Stephen A. Smith confronted Jason Whitlock, expressing his frustration in a video released during his radio show, after Whitlock seemingly accused Smith of falsehoods in his memoir, “Straight Shooter,” published last year.
In the video, Smith, a longtime ESPN host, didn’t mince words, referring to Whitlock as a “fat b—” and a “piece of s—.” Breaking from his usual practice of not discussing colleagues, Smith emphasized the necessity of addressing this matter and sought forgiveness from his pastor beforehand.
He also notified ESPN officials about his intention to deliver a scathing critique of his former colleague.
“I’ve had enough of that fat b—, that piece of s—,” Smith said. “And I want to make sure that before I go to break, I want anyone out there who watches me, anyone out there who knows me, anyone out there, no matter what you think of me. I want you to remember I never talk about him. I never talk about my colleagues. I don’t do that. This is a first. But it’s necessary.”
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Following his preparations, Smith released a passionate rant in response to Whitlock’s questioning of the authenticity of details in his autobiography.
Whitlock not only cast doubt on the contents but went as far as suggesting that Smith had outright fabricated elements of his life story. Whitlock even wrote a column titled “Does Katt Williams’ interview expose Stephen A. Smith as a fraud?” shortly after an interview with Katt Williams.
Initially, Smith had responded in a more restrained manner during his appearance on First Take, choosing not to mention Whitlock’s name. Given Whitlock’s history of courting controversy, it is expected that he will provide a lengthy response to Smith’s impassioned comments.