ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith reached his breaking point and finally exploded on sports reporter Jason Whitlock during an unrestrained, profanity-laced rant.
Whitlock, a far-right conservative sports and political commentator, torched Smith multiple times in recent years and again this past week. Taking his cues from comedian Katt Williams on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast, Whitlock referred to Smith as an industry “plant” and a member of the “cabal” who did not write his 2022 debut memoir, Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes.
“Stephen A. Smith is the Kevin Hart of the sports media. Smith is a plant,” Whitlock wrote in a column for The Blaze, an alt-right publication. “Disney and ESPN installed Smith at the top of sports media because his inadequacies as a journalist make him easy to control.”
Whitlock added, “When you don’t earn a position, your loyalties go to the handlers who installed you.”
Smith, weary from taking incoming shots from Whitlock for years, unleashed a torrent of anger aimed at his adversary on his eponymous talk show. He even clued followers that the nuclear detonation was forthcoming.
“Today is the day I finally speak my mind about that no good fat b——,” Smith wrote on X. “You know who I’m talking about. Recording now. You will want to see this.”
“Because that’s not my name for him. My name for Jason Whitlock is religiously Cain: C-A–I–N,” Smith roared on the podcast. “There is nothing good about him, absolutely nothing and I challenge anybody that knows anything about him to refute what I’m saying.”
Smith also ranted about how a 2015 Deadspin article enumerated the multiple ex-colleagues who did not want to work with Whitlock.
“While you were on BlazeTV, spewing that bulls— to people, did you tell ’em that? Did you tell ’em how you stood outside of ‘First Take’ begging me to talk to you?” Smith said.
“Did you tell them that once this same article in Deadspin came out, weeks later, you wrote a lengthy apology to me in an email begging me to forgive you? Pointing out how you were betrayed by this particular writer so you know how I must feel that you betrayed me? Did you tell the folks that? … Did you tell ’em? You fat piece of s—”
Smith was just revving up his engine to run right over Whitlock verbally.
“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,” Smith 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. 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,” Smith said.
Following Smith’s torrid tirade, Whitlock said he “feels sorry for” Smith due to his alleged professional limitations.
I knew Stephen A was limited. I didn't know he was this limited. I'm starting to feel sorry for him. I beat up a baby seal.
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) January 11, 2024
This is embarrassing, Andrew. SAS just made a fool of himself. We've never seen anyone at a major media company react this unprofessionally to a review of their work or just act this publicly unprofessional. And this is your takeaway? Your expectations for SAS are so low that… https://t.co/FYg85LGAHv
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) January 11, 2024
