What is that? Excuse me? Ain't you ed? Stephen H. Smith's next for Josh. He used to be Daisy. It's Tuesday, two days after two bowl. I mean here another two days. He's so pathetic, he really really is.
Then again with the news we've got to discuss today, Diddy, Serena k d.
I guess it fits the show, Stephen A. Smith Show in the house, let's road, what's up? Everybody? Welcome to the Lady.
This edition to the Steven Nates Smith Show coming at you as I love to do at least three days a week over the digital airwaves of YouTube. As always, I like to take a moment to pause and thank my subscribers and followers for continuing to support the show. On top of the millions of downloads we received over the last few months courtesy of our Heart Radio, we've also eclipsed one point zero eight million subscribers over the last twenty two months or so on YouTube. So I
can't thank y'all for the love and support enough. Keep it coming, and I'm gonna keep on coming. To continue to like and follow the show, just click the bell and get notified for all of our new content, and you too shall be the latest member of the Steven
Nate Smith Show family. You'll be notified for all of our newest content, of course, and on top of that, make sure to pick up a copy of my New York Times bestselling book when you get an opportunity, Straight Shooter, a memoir of second Chances and First Takes now and paperback and to give you some insight into who I am and what my journey has been throughout my life
up to this point. Just go to straight shoot a Book dot com and get yourself a copy that straight Shoot a Book dot Com to get yourself a copy. Got to get started on a lot of different things. We're gonna be talking about a lot of different things today. Kanye West, We're gonna be talking about, of course, Diddy, who knows what's going on with that President Trump, Elon Musk.
There's so much stuff going on.
But I've got to get started with the Super Bowl last Sunday between the Chiefs and the Eagles, a game with a few headlines percolating in the wake of the forty twenty two beat down the Eagles handed to Kansas City. The first headline is the ratings for the game. According to Nielsen, and Fox Sports. More than one hundred and twenty seven million people watch Super Bowl fifty nine with Philadelphia destroyed Kansas City. That's a new record for American
viewership for an event across all platforms. The other headline that came out of the game was the halftime show courtesy of Kendrick Lamar that also featured Sissa. The set was a thirteen minute mashup of Kendrick hits, including the much anticipated not Like Us. Remember that the disc track dedicated to Drake. That performance featured the world's greatest female athlete in Serena Williams, who was seen krip walking to the song. For those of you who don't know, Williams
wants actually dated Drake. Now, I had some comments on Serena's appearance on the stage on Super Bowl Sunday that I shared on ESPN's First Take or that following Monday. Apparently that made many of folks agitated, because a lot of people had a problem.
On what I had to say.
Before I give my thoughts on that, however, I do owe you the opportunity to see what has created this whole brew ha ha and what's got everybody up in the Nancy take a look. If I'm married and my wife is going to join troll and her ex go back to his ass, because clearly you don't belong with me what you worried about him for and you there, you have it, And because of that, everybody's up in the tizzy. Newsflash, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, I
was playing around. It was a lot of fun. Secondly, I didn't utter a disrespectful word towards Serena Williams, so I don't know where the whole Serena protection protocol kicks in.
I didn't say anything about her.
I said, hey, listen, if I'm a man and I'm married, I certainly don't want my wife showing any kind of energy, positive, negative, or otherwise to another dude that happens to be her ex. That'll make me think, what was she thinking about him? Why is she thinking about him so much? Why does she feel the need to exert any energy emotional or otherwise when it comes to that, That's where I was coming from. But it was more of a gender issue more so than anything else, in terms of men and
how a lot of men feel. I'm not going to say most I'm not going to say all because I don't know. I'm going to tell you how I feel. What I expressed is exactly what I meant. I'm not apologizing for it.
I'm not condoning it either.
Ladies and gentlemen sometimes and I would imagine that women would a pre ciate what I'm about to say and what I'm about to do, because that's all.
I mean, what do you women say all the time? You want a man expresses emotions, express yourself, express yourself, talk to us.
That's what you want to say. Right Well, I'm gonna talk to you. Hope the shape room is listening. I hope all these women out here listening.
Some men are insecure. Now that's breaking news, supposedly. I mean, I didn't know that. I kind of thought that y'all automatically knew that not all, not most. Every man can speak for himself.
Every man could go online because you know they are, and they're gonna say not, ain'my not that ain't me. Not it ain't me, And I have no proof to the contrary. So I'm just gonna tell you me and the men that I know most men we're a bit insecure when we see energy expressed in the direction of another dude, even if it's vitriol, even if it's venom, even if it's hate, even if.
It's get back, whatever it is. You haven't heard the saying the true end of any relationship isn't love, nor is it hatred. It's indifference. You ever heard that? In other words, when.
You simply don't matter, somebody chooses not to expend a sintilla of energy in.
Your direction because you're not worth it.
They have a better life, they are preoccupied, and they don't give you a second thought. That's indifference. That's when the end truly arrives. And the reason why some, not most, not all might react in a certain way as a man, because the men I know tend to think along the lines of my woman wouldn't have any time to be expending any kind of energy like that because.
She's happy with me. Were good.
Now, for those that want to throw out facts instead of touching on a perspective like I would like you to, let me make sure that I let you know that I am aware of the facts involving Drake, Serena Williams, and a husband. Apparently, Drake had dissed Serena's husband in the past, so her crip walking on stage to not Like Us on Super Bowl Sunday was seen as a slap in Drake's face for disrespecting her and her husband.
Drake's lyrics on the song sidebar Serena, your husband a groupie, he claimed, we don't got a problem.
But no, boo, it's like you coming for sushi. Whatever that is.
Okay, I'm not about to get in all that, Okay, I just want to make sure that I'm clear that everybody knows that I know there's history there, all right, and this Serena Williams issued this statement out here when Kendrick Lamar and team called and was like, We've been trying to do something forever.
What about this? We loved your crip walk at the Olympics after you want to gold medal. I'm like, super Bowl? Are you serious? Winn in the world? Would I ever be able to dance at the Super Bowl? Never, let's do it.
I knew my winning dance after the Olympics would pay off one day, end of story. Fine, she did it at Wimbledon back in twenty thirteen, if I remember correctly. Okay, that's where she's from. She's from Compton, she's from Compton. Kendrick Lamar's from same mayor obviously same time. Of course that's her homie, no biggie. Nobody was insulting Serena Williams. I'm simply saying from the male.
Perspective, because I thought the males would pick up on it. Well, damn not.
Serena not a husband, that's their personal business. I'm sure they talked about it before she did it. I'm saying in general, I use that to metaphorically touch on men and women and how men feel about a woman showing any kind of energy, negative, positive, or otherwise.
Towards an X.
And I got people up in the tissy, not just in social media. I got people that work with me, people that work for me.
Nah nah no.
Somebody said Ryan Clark actually tried to save me for myself. Well, I wasn't trying to be saved. I got disipinion. What am I going to jail for it? I'm gonna get cuffed and throw them behind bars because I'm acknowledging what some men won't, what some men feel. If you're a woman is showing energy towards an axe. That involves feelings, that involves emotions, which might make a man be introspective that one of my boys sit up there and say to me, well, then that just means you insecure.
Why would you say that publicly? Who cares?
You know how many men out hear insecure ladies? A lot of us are insecure. We want to have that discussion when I had that discussion. You want me to get emotion? Hold on as petition, Michael, I mean, do I need to get emotional? Ladies and gentlemen. I cry sometimes, ladies and gentlemen, I get a bit emotional. Sometimes, sometimes I feel alone. Sometimes I just want to I just want to be held.
All these things are true.
Now, you don't expressed it the way a woman expresses it. And I'm joking around obviously in fashion that I did say it. But every emotion that I expressed is true. I've cried before, I've been lonely before. I wanted to be held before. There Sometimes I come home from a hard day's work and guess what, some sex ain't on my mind. I just want to lay down. I just want to lay my head on my lady's cauch, on my lady's lap. I'm sorry, I want my head rub.
I want my shoulders massage. I want that back rug.
I want affection. What I'm a what's now? That means I ain't holding it down. That's what we're doing.
Be careful before you answer that question, fellas. Valentine's Day's Friday. Everybody forgot about that, didn't you. Valentine's Day is coming up, It's Valentine's Day weekend, perfect time to express your emotion.
Set the stage from now. Listen to your boy.
I'm just trying to tell you, okay, what about Serena and her husband. The incident was used to broach a different kind of discussion.
Some dudes.
To my married boy, Galen, especially because you know, you know him. You know what I'm saying saying. I mean he got to be here. I mean he he got to be doctor Phil one day, uh and doctor Drew the next. You're always trying to get in. It's always timed around Valentine's Day and birthday and stuff like that. He think he's slick, but it's okay, or as all right, it's okay. We want to be in touch with our emotions.
All I'm saying, folks, is that every man is not secure under every situation and circumstance and through.
No fault of a woman.
Sometimes you'll find yourself in a precarious situation with a man because of his own insecurities that he may or may not have verbalized to you.
If you had And this is not clearly what Serena did, So again, I'm not talking about her fellas. What if you had.
Your woman and she saw a friend, just a friend, never been with him, or he could be gay, or it could be something. And what if you had a woman and just in your presence, she just ran and jumped into the arms of another.
Man right in front of you.
Clearly wasn't doing anything, totally innocent, he could be just a friend, but she leaped off her feet and jumped into his arms.
How would you feel you insecured?
Then?
What if you ran in.
To a female friend of yours in the presence of your girl, and you picked her up off her feet and spun her around and gave her this beautiful big hug. How do you think your girls feel about it? See me want to act like I'm speaking a foreign language, but we know better. There's a lot of us out here that have insecurities. Last time I checked. That's human if y'all disagree, I'm sorry y'all liing, and you choose the lot of the public, even if it's to yourself.
But that's just me.
I don't want to be somebody that just spews this rhetoric and I don't get a perspective from someone different than myself. So I'm gonna introduce my next guest to provide me with that kind of mativity.
But now before I pay some bills, be a prize pick.
Check it out, all right, folks, I need you all to stop what you're doing and listen up. You know I love this time of year, right. The NBA season is a full string and with all this action going on, to Stephen A. Smith Show wants to make sure you take advantage of it all. That's why we've partnered with Prize Picks, the best place to get real money action
while watching your favorite sports. You see, with Prize Pects, you pick two or more of your favorite players, and then you simply select more or less on the projected stats for.
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So download the app today you use the code essays to get fifty dollars instantly after you play your first five dollar lineup. Again, download the app and use code says to get fifty dollars instantly after your first five dollar lineup. Prospects, YO, run your game. Now, let's look at my picks for today. First up with Milwaukee Bunks guard Damian Lillard, Dame time score more or less than twenty seven and a half points against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota timber Wolves.
I'm going with more. We don't know the status of Giannis. He's been out for a few games.
That puts more of a load on Damian Lillard, who is a scoring machine whenever he wants to be. Do I see him putting up twenty seven and a half or more versus Anthony Edwards Minnesota Timberwolves. Absolutely, I'm going with more on this one. Next up, the ant man himself, Anthony Edwards scores more or less than thirty and a half points with this one, going with less. I know Anthony Edwards likes to put on a show, Ain't no doubt about that. We know what is capability these are.
But for Minnesota to really really get going, they're gonna need a collective effort to Rudy go Bears of the world, the nas Reeds of the world, and others. They don't have to step up and do what they're gonna do. I think Anthony Vera was gonna give him an opportunity to do just that. Is he gonna score twenty five or twenty six, Sure, but I'm gonna go with him
less on this particular question. Next up, well, Golden State Warrior's point guard Stephan Curry score more or less than twenty seven and a half points against Kyrie Irvin and the Dallas Mavericks. Come on, now, I'm going with more. It's Steph Curry going up against lay Thompson. Was no longer remember the Wold Timberwolves, no more longer member the Warriors. He's a member of the MAVs. Steph Curvey ain't gonna sit ady bind just let him do his thing, and
stepth curryin't gonna try to do his thing. I think Steph Curry's gonna get loose. You can go with more on this one. That's a sure bet in my mind. Finally, with Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reeves, will he scored more or less than twenty nine points, rebounds and assists against you talk, I'm gonna go with more. Austin Reeves is really coming to his own. He had a forty
five point game last week. You look at what he's capable of putting up, how he crashes the boys when necessary, He scores, assists, he does whatever he needs to do, good decision making. He's blossoming under the tutelage of JJ Reddick. So I want to get props. With props? Is do to go back to my answers? More on Damien Littla, less on Anthony Edwards, more on Steph Curry, More on Austin Reeves. Surprispects it's more as in more money. That's what they like to say. That's what I know happens
to be true. For more on this story, I want to bring in my good friend. You've seen it before, we haven't seen it. In a couple of weeks, I had a bunch of football and basketball stuff to do, or whatever.
But she's back.
The lovely, the wonderful Miss Tory Cooper is back here on the show. God, what's up, Tory?
How are you doing? You heard what I have to say. And if you're getting with my comments.
You're getting cooked. You're getting cooked on social media and just a shade room everywhere. You're getting cooked for this one Stephen, you used to that though. It's fine that. I mean, it's two things happening. What you didn't say anything wrong. Okay, you didn't say anything wrong. That as a perspective, that is out there, but you have to acknowledge the other part of the conversation, right, I mean, at the end of the day, if your man is cool with this, your man is school with this. Okay,
your man is school with this. Your man is school with this. You have to have that conversation. And it starts and stops there.
Right.
So her man said, look, this was bigger than Drake, and she said, this was bigger than Drake. This is because if you look back at the history of it, go back to twenty twelve when she won the Olympics, she did the crip walk. She got pushed back for it, and it's because they said, you know, you shouldn't be doing a performance like that, you know, dancing on a public stage like that that has gained connotations to the dance that you're doing. Now we know that she is
reclaiming and celebrating her past. She's from Compton, Kendrick's from Compton, California, Bloods, the crips. There was symbolism in the Kendrick Lamar super Bowl performance, and so this was those two moments in one and all. So that was her way of saying, like, look, you're not gonna steal the dance I love doing and I'm gonna do it on the super Bowl stage. So if my man is cool with me reclaiming my narrative, I'm gonna.
Be cool with it. But listen to what I'm saying. Listen what I'm saying. Nobody's disputing that. Nobody's having a problem with that. I don't have a problem with that. Do your thing I'm saying. I used it to springboard to a general gender kind of conversation or relationships, say gender a relationship kind of conversation. Most men, when if they look at you and they saw that you were given energy in any way to your ex they would be like you with me. You're supposed to be happy
with me? Why is your ex getting that kind of energy? Just like a woman if she sees you giving any kind of energy you. I mean, time's dudes go off and they're pissed off about an ex and a woman is looking at her, going like this.
What's he so mad about? Why is he in that way? I mean, what's his problem? He's with me? Why is he worried about?
Ha?
You trying to tell me women don't do that.
Of course they do, of course they do. But in this situation, I really believe they you. It's bigger than that. So of course you're gonna get cooked online though for this, because they're saying, why are you even coming for Serena? This was so much bigger And they're saying two things. But what I want to say is two things can be real and can be true. And I do say I do agree with what you're saying that, yes, this
is a conversation that's out there. Men are the ones who at times feel this way that why are you gonna be forty with two kids out there and giving this type of energy to another man? There is that conversation out there and the people who are not gonna act like they maybe have that feeling towards it. You know that they may not. But there are men that hold that perspective. But I think at the end of the day, as long as you're having that conversation with your man, that's what matters.
But Tory, what I'm saying to use this, I ain't bring up the kids. I didn't bring up her age. All I'm saying is you're in a relationship and happy with your men. Not forget Serena and her husband. Again, that was the springboard towards a bigger conversation because we were just joking about that, but it was like, there you know that kind of energy. Of Course she has the right to do it. Of course there's nobody's business. Of Course she could do what she wants to do.
She doesn't deserve to be insulting. And now that does a husband. I'm saying off of a general conversation, there's plenty of men that would have an issue with their woman showing any kind of energy.
Let me ask you, can I get a little personal story? Can I get little person? Okay? Okay, you know you know you you expressed you know you. You know you're pretty happy. You know you found a man in your dreams and you know you're very, very happy and stuff like that. I want to ask a question about you, man. Nobody got to know who he is.
If you're a man, if saw you on on a stage, given it could be negative, but given extra energy.
To an ax, how would you fee.
I'd have to ask him. I'd have to ask him beforehand, Steven have to ask man had this conversation, so you know what stephen A. I would assume that it could be a touchy area, and that's why I would have the conversation with him. Okay, before I would even step.
Foot got you, no problem. But what I'm saying to you is this toy. Is it possible that you know him already? And because I'm not talking about Serena and a husband, forget that now, I'm talking general man women, is it fair to say that you would.
Never put yourself in that position because he's a man and you know how he probably feel.
Again, it's still a super Bowl. I'm not gonna lie. I'm still gonna reach out to my man and see how he feels about it. I'm gonna see how he feels about it because if this meant so much to me, if I had this lore, this background of this dance was basically criticized, and then now I have a to do that same dance on a Super Bowl stage in a symbolic message to America. I'm I'm gonna want to potentially take that and I'm gonna still talk to my man. Don't see how it feels about it. But it's so
much bigger than some guy. It was kind of maybe dating, and I shared a few kisses with and was caught taking pictures.
You know.
It wasn't like they didn't even really come out and really express how much their relationship was. You know, and you've probably had relationships to stephen A that maybe aren't as in depth and we're as serious and maybe don't deserve all this energy either, But that is to your point too. She didn't give a lot of energy to this moment.
But I didn't give a lot of energy to it until everybody was on social media going on. All I did was joke about it on national TV for thirty seconds. That's all I did. And by the way, I got one of my peeps here want to make sure because I want to make sure.
I gotta be fair. I got to be fair. I to give the information. R I got to Oh my god, faugh be it for me for fail to give the information.
Right, Drake di Serena's husband this is in a past, so her doing that was also a slap in Drake's face for distress expecting her and the husband.
Here was the Drake. There was the lyrics in Drake's song about it.
Sidebar Serena, your husband a groupie, he claimed, we don't got a problem, but no, boo, it is like you coming for sushi.
That's what he wrote. Okay, I don't know the damn song. I don't care. All I'm saying is all I'm saying, is you a dude, most dude. This is what pisses me off.
See you, women, you got men scared of their own damn shadow, so they got to agree with you, even when they know our nature from time to time.
As men, most not all.
If you have a woman in your life who is showing extra energy of any kind to an x, it will raise an eyebrow and elevate suspicion, which is why women who don't want to lose their man watch out for stuff like that, And when they don't.
Watch out for stuff like that, it's because they've reached.
The point where they don't care because he might have pissed them off.
Let me ask you to let me ask you, so you don't think she had this conversation with her husband. They did have this conversation.
I think she did.
Okay, so she did, But why do you keep ignoring the fact that But why But why do you keep ignoring the fact that it wasn't about her? It was springboarding towards the male female dynamic and how most men would feel if their woman.
Was in that position that is necessarily specifically Serena.
Okay, No, I know, and I see that point too. There is a gender. There is a gender. A point about gender that you're trying to make about how there are men out there that share this perspective and the ones that didn't under your defense and social media and basically left you hanging high and dry, acting like they don't feel that way. It's not true. But they're not trying to get cooked like you.
That's what it is, is that because of Valentine's Day, That's what it is.
Valentine's coming out. Yeah, they're not trying to stir the bot.
We're not trying to stir the bot.
Right now.
Things are good.
They got their Valentine's Day plans, they got the fake roses, they got the chocolates. The last thing they want to hear about is that they don't want to hear about.
Wow.
So this is how you feel about that.
So, so, Tory, check out what I'm gonna do. Check out what I'm gonna do, because see I'm a man of the people. I'm a man of the people. Okay, So what I'm gonna do, Tory is I'm gonna look out for all the fellas on behalf of all the fellas. I'm gonna take this on the chin. I'm gonna act like it's just me.
Shaney ain't got none to do with this. I see, ain't got nonhing to do with this. Den Or Laws ain't got none to do this. All the men out there on social media, y'all ain't got nothing to do with it. I'm gonna take this on the chin for the fellas seem gonna act like it's just me. Let me when I know dan Well is most of the male species. Go ahead.
So do you feel you really do feel that way personally. This is your personal belief of how you would feel it in this situation, because people want to know where you fall in certain places for certain copies. This is where you feel.
Hell, yes, let me put you this way. If I had.
A woman who was going to perform on stage on a disk track, during a disk track for her ex boyfriend, I would.
Look at her and go like this, what fuck do you think you're doing? What's the probble? Why do you feel the need to do that. I would look at her like what tell me why you need to do that? But that's me.
If Serena's husband do that, that's his business, it's prerogative. I'm not insaulting him at all. I'm telling you what I would do. Yeah, And I would raise an eyebrow. So he affects you that way.
Huh? He still got that kind of fact? Really okay?
Because you know, I mean, I think I'm gifted enough in a variety of ways not to be a consolation prize for anybody. And I would instantly be thinking of myself as a consolation prize if I saw that kind of energy.
That's just me being honest as a dude. If other dudes don't want to be honest enough to admit that. That's on them. To the ladies out there. I don't mind being vulnerable. I don't mind expressing myself, just showing you where my heart lives. Is it is it?
Is it annoying to you because of the message it sends to other people?
No, no, no, no. I just I just think that men are not being honest.
I just think that the guys out there that are spoken against it from me, not Serena and her husband for the last time, in general, the male female dynamic relationship dynamic. I don't think men are being honest about that. All I'm saying to you is most men that I know feel that way, whether they willing to admit it or.
Not, that's on them. It's a damn shame that I've been left to stand alone on this issue.
That's all I gotta say, Tory, I gotta run, all right. I gotta get on out of here for the moment, anyway. All right, you taking these Thanks for joining me. I got another word from Prize Picks for y'all. Okay, got another word from Prospects. Be right back, all right, everybody, listen up with all the big time sports action that's happening each and every day.
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Lineup prize picks Yo. Run your game.
Now, it's time to get to the NBA where history was made in Phoenix last night as Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to score thirty thousand points. It happened on two free throws last night and the third quarter as the Suns lost to the Memphis Grizzlies one nineteen one twelve. Durant joins an elite scoring group that includes Lebron James, Kareem abdu Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Novitski, and the one and only Wilt Chamberlain.
By the way, Lebron is the only player in league history to score more than.
Forty thousand points.
As for Durant, the four time NBA Scoring Champion, remains one of the league's best shot makers, currently averaging just over twenty seven points per game in his seventeenth season. I've said this early on Television'm gonna say it again. Kevin Durant is one of the top.
Ten players in the history of basketball.
I challenge anybody to find me a dude that's six feet eleven seven feet tall that could do the things he can do with the basketball on the perimeter, beyond the arc, mid range game. It doesn't matter. He's a bona fide professional pure scorer. It's who he is, and strictly when it speaks to scoring as opposed to overall play, I can make an argument that duran as one of
the top three scorers in the history of basketball. Do y'all know that after twelve years in the NBA he had torn his achilles and since that time he's actually shot better and more efficiently than he was doing before his injury. Fifty three percent from the field, forty one percent from three point range. That's what he's done in the last four plus years since he's been back from that achilles here, he's been averaging twenty seven point six
points since he turned thirty. No NBA player in history has done that. This is who Kevin Durant is now. I know it's shocking because he got pissed at me and he called me a clown because I questioned his leadership and all of this other stuff.
He could be mad all he wants to.
The man got swept to it the last three years and would have lost in the first round of third straight year. I Kawhilon hadn't gotten hurt. But nothing takes away from his greatness as a basketball player. Nothing's going to stop me from acknowledging it, and I happen to the believe no matter what he said about me, he's a pretty damn good dude. He just gets emotional sometimes and then he lashes out, but he's a good brother. He's never cheated the game he steps.
On the court.
He performs at a high level all the time. Now, are there some questions about the intangibles? Yes, does he have the intangibles to lead, meaning to maximize the potential around him, to make sure guys are doing what they're supposed to do. That remains a question mark, no doubt about it. But having said that, there's still no question his greatness. This dude's one of the greatest players in the NBA history and one of the top three greatest scorers in the history of basketball.
Look at the numbers.
They speak for themselves, ladies, gentlemen, He's the greatest scorer than Lebron James. Ladies, gentlemen, he's a greatest scorer than Kobe Bryant. And you know that's damn they're sacrilegious to say. But Kobe wasn't six feet eleven with a seven six wings band. That was KD Trey. That was Kevin Durant. The only person that I would say wasn't a better scorer than was Michael Jordan.
But KD is that dude.
Remember he missed time when he was in Oklahoma City with the foot injury. He definitely missed tim when he tore the Achilles KD selling special, y'all, and I'm not going to deny him his props under any circumstances. Congrats to him joining the thirty thousand club. I don't think he'll make it to forty because he'll have to average about two thousand points a season for the next five years. And you know he's over thirty five, so I don't know. He don't play till he's forty forty two or whatever.
But hell, I can't put nothing past him because he's that dude, no doubt about it. Congratulations and props to the one and only Kevin Durant coming up. Kanye West is making headlines again.
For all the wrong reasons.
I'll get into that straight ahead, but first Elon Musk holds a press conference inside the Oval Office with President Trump sitting.
Right next door.
We'll talk about that next right here on the steven A. Smithshaw Wait until you hear what I have to say about this.
Welcome back to Steven A.
Smithshow right here over the digital areas a YouTube and of course iHeart radio.
Let's go to Washington, d C.
The nation's capital where Americans saw a different image of power coming from the White House. Elon Musk, the world's richest man and new head of the Department of Government Efficiency, god of the press conference from the Oval Office with the President of the United States, Donald Trump sitting right next to him. Both men defended their efforts to enact
sweeping changes to the federal government and limit spending. The move comes as Trump signed an executive order yet another one providing new guidance for federal agencies to cut what both men characterize as excessive government spending.
Mister Musk, including a lot of Democrats, I have detractors, I don't believe it, say that you're orchestrating a hostile takeover of government and doing it in a non transparent way.
What's your response to that criticism.
Well, first of all, you couldn't ask for a stronger mandate from the public. The people voted for major government reform. There should be no doubt about that.
That was on the campaign.
The President spoke about that at every rally. The people voted for major government reform, and that's what people are going to get. They're going to get what they voted for.
Mister Busk.
The White House says that you will identify and excuse yourself from any conflict of interest that you may have. Does that mean that you are in effect policing yourself. What are the checks and balances that are in place to ensure that there is accountability and transparency.
Well, we actually are trying to be as transparent as possible. In fact, our actions we post our actions to the DOGE handle on x and to the DOGE web site, so all of our actions which are maximally transparent. In fact, I don't think there's been I don't know of a case that we're organization's been more transparent than the those organizations, and I fully expect to be scrutinized and get a daily proctology exam. Basically, I so well just camp out there. So it's not like I think I can get away
with something. I'll be scrutinized, not stop.
And we thought that we would not let him do that segment or look in that area if we thought there was a lack of transparency or a conflict of interest, And we watched that.
Also, if a judge does block one of your policies part of your agenda, will you abide by that ruling?
Will you? Well, I always abide by the courts, and then I'll have to appeal it. But then what he's done is he's slowed down the momentum and it gives crooked people more time to cover up the books. Yeah, the answer is I always abide by the courts, always abide by him, and will appeal.
You know, I listened to Elon Musk speaking there. I listened to Donald Trump, President Donald Trump, forty seventh President of the United States, formerly the forty fifth President of the United States, speaking there.
And I'm watching Democrats.
Protesting on Capitol Hill, demanding justice, highlighting that nobody elected Elon.
I'm hearing politicians rightfully, so I might add.
Emphasizing the need to not stand pat and just wait to make change come midterm elections.
They're not wrong. We don't need to stand out of by and wait until the midterm elections. Folks do need to speak out, especially I elected officials.
But like I told y'all before, my politics, regardless of what you want to think, because most of the time I vote Democrat, that's usually involving the presidency. I didn't tell you how I vote for a gubernatorial seat or a mayoral seat or anything like that. But that's neither here nor there. The point is I pride myself and being a centrist. I'll openly confess that most people on my team are not.
They're leftist.
I'll openly confess that a lot of people that I work for and whatever, and regardless of what they say, I think they're rights.
They're not fooling anybody. I don't care.
I look at the information and I'm going to call balls and strikes like I see them.
Elon Musk is a problem. He is a problem.
Because he's the world's richest man. According to numerous reports, he's received money from our government because he's in business with the government, whether it's Skylink, Tesla or whatever. I don't have that information in front of me. And he's not an elected official. So not only have the people not elected him, he wasn't even confirmed by the Senate.
He's just Trump's guy. That is an incredible, incredible reason to be alarmed, especially when they're looking at have access to the Treasury Treasury, thereby giving them access to private information involving every American citizen in this country.
Certainly there's a reason to be very, very alarmed. Nobody's denying that.
But you see, I'm fair minded. There's a flip side. I don't know about y'all, but aren't you a little bit suspicious about watching a bunch of Democrats raise holy hell over his access before we find out whatever it is that he's found out. I don't know about y'all, but I don't want laws being broken. I don't want the Constitution being ignored or violated. I don't want the civil liberties of American citizens being compromised.
All of that is true, but I have to confess.
I do want to know how much money politicians are getting from the moment they arrive on Capitol Hill.
What are your investments. Who did you invest with?
What kind of information did you get access to to enable you to make those investments so.
You can make money? Do the American people have the same access you have? We damn sure.
I don't have the same health care. From my understanding, these are questions. Why do we have a problem knowing that the answers to them. Inquiring minds would like to know. You're an elected official. That makes you a public figure. I think Trump should have given us access to his books. I think it should have been mandated when he was running for election at twenty fifteen into twenty sixteen. How in the hell did he not have to show us his tax returns? That should have been mandatory. I got
a red flag up about Musk too. I'll be damned if I trust Trump. But nearly eighty million people have spoken, regardless of what the Democrats want to tell us, and I hear like the number was like two hundred and twenty thousand out of millions.
That's what it ultimately came down to.
The different it's in the polls between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Whatever it is. He won every swing state on about fifty counties.
He increased in the black, the Hispanic and the young voter demographic, and the white woman that was supposed to come out and be against him and droves because of his position on Roe V. Wade didn't equate to him not being re elected. Somewhere along the line said miss it, I understand the uproar. I understand the need for the Democrats to make noise di is another thing. We'll be revisiting that in the days, in the weeks to come,
make no mistake about it. But understand on its premise to have somebody elected in office targeting excessive government spending. I'm trying to figure out, how is the tax payer supposed to be appalled and put off and threatened by that exposure being revealed to us? If I'm not trusting Musk, I'm not trusting Trump. But I'll be damned if I don't want to hear what they have to say about where to hell millions upon millions of dollars of tax payer money has gone or I want all those details.
Every penny if you can find out, I want it all.
Where has this money been appropriated to, who has it been appropriated by?
What level of benefit did they incur? From it and who suffered because of it.
There are strong questions to ask coming down the pike, especially with these executive orders Trump is handed it down. You want to get rid of the Department of Education, Well, what kind of damage is that going to do? Where will we be as a country without the Department of Education? What tentacles does it have and does it reach that could detrimentally affect the American people? And if you don't have a Department of Education, how specifically is that going
to benefit our country. I want to hear about all of that. I want to hear about that with the CIA or a bunch of people that.
You asked to resign or take off or take seven.
Back, whatever you did. I want to hear that with d I. I want to hear that about the FBI. I want to hear about everything, because are you doing what you're doing to find money to make it look like we're doing better because we've located where the money is gone, and we've identified we're accessiuspending.
Needs to be targeted so we don't have to worry about that anymore.
Are you doing it to dismantle the government in such a way that we don't really have one, and we're at the behast in the mercy of Donald Trump and Elon Musk, because if the latter is true, then our democracy is in danger, an autocracy.
Is being get detained.
If the latter is true, we don't know. Perhaps we'll find out sooner than later, but I know this much. I want to know where the money is, where the money is gone, and who the hell's been spending it and how much did they take for themselves. Yeah, I want to know that, even if it comes from some South African dude worth billions that has no relation to me whatsoever. My interest is in where the money resides, where the money resides, where the money resides, where the
money resides. Okay, that's all I got to say about that.
Coming up showing did he come slaps NBC.
Universal with a one hundred million dollar lawsuit? Will it mean anything for his upcoming trial? I'll get into that, but first, what the hell is going on with Kanye West? I've got the latest headlines on the disturbing headlines surrounding this brother.
All that and more next right here on The Stephen A. Smith Show, Don't Go Away. Welcome back to Steven A. Smith Show.
I should say I want to, but I really don't want to. But I have to get into Kanye West and his series of disturbing headlines surrounding this entertainer.
I can't.
I don't even know I gonna call him entertaining anymore stuff he's getting himself into. West has been sued and dropped by his talent agency after he posted a stream of anti semitic views on x That account has since been shut down. He also put t shirts with a swatstickup on sale in his online shop that was also deactivated by Shopify. The company issued a statement that read, in part, quote, all merchants are responsible for following the
rules of our platform. This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms, so we removed them end quote, and yes they A former employee of West filed the lawsuit the Los Angeles accusing him of wrongful termination, citing gender and religious discrimination.
The woman, who is.
Jewish, alleged he fired her after sending a series of anti Semitic text messages.
Wes has not commented on.
A lawsuit all the actions of Shopify that shut down his online website.
You know.
It's real easy.
To insult Kanye West. Yay, I'm not gonna do that. I'm gonna make a plea. I'm gonna try to talk to the brother. Kanye West is one brilliant dude. His artistry and the brilliance of that artistry cannot be denied. Once a billionaire who knows what he is now with the damage that he has done to his brand, speaks for itself and we don't need to revisit that. But my brother, what do you trying to do? Have you really asked yourself that question? You see ladies and gentlemen,
so many people. I'm not gonna go there because I know Kanye West lost his mother. I lost my mother after long battle with cancer. I can sincerely say to you from the bottom of my heart, there is no pain that I've ever felt in my life that comes close to the pain of losing my mother. I'm not gonna bore y'all with this. I've told y'all list in the past. I think of her every day, every night.
Anybody who's had a wonderful mom in their life, I can assure you there is never a full twenty four hours that goes by that misery doesn't touch you.
Simply because she's not there.
She's not there to hug, she's not there to get on you, scream at you, hug you, love you, whatever you just miss. I'd give anything to see my mother right now, yelling at me, getting on me about something stupid I may have done.
There is no pain.
I don't outside of a parent losing their child. There is no pain greater than losing a good mama or a great one. Anybody that lost their mother knows what I'm talking about, especially the dudes.
Not to dismiss women.
Of course, you love your mamas and stuff like that, but just like women could be daddy's girls, boys and men could be mama's boys. And you know what I'm saying. People have speculated that Kanye hasn't been the same since his mom passed away.
The only part about.
That that's alarming as opposed to understanding, is that whether it's grabbing anc from Taylor Swift and talking about how Beyonce deserved the award instead of her years ago, or the myriad of things he has done since, there seems to be no regard for the potential hurt in pain that he may cause others In a moment courtesy of one of his diatribes, and at some point in time
that's got to end. I remember one of the most riveting moments I saw on video social media was when my man Van Lathen was working for TMZ and Kanye West came to this studio and said a few things. And I don't recall what it was, but I remember Van Lathen laid him out with such eloquence, with such sincere, heartfelt disappointment. Even Kanye had to roll up on him and say, come on, brother, let me talk to you, because Van acknowledge. Man, I'm hurt, brother by what you're saying.
Anybody just just google Van Lathen Kanye. I promise you it'll show up when Van lay thing Kanye.
TMZ.
You just find yourself looking at Yay these days and wondering who's the next Van Lathen that you're gonna hit like that, that's gonna be in a position to tell you what you're doing is so wrong and so unnecessary. I am not disrespecting Yay, not trying to do that. He's doing that to himself, bringing up his wife. That's his business. It's far more serious than you know what we've talked about with Serena and her husband.
All that stuff that was just fun. This is some serious stuff here, and I just hope that.
Somebody's able to touch Yay in a way that can get him to stop doing this. And you don't have to go back to giving us beautiful music and all of this other stuff. You can simply go away and live your best life, or try to be a constructive voice that really really touches on the issues in a constructive way that would provoke people wanting to listen to what you have to say instead of running, instead of wanting to run away from your words because they're too piercing,
too damaging, and too unnecessary. That's all I want to say about that. I wish he ain't nothing but the best, but he just seems to be on this mission. You know what they say, hurt people, hurt people. He seems to be hurt and determined to distribute hurt and I just don't understand it, because he's such a brilliant, brilliant brother. I just don't understand it. Before I get on out of here, I want to address the latest news on
Sean Diddy. Combs Combs lawyers for the music mogul father one hundred million dollar lawsuit today accused of NBC Universal and Peacock for defamation. The suitors related to claims made by accuses in the documentary Diddy The Making of a
Bad Boy released earlier this year. The documentary makes several claims against Combs, including the sexual assault of minors, and accuses him of murdering a series of rivals and close friends, including longtime partner Kimberley, Porter Raptors, Christopher Biggie Wait, of course notorious Big and Heavy d whose given name is
the White Arrington Myers. Diddy's attorneys release the statement related to the suit that reads, in part quote and making and broadcasting these falsehoods, among others, the companies seek only to capitalize on a public's appetite for scandal, without any regard for the truth, and at the expense of mister Coles's right to a fair trial. Mister Coles brings this lawsuit to hold them accountable for the extraordinary damage their reckless.
Statements have caused. End quote.
Colmebs is currently being held in jail on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges. As you all know, his trial is expected to begin later this spring. Let me say this because it's important. I don't know about the innocence or guilt of P Diddy. One could easily presume he's guilty because of the video we saw of him beating up his ex girlfriend Cassie Ventura. One would surmise, based on these docu series that have been put out about them,
that there's a strong level of guilt. I have one person's look at me and say, if any of it is true, he's a monster. Here's what I have to say. His lawyer is right, His lawyer is right. Ladies and gentlemen, this is America. You are innocent until proving guilty in the court of law. For those of you quit to say, that's not applicable to the court of public opinion, let
me remind you of something. While that is true, undoubtedly so, it does not negate the fact that the court of public opinion can influence the court of law, and by virtue of that reality, certain things shouldn't be exposed to the court of public opinion until a trial takes place.
See that's the problem. I said this a couple of weeks ago. It is wrong for these networks to be allowed to do these kinds of shows.
On him before his trial. Do whatever you gotta do, I do. I'll watch all the old J stuff.
If you want me to. I remember when when when when.
Courtney Vance imitated Johnny Cochrane, he was sensational. Okay, watching you know the old J stuff, and I get that. But to do something before the trial makes it that much harder for the defense team to find a jury of his peers who are unbiased and neutral and will only judge based on the evidence presented than the court of law.
It's not right, even if he's guilty, it's.
Not right, since his guilt hasn't been proven yet, for somebody to be allowed to be broadcasting these pieces talking about him. He can't defend himself. He can't say anything. He's at the mercy of former handlers, former employees, former colleagues or former girlfriends and all of this.
He can't say anything because he got.
To deal with sex trafficking and racketeering charges and now is when everybody comes out with this. There's just something wrong with that. There's something wrong with that.
Innocent until proven guilty news is one thing. The video by seeingn.
Exposing and beating up Cassie Ventura that's news.
That's news.
You know, another charge coming down the pike, another alleged.
Victim, that's news.
But a docuseries with a bunch of allegations being thrown out about who.
He was, what he did, how he lived, who he did it to, whether or not drugs and alcohol were involved, or baby oil and all of this other stuff.
Wait a minute, Homeland Security coming out with us, that's news. That's news. The ain't a docuseries. That ain't scandal.
You know, that's news. That ain't scander. It ain't How do you get away with murder? Dexter Ray Donovan and shit like it. No, ain't supposed to be that.
They're supposed to be the news until the trial.
So I applored his lawyer for taking this position, and I think it's important that he puts forth the best defense for himself possible, because indeed, it is absolutely true that his life is on the line, his brother's in trouble in a world is freaking trouble, and I just hate to see stuff publicized before he goes to trial. It should have been during or after and during if they're secluded and they don't have access to see the
docu series that's being put out of bottle. It's like the like there's too many people out there trying to luence the public to convict him in the court of public opinion, thereby insinuating that it would influence the court of law.
That ain't what our country's supposed to be about. It just isn't.
I gotta get on out of here, but I'll be back in the next couple of days.
Ladies and gentlemen. I hope y'all enjoyed the show.
Thanks again to the wonderful Tory Recooper for coming on and bringing balance to my discussion about Serena Williams and her husband and men and women and our insecurities and all of.
This other stuff.
It's necessary to talk about that stuff sometimes, right. I'll give thanks to my little nephew Josh, you know, for lying to the public about how he was stuck in the airport because it was clearly a scene for video, because I'll be damned if he was stuck in the damn airport. That's the three days. Please stop, but that's what he want to say to y'all, So be it. Until next time, everybody piece in love. Stephen A signing off talk to you later,