Stephen A Smith says he took “major violation” over comments from Michelle Obama during the 2024 presidential election, when the former first lady seemingly quarreled young black men to consider voting for Donald Trump.
The Espn host said that while he was thinking of Obama as “the biggest first lady in American history,” had her rhetoric while campaigns for former Vice President Kamala Harris left him “pretty salty.”
Smith came up with the comments on Saturday’s episode of The Stephen A Smith Show, in response to being named by Obama in an episode of her own podcast, IMO, where she compared ESPN with reality TV.
“If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching the real housewives in Atlanta,” Obama said. “I mean, you know it’s the same drama and they shout at each other and they don’t come together, you know? I mean, Stephen a Smith, he’s like any other talk show host.”
Smith made it clear that although he disagreed with the parallel drawn, other comments from First Lady had annoyed him more.
“You said a vote for Trump was a vote against you and a vote against you as women,” Smith said. “I want to get too record, I made great insult to it. Black men don’t just love our black women, we honor you.
“It’s who we are. And to say what you said back then, I think today is the only thing I didn’t like you said I didn’t appreciate it.”
At a Rally in Michigan in October, Obama Rally-Goers told her she was “a little frustrated” of things she had heard about why people were not fully behind Harris’ shot at the presidency.
When talking directly to men, she emphasized how further restrictions on abortion and other aspects of women’s health care system suggested by the Trump campaign would also affect them and their sons.
“I ask you from the core of my being to take our lives seriously – thank you,” Obama said. “Don’t put our lives in the hands of politicians – mostly men – who have no idea or don’t care what we as women are going through.”
This hit a chord with Smith, which in his podcast episode pointed out that there were many other reasons why such men may have chosen not to vote for Harris, including economics, national security and even immigration.
“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.”
He added that he was “even more firm by what your husband, Barack Obama said,” citing the former president’s berating of young black male voters, whom he subtly accused of being misogynist with their voting habits.
He Pundit, who himself has been linked to a presidential driving, added that even though Michelle Obama would have beaten Trump in 2024, and any other GOP candidate if she chooses to run to office.