Stephen A. Smith is fed up.
The longtime ESPN host’s cold war with conservative pundit (and former ESPN counterpart) Jason Whitlock is heating up.
On Wednesday, Smith dropped a video vowing to “get in” on Whitlock during his eponymous radio show, just days after Whitlock appeared to accuse Smith of lying in his memoir, “Straight Shooter”, which came out last year.
MORE: Pat McAfee says Aaron Rodgers won’t be on ESPN show again this NFL season
Smith released a full hour-long rant directed at his adversary on Wednesday night. In it, he brandished Whitlock as the “worst human being that I’ve ever known.”
“He’s a piece of s—,” Smith said. “He’s the dude that’s going to have a funeral and ain’t going to be no pallbearers.”
Smith unleashed a torrent of criticism and personal attacks towards Whitlock. The former ESPN man recently suggested that Smith penned falsehoods in his memoir, using Katt Williams’ recent appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast as fuel to call Smith an industry plant.
Whitlock wrote a column shortly after the Williams interview dropped, released on right-wing media website The Blaze. The column was entitled “Does Katt Williams’ interview expose Stephen A. Smith as a fraud?”
Smith offered a rebuttal for Whitlock’s claims earlier in the week, saying the following while speaking on “First Take”, the show he has become synonymous with.
“There are people out there lying and actually putting out there that I didn’t write my book,” Smith said. “I can assure you, so help me God, I wrote my book. It’s my memoir. It’s my life story. I wasn’t leaving that in the hands of other people. So, people who say that, it’s just lies.”
Stephen A. Smith responds to allegations that he didn’t actually write his book.
“I can assure you so help me God, I wrote my book. It’s my memoir. It’s my life story.” pic.twitter.com/J2xQb7jryV
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 9, 2024
MORE: Aaron Rodgers gives unhinged explanation for Jimmy Kimmel comments, drops F-bombs on ESPN
On Wednesday, he took it to another level.
Smith detailed some of his prior encounters with Whitlock, implying that the current right-wing mouthpiece was groveling to seek the attention of Smith, Jemele Hill, Howard Bryant and other prominent Black journalists under the ESPN umbrella.
“While you were on Blaze TV spewing that bulls–t to people, did you tell them that? Did you tell them how you stood outside of ‘First Take’ begging me to talk to you?” Smith said. “Did you tell them that once this same article in Deadspin came out, weeks later you wrote a lengthy apology to me in an e-mail begging me to forgive you? Pointing out how you were betrayed by this particular writer so you know how I must feel that you betrayed me? Did you tell the folks that? You b—. Did you tell them? You fat piece of s—.”
Smith also called Whitlock a person who is “worse than white supremacist,” a Black reporter who takes delight in taking orders from racist white overseers.
“You see what he does is, he’s the one that puts himself in front of white folks. The white folks, not all white folks, not most white folks, but the white folks that dare we say may have a problem with Black folks,” Smith said.
“He says ‘I’m your man.’ That’s what he does. You think I’m lying? Ask ESPN. Ask Fox. Ask the Kansas City Star. Ask them all.
“I could not imagine, as a Black man, knowing our history, anything worse than a white supremacist. That is until Jason Whitlock came along. He’s worse than them. He is the worst, most despicable, lying, no-good, fat-a— human being I have ever known in my life.”
Smith suggested that the reason Whitlock — formerly considered a rising star on mainstream networks — is now writing columns for fringe right-wing outlets like Blaze is because he burns bridges with any and all people that come within his orbit.
“All the executives at all the networks, they know what a piece of s— he is,” Smith said.
“I’m a very forgiving person. Not with him. … I hate this b—. Far more than a little bit. He is the worst human being any of you will ever meet. You get within a mile of his presence, wrap your arms around yourself to protect your soul. He is Cain. He is a devil. The worst. That’s all I have to say.”
Very few journalists disagreed with Smith’s characterization of Whitlock. Former ESPNers Hill, Stan Verrett and others offered their view of Whitlock. It didn’t paint the right-wing hack in a positive light.
I did. Stephen A Smith told the truth. Ole Boy tried to recruit a bunch of us to do some work for what was then the Undefeated and we did not want to work with him. https://t.co/dsNOObShpd
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) January 11, 2024
Watch and see if there is a single, solitary Black soul in sports media who has anything positive to say about Whitlock, or comes to his defense. Everybody knows. Everybody.
— stan verrett (@stanverrett) January 11, 2024
The fraternity is very small, we all know each other, and we all know who this man is and has ALWAYS been. https://t.co/zq1D9JEMnP
— Kevin Frazier (@KevinFrazier) January 11, 2024
#JasonWhitlock #StephenASmith pic.twitter.com/VEpHsmFO66
— Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) January 11, 2024
Mans got flamed tonight. C O O K E D. https://t.co/qRGCNUHeqI
— Charles Coleman Jr., Jedi Knight (@CFColemanJr) January 11, 2024
Imagine getting cooked for an hour straight like that and NO ONE steps in to defend you
— David Dennis Jr. (@DavidDTSS) January 11, 2024
Smith confirmed that his contract features a clause promising to never make him work with Whitlock again.
Whitlock responded Smith’s claims on Twitter.
Stephen A Smith, the self-proclaimed face of ESPN, embarrassed himself and ESPN last night. He vows to never say my name again. No problem. He doesn’t have to say my name to explain the hard-to-believe stories in his “memoir.” Amazed seemingly no media outlet in the country is…
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) January 11, 2024
He’s currently scouring the recesses of the right-wing searching for evidence that Smith played basketball during his youth.
