden of Guilt on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast, Hollywood Handbook. Every episode we're trying to help our guests. improve their careers by mainly focusing on how they can help us improve our careers. The show's famously super accessible so you can easily jump into any of our 650 episodes

and understand what's going on. We recommend some of our recent episodes with Ben Stiller, Danny McBride, Riz Ahmed, and Mary Steenberg. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.