Joy Reid, a former MSNBC host, recently stirred controversy by suggesting that Stephen A. Smith’s lucrative contract with ESPN is due to his willingness to speak disparagingly about black people. Reid’s comments come as tensions rise between her and Smith, who attributed her departure from MSNBC to a significant drop in her show’s ratings. On his YouTube channel, Smith claimed that Reid’s viewership plummeted from 1.4 million during the 2024 presidential election to just 778,000 by February, which he believes led to her exit.
Reid responded fiercely to Smith’s evaluation, questioning the ratings of his show, First Take. Speaking on the Naked Sports with Cari Champion podcast, she remarked, “He said I got fired for ratings, and I’m like, ‘Excuse me, sir. You got $100 million for a show with half my ratings at my worst.’ I had to literally Google his numbers,” Reid expressed, further noting, “Is it like 4 million people? Dude, that’s like average CNN. That’s not that high.”
Smith often touts First Take as America’s top morning show, though it primarily leads in the sports talk category during its time slot. Reid challenged this narrative, suggesting that Smith’s $100 million deal with ESPN isn’t a reflection of his star power or audience engagement. Instead, she argued, “They’re paying you not for your numbers, my friend,” adding that his role is to voice criticisms of black individuals that others might hesitate to express. “You’re willing to take their denigration of black women and put it in the mouth of a Negro,” she continued, highlighting her belief that Smith’s value to ESPN lies in his controversial commentary.
‘And because you’re willing to put the denigration of black women in particular into a Negro’s mouth, you now think that “Oh, I must be a freaking political genius.” But just be clear, you’re not being paid for your numbers, you’re being paid for what you’re willing to do to us for white people’s entertainment.’ Smith also recently had a feud with former colleague Champion, who accused him of having different ‘energy’ when criticizing black women compared to white women. The ex-First Take moderator urged him to keep the ‘same smoke’ for white sports reporter Michelle Beadle that he does for the likes of Jasmine Crockett, Michelle Obama, Jemele Hill and herself.
‘You should be ashamed of yourself,’ Smith responded to her on his YouTube show. ‘You just said Cari, you called me, you root for me. Why would you root for somebody that called you out and Jemele Hill, who’s your good friend? Because it’s never happened. Never. ‘I’ve shown you nothing but love. What are you talking about?’
