Stephen A. Smith’s recent comments about Joy Reid’s departure from MSNBC have sparked a fiery response from the former host, who says the ESPN star should take a closer look at his own ratings before talking about hers.
Reid joined Cari Champion on the latest episode of Naked Sports with Cari Champion, where the two discussed Smith’s take on her exit and the numbers he referenced on his YouTube show.
Reid was abruptly let go earlier this year, and Smith suggested that her viewership drop from 1.4 million during the 2024 election cycle to 778,000 last February played a role. Reid told Champion the critique made her curious.
@carichampion Part 1 of 2. The conversation deserves 2 episodes. On this episode of NakedSports- @Joy Ann Reid joins me to discuss all things- her time after MSNBC. Her thoughts on where we are headed as a country. She also shares her thoughts on the #Diddy documentary! And lastly- her words for Stephen A Smith. She said what she said. @Black Effect Podcast Network ♬ original sound – championcari
“He said I got fired for ratings, and I’m like, ‘Excuse me, sir. You got $100 million for a show with half my ratings at my worst.’ I had to literally Google his numbers,” she said. “I’m like, ‘How many people listen to his show? Is it like 4 million people’ Dude, that’s like average CNN.”
Reid argued the comparison is unfair because her show aired in primetime while First Take is a late morning program. But she also believes the issue goes deeper than ratings.
“They’re paying you, not for your number, my friend. They’re paying you because you are willing to say the nasty things about Black people that they want to say,” she continued. Reid said Smith’s commentary often targets Black women and suggested that pattern is part of what fuels his platform.