Stephen A. Smith has never been shy about strong opinions, but when it comes to his personal life, he is often far more guarded. That is why his recent appearance on the Pivot Podcast stood out. In a candid moment, Smith explained why he never got married, and he did not soften the truth. In his own words, he said he could not be faithful, and he placed the responsibility entirely on himself.
“Because I didn’t know how to act. Totally my fault. It’s not anybody’s fault but mine. I was on the road over 200 days out of the year. I’m not going to be faithful being on the road 200 days out of the year. I didn’t say you can’t. I said me. I could not be on the road as much as I was all of those years and honor our relationship.”
“I know how to treat a woman very well. My mother and my four sisters raised me. And I’m one of those guys that call it a blessing or a curse. Ninety percent of my living relatives are women. St. Thomas, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, upstate, the whole bit, Florida, the Carolinas. I got relatives all over the place. Most of them are female. So I’ve been surrounded by women all my life.”
“You get to know the do’s and don’ts, what the wants and don’t wants are, and all that other stuff. That’s a given. And there’s a level of treatment that I’m never going to go lower than. So in that regard, I’m good.”
“But when I was on the road for 200 days out of the year, man, and this is the part that men don’t reveal that much, but I will.”
“When you get older, you grow up and it’s like you don’t need it anymore. You don’t chase. That’s entirely different than when it’s handed to you on a silver platter and you don’t have to work for it. That doesn’t mean you can’t say no. It certainly doesn’t mean you don’t say no. What it does mean is that it’s harder.”
What made the conversation more layered was how deeply Smith connected his self-awareness to how he was raised. He spoke about growing up surrounded by women, crediting his mother and four sisters for teaching him how to treat women with respect.
That distinction mattered to him. Smith was not saying he avoided marriage because he did not value women or relationships. He was saying the opposite. He knew what was required, and he knew he could not consistently deliver it while living the life he was living. He did not want to make promises he could not keep.
Despite never marrying, Smith is a father to two daughters, a role he clearly takes seriously. His comments suggested that fatherhood grounded him in ways romantic commitment never did during his busiest years. He did not frame his life as regretful, but reflective. There was no bitterness, only accountability.
In an era where public figures often rewrite their past to sound noble, Smith chose something else. He chose responsibility. He did not blame fame, travel, or opportunity. He blamed his own limits. That honesty, uncomfortable as it may be, is exactly why the moment resonated.
