Harry Fletcher
Jan 11, 2024
Mike Lawrie/Getty Images
Stephen A. Smith didn’t hold back during the latest edition of his show, hitting out at conservative commentator and former ESPN colleague Jason Whitlock.
Smith said he was ‘breaking his silence’ after holding his tongue for “at least nine to 10 years” on Whitlock, who he has now described as being “worse than a white supremacist”.
What’s the reason for Smith’s criticism? Well, the new comments come after Whitlock questioned the authenticity of Smith’s book Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes which was released last year.
Whitlock previously appeared to suggest that Smith had written falsehoods in his book. He also previously cited Katt Williams' appearance on Shannon Sharpe's Club Shay Shay podcast when claiming that Smith was an industry plant.
Whitlock also wrote a column on the right-wing site The Blaze titled "Does Katt Williams’ interview expose Stephen A. Smith as a fraud?".
Finally responding to Jason Whitlockwww.youtube.com
Saying he believed it was "necessary" to speak about Whitlock, Smith went on a blistering rant about the controversial figure, who previously attracted criticism by comparing Black Lives Matter to the Ku Klux Klan and touting baseless conspiracy theories about Michelle Obama being trans.
“He’s irrelevant, he’s not important, he’s insignificant, and he knows it,” Smith said, before adding: “As a Black man, I often told y’all, I cannot 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 fatass human being I have ever known in my life."
Other incendiary moments saw him say: “I mean it from my soul when I say this is the worst human being I’ve ever known. … He’s the dude that’s gonna have a funeral and ain’t gonna be no pallbearers. Might be two people that show up.”
He also said: "There is nothing good about him. Absolutely nothing. And I challenge anybody that knows anything about him to refute what I’m saying. I have the facts. They’re all here. I know what he’s done." And don't forget: “Look around – don’t y’all notice why Black people scurry away whenever this roach of an individual is around, named Whitlock? 'Cause we know what he is.”
Finishing up the video, Smith also said: “I hate this b******... 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. Y’all have a nice day, I’m gon’ go about my business. I will not speak about this piece of s*** again.”
Whitlock has since responded with a series of posts on X/Twitter where he first called Smith "limited" before turning his attention to immy Pitaro, the CEO of ESPN.
He wrote: "I like Jimmy Pitaro, the CEO of ESPN. He inherited a complete mess from John Skipper. Pitaro tried to clean it up. But I'm not sure you can clean up a Disney mess. It's impossible to manage talent at Disney. What's transpired at ESPN in the past week is a total embarrassment."
Whitlock concluded by saying that he tried to make peace with Smith in 2013 or 2014 and vowed to "dig up" the email where he did so.
Smith is yet to respond but we're sure this will rumble on for a lot longer.
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