‘No Way In Hell I Was Going to be Faithful’: Stephen A. Smith Drops Bombshell About Why He’s Never Gotten Married at 57
Stephen A. Smith claims his work and his inability to be a faithful man are the reasons why he’s never tied the knot with anyone.
The “First Take” cohost sat with rapper Cam’ron on the latest episode of Cam’ron’s YouTube series “Talk With Flee.” During their Dec. 19 chat, Smith explained that his successful career in sports journalism — which required him to travel quite a bit — is one of the factors for why he never got married.
The father of two teenage daughters says they are always on him about not being able to spend enough time with him.
“That is the reason I’ve never been married because I was on the road 200 days out of the year,” Smith explained, “and the fact of the matter is at that time there was no way in hell I was going to be faithful. I knew that. So why the hell am I going to sit up there and violate my marital vows knowing that ahead of time I ain’t gon’ honor them.”
He continued, “There is no way in hell I was going to do that. Because I was just on the road too much. That’s not the case now so because of that I look at things differently and think about things differently, but that was my challenge.”
Smith was raised in a New York City household of five siblings, where the Bronx native witnessed his mother “suffer” to make ends meet. He watched as she sacrificed her time with his family, which motivated him to be successful.
“And to watch my mom suffer the way that she did having to make sure we had food in the refrigerator, heat in the house, a roof over our head, clothes on our back, I was like, naw, it ain’t going down like that,” Smith shared.
The 57-year-old received mixed reviews on his reason for never saying “I do.” One person said, “At least he didn’t waste nobody time.”
Another wrote, “He talking like he really got motion wit the ladies.” And a third person said, “He triccin lmao he ain’t baggin em off that hairline.”
This comes after a woman named Nikita Pearson, who has been claiming to be Smith’s partner for months on Instagram, recently alleges she is pregnant. She shared the news in a Dec. 14 video of her wearing a sports bra and leggings as she held her stomach.
“Hey, Papa Steve,” Pearson said. “Baby Steve and I just wanted to wish you a great game. We know you’re going to win. I will be watching you from the car. I have to go out shopping to get me a dress to wear to dinner night because of course nothing fits anymore,” she said, turning to the side to show her rounded belly.
She also confirmed the gender of the baby in the same video. She said, “Your son is growing very big. So anyways I just wanted to wish you well and I know you’re going to do great today. We love you. Have a great game, Papa Steve.”
Pearson works as Deputy to the Chairman for External Affairs at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). She’s shared several other posts following her announcement, where she continues to refer to her expectant child as “Baby Steve” in the caption.
However, Smith himself has not confirmed the news leading fans to question whether Pearson has fabricated the relationship or not.
Whether they are currently romantically involved or not, pictures and videos shown on Pearson’s page, reveal that the two know each other in some capacity.
Dating back to 2016, Pearson has various photos and videos of her and Smith in hotels and cars together, as well as photos of Smith holding her from behind. She’s also posted some behind the scenes pictures of Smith on the set of “First Take” as well as a video of Smith making a birthday video for one of Pearson’s daughters.
So while the sports analyst has not mentioned Pearson publicly, she claims she has the proof to confirm they know each other. Pearson even went as far as to make her last name on her IG handle “Smith” and on Linkedin.
A month ago on LinkedIn, Pearson made a post saying that she left her position as the deputy to the chairman of external affairs with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation after being with the agency for 26 years.
She said May was her last month and she was leaving to “pursue opportunities aligned with [her] principles and purpose.”
Including a photo of herself and another of her and Smith, she added, “Since then, I’ve been taking some much-needed rest and focusing on spending time with loved ones, including the love of my life, Stephen A. Smith.”
Smith has always been pretty private about his love life … and that’s how he likes it.
During a 2023 appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, he said, “I will cancel a woman in a heartbeat that talks about my business. She utters my name publicly about us, she gone. I wouldn’t hesitate.”
He added, “You know why because I want you to know who my woman is when she’s Mrs. Smith.”
For clarification, Sharpe asked if she could even post anything on Instagram. Smith added, “Never. She wouldn’t make it to my crib. I’m not joking. She wouldn’t make it to my crib. She could live five minutes away she’ll be gone in five minutes. I don’t play that.”
Earlier this year, Smith was rumored to be dating Jalen Rose’s ex-wife Molly Qerim. However, he quickly shut down those rumors on an episode of “First Take.”
“No, there’s nothing going on, you understand what I’m saying. America been lying about that for a couple of years,” he said in April.
But fans were still in disbelief due to the random acts of blushing between the two fellow ESPN commentators at the time.