Stephen A. Smith vs Jason Whitlock beef explained: Revisiting ESPN analyst's long-standing feud with columnist

Stephen A. Smith didn't hold back on criticizing fellow sports pundit Jason Whitlock. The ESPN analyst, on Wednesday, released an expletive-filled rant to air his issues with Whitlock, who recently called into question claims made in Smith’s memoir, "Straight Shooter."

On his Fearless with Jason Whitlock podcast, Whitlock implied that Smith lied in his memoir and didn't write his own book. He then used Katt Williams' appearance on Shannon Sharpe's Club Shay Shay podcast to call the First Take host an industry plant. Whitlock followed his comments with a column on The Blaze titled, "Does Katt Williams’ interview expose Stephen A. Smith as a fraud?"

However, it's safe to say that Smith didn't take Whitlock's comments lying down and retorted with a fiery response.

He released a rant, which essentially lasted about 45 minutes on the topic. In it, Smith said that he’s tried to avoid mentioning Whitlock directly for about a decade but felt the need to respond in the aftermath of the latter's recent comments. He said on The Stephen A. Smith Show:

“Jason Whitlock. I said that name. It’s not a name I’ve uttered. I normally don’t do that. But it’s necessary to do now.

“I’ve had enough of that fat b******, that piece of s***, and I wanna make sure that before I go to break, I want anyone out there who watches me, anyone out there who knows me, anyone out there — no matter what you think of me — I want you to remember, I never talk about him. I never talk about my colleagues. I don’t do that. This is a first. But it’s necessary.

“Don’t ever call me about him again. I’m a very forgiving person – not with him. … I hate this b****** far more than a little bit. He is the worst human being any of you will ever meet. You get within a mile of his presence, wrap your arms around yourself to protect your soul. He is Cain. He is a devil. The worst. That’s all I have to say.”

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Jason Whitlock responds to Stephen A. Smith's explosive rant

A few hours after Stephen A. Smith released his video bashing Jason Whitlock, the latter responded on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote:

"I knew Stephen A. was limited. I didn't know he was this limited. I'm starting to feel sorry for him. I beat up a baby seal."

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Stephen A. Smith and Jason Whitlock's long-standing beef

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith

Jason Whitlock and Stephen A. Smith have shared a long-standing rivalry.

Whitlock once claimed that the ESPN analyst was "installed" as a top sports personality. He also has taken cheap shots at Smith on his podcast on several occasions.

Smith was colleagues with Whitlock at ESPN and in his aforementioned rant, he accused the 56-year-old of creating a divide in every place that he worked. He also mentioned that many employees, including himself, at the sports network refused to work with Whitlock, referencing a 2015 article published by Deadspin.

Smith even stated that he included a clause in his contract with ESPN to avoid working with Whitlock.

More recently, in Oct. 2023, Smith aimed a cheeky dig at Whitlock during an episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, without naming him. He said:

“There’s a lot of people out there who want me to address other names. There’s one particular person who will remain nameless and I will not deny it: I think he’s a fat, no-good b****** who I despise to the core.

“But even then, I wish him no harm even though he has made a career out of maligning and ridiculing and trying to wish others the worst. I’m where I’m at, that particular individual is where he’s at.”

Whitlock eventually caught notice of Smith's comments and responded in a video:

“Stephen A., I would just like to say, I am not your enemy. I am a critic and I will criticize you from time to time. 'Seed of the devil,' really? Come on now. I'm the seed of the devil because I criticize you and other people in the media who make a living criticizing other people and other athletes? You can't take it?”