December 12th 2025.
Joy Reid did not hold back when responding to Stephen A. Smith's comments about her departure from MSNBC. She accused him of unfairly targeting Black women for the entertainment of white audiences. This conversation took place on Naked Sports with Cari Champion, where Reid pointed out Smith's consistent pattern of criticizing Black women, including Michelle Obama, Cari Champion, Jemele Hill, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett. She challenged him to show the same level of intensity towards his longtime rival, Michelle Beadle, who happens to be white.
Reid did not mince her words when she stated, "They're paying you, not for your numbers, my friend. They're paying you because you are willing to say the nasty things about Black people that they want to say." She went on to explain that Smith's media deals were not based on his ratings, but rather his willingness to perpetuate negative stereotypes about Black women for the entertainment of white audiences. She made it clear that this did not make him a political genius, but rather a tool for their agenda.
The conversation continued as Reid joined Cari Champion on her podcast, Naked Sports. They discussed a range of topics, including Reid's time after MSNBC, her thoughts on the current state of the country, and her reaction to the recent Diddy documentary. But the highlight of the episode was Reid's response to Smith's criticism. She stated, "I said what I said," and made it clear that she stands by her words.
Reid also addressed Smith's comments about her ratings, stating that he had no ground to critique them. She humorously pointed out that he was making $100 million for a show with half her ratings at her worst. She even had to Google his numbers to find out how many people actually listened to his show, which she discovered was only around 4 million, similar to average CNN ratings.
These remarks from Reid came just weeks after Smith responded to claims made by popular sports radio host, Dan Le Batard. Le Batard had suggested that Smith was being used as a tool by the right, to which Smith replied, "I'm very aware of what's going on, I just don't care as much as you do." He went on to explain that he does not share the same political views as Le Batard, and therefore, does not feel as strongly about the situation.
In other related news, Smith recently revealed why he negotiated his departure from ESPN's NBA Countdown. While he did not go into detail, he made it clear that he wanted to have more control over his career and make decisions that aligned with his values and beliefs.
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