Stephen A. Smith publicly rebuked former First Lady Michelle Obama after she criticized ESPN and reiterated past remarks on Black Trump voters, reigniting tensions that began during the 2024 presidential campaign. The outspoken ESPN host said he took "major offense" to Obama's earlier comments, accusing her of unfairly targeting Black men who supported Donald Trump. Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama has remained silent amid the fallout, fueling renewed speculation about the couple's public and private unity.
The controversy began after Michelle Obama appeared on an episode of her podcast IMO, where she likened ESPN programming to a reality TV show. "If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it's like watching the Real Housewives of Atlanta," she said. "It's the same drama, and they're yelling at each other and they don't get along, you know? I mean, Stephen A. Smith, he's just like every other talk show host."
Smith addressed the comment on The Stephen A. Smith Show, saying her words felt personal. But his real frustration, he said, stemmed from campaign remarks she made in 2024, during a rally in Michigan in support of Kamala Harris. At that rally, Obama had urged voters-particularly men-to consider the broader implications of their electoral choices. "Do not put our lives in the hands of politicians-mostly men-who have no clue or do not care about what we, as women, are going through," she said.
Smith reacted sharply. "You said a vote for Trump was a vote against you and a vote against y'all as women," he said. "I want to state for the record, I took major offense to that. Black men don't just love our Black women, we revere y'all." He added, "You will never hear me utter a negative word about you, but I respectfully disagreed and still remain pretty salty about what you said about us."
The feud also touches on past political tensions, with Smith saying he was "even more adamant about what your husband, Barack Obama, said," referring to the former president's criticism of young Black male voters and suggestions that their resistance to voting for Harris reflected deeper issues of misogyny.
Despite the exchange, Barack Obama has not issued a public statement defending his wife or responding to Smith. RadarOnline.com reported that insiders close to the former first couple suggest that this silence may reflect deeper rifts. "They love each other deeply, but marriage is work," one source told Hollywood columnist Rob Shuter. "They're committed to doing that work-even now."
Michelle, 61, addressed such speculation in a later episode of her podcast, where Barack made a guest appearance. "There hasn't been one moment in our marriage where I thought about quitting on my man," she told listeners. "And we've had some really hard times." Barack also appeared at ease, downplaying tabloid claims that their relationship was in trouble.
Still, one unnamed insider told RadarOnline.com the joint podcast appearance "was just a very well-orchestrated, and even almost scripted, denial of the truth; they are done!"
