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What Now? With Trevor NoahStephen A. Smith: I'd Run for President If...
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WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Stephen A. Smith on truth-telling, backlash, politics, and presidency tradeoffs
- Stephen A. Smith says his outspoken style was shaped long before ESPN—by growing up as the youngest with four older sisters and by being trained in journalism to value truth over popularity.
- He explains that public criticism rarely bothers him, except when he’s wrong or when people attack him dishonestly to feed algorithms or pile-on culture.
- He describes how he decides when to apologize, using the Lane Johnson mental-health backlash to argue that impact on vulnerable communities can matter more than intent or being “right.”
- He weighs into politics and policy, criticizing high taxes in places like New York and arguing that bills affecting college athletes should not be made without athlete representation at the negotiating table.
- He recounts personal experiences—dyslexia, his parents’ contrasting support, and the pressure to financially support a large family—that he says shaped his drive, worldview, and sense of responsibility.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasHe frames credibility as something earned through reporting rigor, not just having a platform.
He says he came up in journalism before social media, where becoming a columnist meant you’d “earned the right” to voice opinions, and you were trained to prioritize truth over being liked.
He treats most public backlash as performance or personal animus, not sincere disagreement.
He says criticism affects him mainly when he’s wrong or when people are lying/piling on for algorithms or convenience, and he views much of the outrage as being about him rather than the topic.
For him, apology is driven by harm and interpretation, not just whether the “facts” were right.
Using the Lane Johnson mental-health controversy, he explains he apologizes when the impact on affected communities matters more than his intent or factual correctness, especially if his framing could discourage people from seeking help.
He calls policy-making without impacted people at the table “un-American.”
He argues his main objection to the Protect College Sports Act isn’t the bill’s details but the lack of athlete representation—particularly given the large share of Black athletes in college football and basketball—at the negotiating table.
He credits passion and external belief as the turning point from self-doubt to mastery.
He describes being dyslexic, being labeled “stupid” by his father, and being affirmed by his mother and a teacher; he says discovering passion (sports, courtroom drama) changed his confidence and helped reshape his relationship with his father.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesI'm a person, you can't blackmail me. Go ahead and tell.
— Stephen A. Smith
In pursuit of the truth, the number one thing you have to shed is this insatiable appetite to be liked. If that is important to you, leave the business.
— Stephen A. Smith
I cried every day for a year. Yeah. I was in a very, very dark place for, I would say about two years, where I didn't care whether I lived or died.
— Stephen A. Smith
It doesn't matter what my intent is. It doesn't matter what I think I said. What matters is that there's a community out there that was potentially negatively affected in a very profound way by how I chose to handle the subject.
— Stephen A. Smith
I really genuinely believe I could win, but the flip side to it is that I would have to give up my money, because equal time rules according to the FCC states by virtue of what I do for a living- I would have to give up my job immediately.
— Stephen A. Smith
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SPEAKERS
Trevor Noah
hostComedian and former host of The Daily Show who hosts the podcast What Now? With Trevor Noah.
Stephen A. Smith
guestSports media personality and commentator, known for his ESPN work and Straight Shooter Media.
High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.
