Op-Ed: Stephen A. Smith Was Right About Jason Whitlock. In Fact, He Didn’t Go Far Enough

Source: Allen Berezovsky / Getty

You can tell Katt Williams put something in the air (besides his medication of choice, of course) when he went full “anybody can get it” during the viral (and that’s grossly understating it) interview with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay. Now, famed sports journalist Stephen A. Smith appears to have contracted the “let the choppa spray” virus Katt unleashed as the ESPN host, on Wednesday, took time on his show to verbally pulverize his long-time rival, professed MAGA minion Jason Whitlock.

During an episode of the Stephen A. Smith Show podcast, Smith addressed Whitlock, who essentially accused him of lying in his memoir, Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes. In Whitlock’s recent column for BlazeTV, he questions if Williams’ interview exposed Smith, which is odd because nothing Katt talked about had anything to do with the renowned sports journalist. Generally, Whitlock reached around the world to connect Williams’ beef with the comedy industry to his own beef with Smith. It just seems like a lot of people are trying to catch second-hand clout from that Club Shay Shay episode. (It’s also worth mentioning that Sharpe doesn’t like Whitlock either.)

Anyway, Smith was having none of Whitlock’s wannabe-white nonsense and, after asking for his pastor and loved ones’ “forgiveness and understanding” for what he was about to do, he proceeded to spend the next 40 minutes or so going in on Whitlock.

“I mean it from my soul when I say this is the worst human being I’ve ever known,” Smith said. “I don’t know of another human being worse than Jason Whitlock. He is a piece of s–t. He’s the dude that’s going to have a funeral and ain’t going to be no pallbearers.”

Smith went as far as to say Whitlock isn’t even worth being called a “roach.”

“Because that’s not my name for him,” Smith said. “My name for Jason Whitlock is religiously Cain: C-A–I–N.”

“There is nothing good about him, absolutely nothing and I challenge anybody that knows anything about him to refute what I’m saying,” Smith continued. The sports commentator also said Whitlock has “napalmed” bridges instead of burning them throughout his career.

Smith came with receipts when he referenced a 2015 Deadspin article that reported on numerous ESPN stars not wanting to work with their then-colleague.

“While you were on BlazeTV, spewing that bullshit 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 about the daily ESPN show he hosts. “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? You bitch. Did you tell ’em? You fat piece of shit.”

Eventually, Smith got to the part many of us were waiting for where he at least started to call Whitlock out for being the white nationalist lackey and professional shucker and jiver that he demonstrably is. Smith said Whitlock is “worse than white supremacist,” which is arguably a bit much unless you subscribe to the belief that the house slave is worse than the slave master.

“You see what he does is, he’s the one that puts himself in front of white folks. The white folks, not all white folks, not most white folks, but the white folks that dare we say may have a problem with black folks,” Smith continued. “He says ‘I’m your man.’ That’s what he does. You think I’m lying? Ask ESPN. Ask Fox. Ask the Kansas City Star. Ask them all. I could not imagine, as a black man, knowing our history, anything worse than a white supremacist. That is until Jason Whitlock came along. He’s worse than them. He is the worst, most despicable, lying, no-good, fat-ass human being I have ever known in my life.”

Whitlock eventually responded to Smith on X posting, “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.”

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

For once, I actually agree with Whitlock. Smit’s rant—particularly the part about Whitlock essentially being a modern-day Black Klansman—was pretty “limited.” It really didn’t go far enough.

Jason Whitlock is contemptible but I really wish Stephen A Smith’s rant was better than a 4.2

— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) January 11, 2024

Smith should have spent more time calling Whitlock the Stepin Fetchit Supreme Chancellor of the Sunken Place. He should have said more about the real-life embodiment of Uncle Ruckus who uses his platform to massage racist white egos and put their white fragility at ease like a good boy. If Smith felt the need to body-shame Whitlock by repeatedly calling him a “fat bastard,” the least he could have done was make a quip about how Whitlock got fat from being a house slave happily gobbling up scraps from massa’s table.

In fact, it’s arguable that a lot of Smith’s gripes against Whitlock were kind of a waste. Why does arguably the most well-known sports journalist in the world even care what a several-times failed sports commentator thinks about what he wrote about his basketball career accomplishments in a memoir?

But, whatever, Smith said what he said, and for what it’s worth, the bastion of quality social commentary formerly known as Black Twitter has been having a field day with it.

I did. Stephen A Smith told the truth. Ole Boy tried to recruit a bunch of us to do some work for what was then the Undefeated and we did not want to work with him. https://t.co/dsNOObShpd

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) January 11, 2024

Stephen A. Smith telling his pastor and family why he has to go hard on Jason Whitlock on his podcast. #StephenASmith pic.twitter.com/LuklbjHjW2

— Special K (@KeviKev88) January 11, 2024

Nobody:

Stephen A Smith to Jason Whitlock yesterday: pic.twitter.com/HRxLUFQJ93

— Melvin Purdy (@MLVNPRDY) January 11, 2024

To summarize Stephen A Smith’s podcast today about Jason Whitlock: pic.twitter.com/vYdJsxi0Vy

— Joda (@JPitamus) January 11, 2024

A Quick Summary of Stephen A Smith to Jason Whitlock: pic.twitter.com/Ec8WYCEAH3

— Ramone Dixon (@greatsince1986) January 11, 2024

Me the whole time Stephen A Smith snapping on Jason Whitlock: pic.twitter.com/QxvDeukTRy

— Melvin Purdy (@MLVNPRDY) January 11, 2024

If you don’t have the time to watch the Stephen A Smith rant on Jason Whitlock clip in its entirety I have the summary here pic.twitter.com/vBolWJkRVd

— Method Man’s Hand Gestures (@Jamellpelle) January 11, 2024

Stephen A. Smith when they ask him to work with Jason Whitlock pic.twitter.com/6hD6ZtVGYV

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) January 11, 2024

Whitlock followed up on his initial response to Smith with a lengthier response a day later. (That’s how you know he’s in his feelings about it.)

Stephen A Smith, the self-proclaimed face of ESPN, embarrassed himself and ESPN last night. He vows to never say my name again. No problem. He doesn’t have to say my name to explain the hard-to-believe stories in his “memoir.” Amazed seemingly no media outlet in the country is…

— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) January 11, 2024

“Stephen A Smith, the self-proclaimed face of ESPN, embarrassed himself and ESPN last night,” Whitlock posted. “He vows to never say my name again. No problem. He doesn’t have to say my name to explain the hard-to-believe stories in his “memoir.” Amazed seemingly no media outlet in the country is interested in why the face of ESPN tells so many farfetched stories about himself in a book. Make it make sense.”

Yeah—Smith only “embarrassed himself” in the eyes of hypocritical MAGA cultists who are pretending they adhere to any standard of decorum while dry-humping Donald Trump, who never met an opponent he didn’t enjoy leveling an infantile temper tantrum against.

At the end of the day, Whitlock has made a career at the only right-wing cesspool of white fragility-friendly non-journalism that would have him by being a self-loathing, anti-Black, misogynistic, bitter apologist for white racism. Smith wasn’t wrong. He should have said more.

Jason Whitlock Says He’s ‘Never Voted,’ But He’s ‘Hardcore MAGA’ Now That Trump Has Been Indicted

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