Stephen A. Smith, the outspoken ESPN personality and host of First Take, has fired back at Michelle Obama after the former First Lady likened his show to The Real Housewives of Atlanta. The comparison, made on a recent episode of Obama’s podcast Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast (IMO), didn’t sit well with Smith — and he made sure everyone knew it.
Obama remarked, “If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching The Real Housewives of Atlanta. 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, who recently inked a blockbuster $100 million contract with ESPN and has teased a potential presidential run, responded directly and passionately during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity. “You can say Stephen A. Smith is a lot of things and will be a lot of things,” Smith said. “The one thing you can never say about me is that I’m going to be a housewife. There’s no confusion there. Zero.”
Smith also addressed the broader context of Obama’s comments, emphasizing that he found them both inaccurate and disrespectful. “She was comparing reality TV to sports television based on how we debate. First of all, these are some of the greatest athletes on the planet we’re talking about — not reality TV stars who can barely act,” he said.
He went on to suggest that Michelle Obama likely doesn’t engage deeply with sports content. “Evidently, she leaves that to her husband,” Smith said, referencing Barack Obama’s well-documented passion for sports.
Beyond the jab at First Take, Smith took particular issue with Obama’s previous political statements regarding Donald Trump voters. He cited a past instance when she suggested that a vote for Trump was a vote against women, especially Black women, during her campaign efforts for then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
“When you said a vote for Trump was a vote against you and against all women, I took major offense to that,” Smith stated during a recent episode of his YouTube show, The Stephen A. Smith Show. “I think it’s important to understand that people vote based on a wide range of issues — the economy, safety, immigration, education, national security. Not just gender politics.”
He further expressed frustration with comments from former President Barack Obama, particularly regarding remarks made to young Black men in Pittsburgh. According to Smith, the former president implied that not supporting Kamala Harris equated to misogyny — something Smith vehemently disagrees with. “That was highly offensive to me,” he said. “It’s a misnomer that Black men don’t support Black women. We do — when we believe in them.”
In defending First Take, Smith highlighted the camaraderie among the show’s hosts. “We don’t hate each other. We debate passionately, we yell, we laugh, we joke — we genuinely enjoy what we do,” he said. “That’s why First Take has been number one for 13 straight years and counting.”
Smith also urged Michelle Obama to embrace more diverse viewpoints on her podcast. “I encourage you to invite dissenting opinions. You’re revered — by me, too — but that doesn’t mean you’re above critique.”
