Stephen A. Smith has earned a reputation for being one of the most outspoken media pundits within the sports world. He doesn’t mince words when it comes to discussing the merits of a player’s abilities on the court or their actions off it. Smith – via his podcast – has more recently shared a considerable amount of thoughts on topics that aren’t necessarily related to athletics. At the end of this past week, he shared a message to social media, in which he questioned whether reality TV star Kim Kardashian is a “prostitute.” He subsequently received backlash and is now clarifying his stance on the mogul.
The 55-year-old ESPN veteran dropped a new episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show this past week in which he analyzed a past interview clip of conservative pundit Candace Owens. In it, she evaluated rapper Ray J’s claims that his and Kim Kardashian’s sex tape was orchestrated by her mother and manager, Kris Jenner. Ahead of the episode though, Smith posted a since-deleted tweet (captured by TMZ) in which he posed the question about Kardashian. He also asked, “Is Kris Jenner a pimp.?” One of the most notable people to take offense to the query was Philadelphia 76ers player Patrick Beverley. The athlete said the remarks were “not cool,” considering the Kardashian “has kids.” Retweeting Beverley’s statements, Smith expressed remorse while explaining himself:
Clerical error bro. You are absolutely right. That is being corrected right now as we speak. And for the record, I don’t think of @KimKardashian that way nor would I ever speak of her or any woman that way, which I’ve stated. That’s for checking that issue. https://t.co/PYYAen6mPZJuly 29, 2023
What the First Take star seems to be conveying is that he didn’t intend for his message to suggest that he himself holds that viewpoint. With that, it seems he was asking a hypothetical question in order to tease the subject matter on his show. He actually added to the thread started by the post with his questions, saying “Candace Owens seems to think that to be the case, at least”. Though that doesn’t necessarily excuse the post, this explanation does provide some insight into his rationale.
Ray J (whose real name is William Norwood Jr.) and Kim Kardashian’s infamous 2007 sex tape has long been a topic of discussion. The situation came back into play in 2022, thanks to The Kardahians, where Kim claimed her ex-husband, Kanye West, met up with Norwood to retrieve the tape. However, the latter claimed that was a “lie” and later refuted Kardashian and West’s comments on the matter, saying that he’s “never leaked anything.” He added that the controversial recording has “always been a deal and a partnership between Kris Jenner and Kim.” In a later message, he called out the Kardashian/Jenner matriarch for allegedly spreading lies about him.
On eponymous show, Stephen A. Smith offered tempered thoughts on the SKIMS founder and mother of four. On the other hand, he questioned Kris Jenner’s purported role in the creation of the sex tape. He stated that if the claims made against her are true, then it would be fair to called her a “pimp”:
I’m not gonna call Kim Kardashian a prostitute. That’s very [disrespectful]. If the allegations are true, I don’t think it’s off kilter to call the mom a pimp. That is the definition of pimping, if that happened. But Kim’s young, beautiful, listening to her parent’s influence allegedly. If your mother – who obviously has a profound influence on you – coaxes you into doing such a thing, I think those things should be taken into consideration, before you label her with such a derogatory term. The mom is an adult making a business decision, and if that business decision supersedes the integrity and decency of her own child, that is the epitome of a pimp.
While the drama surrounding the sex tape will likely continue to be debated as time goes on, we seem to know for sure where Stephen A. Smith stands on the matter. Whether he decides to share more thoughts on the Kardashian/Jenner brood remains to be seen. One would imagine, however, that he’ll seek to take care when speaking about public figures like Rihanna (who Smith seemingly dissed before apologizing) and Kim Kardashian.
Catch Stephen A. Smith on programs like SportsCenter and First Take, which air on ESPN. And for more on the reality TV family, check out The Kardashians, which is available to stream using a Hulu subscription.
