An unexpected online back-and-forth between former first lady Michelle Obama, 61, and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, 57, has become a trending topic.
Obama brought up Smith during a recent episode of her “IMO” podcast, which is co-hosted by Michelle’s brother, ex-college basketball coach Craig Robinson.
Fellow podcasters Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers appeared on “IMO” with the siblings as guests. The conversation included Obama explaining her appreciation for reality television shows, like the popular “Real Housewives” franchise on the Bravo network.
“They think that sports is better reality TV. I was like, it’s the same thing,” Obama said, referring to debates over content she has had with Robinson and her husband, former President Barack Obama.
She added, “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. Stephen A. Smith, he’s just like every other talk show.”
Obama went on to say she finds the “sociological drama” that reality television series and sports talk television both produce “fascinating,” regardless of the gender of the people on screen.
Smith got wind of Obama’s remarks comparing his work on ESPN’s “First Take” program as a bombastic analyst to the dramatics of “Real Housewives of Atlanta” stars like Nene Leakes, Kandi Burruss, and Porsha Williams.
On Aug. 2, Smith took time on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” to address what Obama had to say about him on her podcast. The New York City native’s response took a more political turn by bringing up former Vice President Kamala Harris’ losing campaign in the 2024 presidential election.
“Michelle Obama, I want to take this opportunity to remind you that while you are revered by me personally… I’m still a bit salty at you,” Smith admitted. “When you were campaigning on behalf of the former Vice President Kamala Harris. … you said a vote for Trump was a vote against you and a vote against y’all as women. I want to say for the record, I took major offense to that.”
Harris lost the 2024 race to current President Donald Trump. Obama endorsed the then-sitting VP from California in her bid for the White House. Smith purportedly voted for Harris over Trump, but he later expressed regret for backing the Democratic ticket.
“I think to this day is the only thing that I didn’t like that you said, I didn’t appreciate it. Because there’s so many things that go into deciding where your vote is going to go,” Smith also stated, in reaction to Obama’s plea for male voters to cast a ballot for Harris.
He continued, “For some people, it’s all about the economy. For others, it’s all about national security. For some people, it is immigration. For some people, it’s safety in the streets of America. Long before they think about pro-choice or pro-life. I’m talking about men.”
The longtime journalist was likely referencing Obama’s speech at a Harris campaign in October 2024 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she spoke about women’s reproductive rights directly to men watching.
Smith’s clapback at the ex-FLOTUS sparked a lot of commotion on the internet. Comments under his YouTube video were filled with people siding with Obama over the outspoken broadcaster.
For instance, someone wrote, “Michelle ain’t wrong. ESPN turned into a gossip show.” A reply read, “She was 100 percent correct.” Another person added, “Every once in a while, she might be right.”
Another commenter posted, “LOL, Michelle Obama [is] laughing as Steve just made her point clear, LOL.” A second individual pointed out, “This man really brought a campaign talking point and starting this whole voting when all she said was ESPN is full of drama.”
Meanwhile, one critic thought Smith was too complimentary to Obama, writing, “OK, the Michelle Obama glazing was WAY over the top.” Similarly, a second person typed, “It’s so funny seeing him have to worship Michelle first before saying how he felt.”
In addition, Smith supporting Harris for president nine months ago had some of his viewers calling him out for that decision. For instance, one fan commented. “You voted for Kamala, enough said.”
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