ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has become a very polarizing figure, and Michelle Obama claimed he would be a great Real Housewife on the latest episode of her IMO podcast. Obama compared ESPN to The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and Smith reacted to all that she had to say on the Stephen A. Smith Show.
“It’s the former First Lady of the United States of America, somebody that I personally revere and believe to be the greatest First Lady in American history,” Smith said. “That’s my personal opinion, and I stand by it. Smart, very attractive, highly intelligent, very accomplished, wonderful values and morals. As far as I’m concerned, she’s the closest thing to perfection I’ve ever seen from a first lady in the White House.”
Smith liked the fact that he was known in the Obama household and went on to thank her for comparing him to Bravo’s Andy Cohen, something she actually never did.
“Andy Cohen, ain’t no shame in being compared to him,” Smith stated. “That’s the face of Bravo. He created all those reality shows. He’s a highly successful individual who is beloved by millions of people out there. So, for me to be compared to him, there’s no shame in that.”
Smith appears to have misunderstood Obama there. She wasn’t comparing him to the host, Cohen, but the participants of the show.
Smith then went on to criticize Obama for stating that a vote for Donald Trump was a vote against women back in 2024 when she was campaigning for former Vice President Kamala Harris. He made it clear he felt that was an unfair statement and then touched upon what she had to say about ESPN.
“So this doesn’t have anything to do with what you were talking about, how sports and reality TV mirror one another, even though we would beg to differ,” Smith said. “Because a lot of things on reality TV are made-up situations and scenarios to provoke reactions and all of that stuff.
“We’re at sports, that’s live entertainment, and you’re actually competing against one another,” It’s big time. No, reality TV is not like that. You’re so wrong about that assertion, but that’s neither here nor there.”
While Smith defended ESPN and himself, he took this as an opportunity to voice his frustrations with Obama’s actions in the political sphere, more than anything else. He admitted he was still salty about it.
As for why Obama brought up Smith and ESPN, it was to point out that her brother, Craig Robinson, and husband, Barack Obama, were wrong for poking fun at her for watching The Real Housewives franchise.
“Now they think that sports is better reality TV, I was like, ‘It’s the same thing,'” Obama said. “… If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching The Real Housewives of Atlanta. It’s the same drama, and they’re yelling at each other, and they don’t get along. I mean, Stephen A. Smith, he’s just like every other…”
Guest Matt Rogers stated Smith would be a great Real Housewife, and Obama replied he would be. She wasn’t necessarily criticizing him or ESPN there, but making it clear that her brother and husband were in the wrong.
