Joy Reid is taking the gloves off against Stephen A. Smith.
After Smith’s interview with Linsey Davis on ABC regarding various statements made against him by prominent Black women and his thoughts on politics at large, Reid took to her Substack live show to address Smith’s comments toward her and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. The award-winning journalist pointed out how Smith’s prior comments about Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, LeBron James, Jemele Hill, Serena Williams, Colin Kaepernick, Black Lives Matter and other subjects have led plenty of Black women to call him out.
“She’s responding that way because when she got fired by MSNBC, her show got canceled … I spoke on it,” Smith told Davis in an interview that aired in full on Hulu and Disney Plus on Monday (Jan. 12). “I said she is a talented, highly intelligent woman. I respect her. The issue is, if your numbers drop 47% and you are Black, in this culture that we are living in, did you really expect something else to happen? Of course, they were going to do that to you. I’m looking at it and I’m saying, ‘I get it and you might be right.’ But the manner in which you’re going about it, that ain’t gonna serve you well long term.”
When Davis asked why it felt like many Black women had high critiques ready for Smith, the ESPN personality said he believed Reid, Crockett and others were only a “few” Black women who thought that way of him.
Reid, who had previously called out Smith on “Naked with Cari Champion,” didn’t hold back on her show Monday.
“I want you all to notice that he did not answer Linsey Davis’ question,” Reid began around the 45-minute mark. “He just did his ‘I just have so much respect for these sistas’ schtick before attacking Jasmine Crockett and me with his same old bullsh-t.”
Reid also said Smith’s claim about her show’s declining numbers was wrong, stating that her MSNBC show’s ratings were increasing at the time she was let go by the network.
“That’s weird, Stephen,” Reid said. “Because I thought your whole schtick was, ‘You gotta prove it’s about race. And it’s not about race.’ But now it is about race? Does this mean that people who are Black that work at MS NOW should be fired, based on your formula?”
After replaying a litany of clips from the sportscaster speaking out against notable Black people, Reid reiterated her main point about Smith: “You got a lot of smoke for Black folk, but when it comes to Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump, you have no smoke for them. If you’ve been criticizing the right as you’ve been attacking people on the other side, I need to see those clips. And Stephen, I just didn’t find the same smoke for the pro-facist side, the pro-racist side, the anti-diversity side as I found attacks by you, Stephen, against anybody Black who has a prominent platform.”
Reid then turned her attention to Smith’s comments on the shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota and a “lawful perspective” of the shooting.
“From a lawful perspective, I think you might need stick to sports,” Reid said. “What I’m saying, Stephen, personally, is that you wouldn’t have an education without men like Cleveland Sellers, nor the freedom to be loud and wrong while claiming Jasmine Crockett is loud and wrong, while you’re crying out for people to respect Donald Trump.”
She added, “Without the people who are willing to agitate, there would be no President Obama, no First Lady Obama for you to sh-t on, no me, no Don Lemon, no Linsey Davis for you to fail to answer her question. But most of us, including the many Black men and women who you disrespected over the years, we know that. It’s a pity you have that big ol’ platform, which I sure hope your loud, dumbass takes don’t jeopardize from your day job, brah. Don’t sh-t on your main bag by saying dumb shit on your podcast, that’s just my free advice to you. Cause either you don’t know sh-t, or you just don’t care.”
She concluded, “I promise you, Stephen, when the unspicy whites are done with you… You may not have a home in Black America to come home to.”
