"She’s not going anywhere" - Stephen A. Smith showers praise on Candace Owens despite having different "political positions" from her

Well-known television personality and sports journalist Stephen A. Smith recently shared a few compliments for Candace Owens after the duo spoke to each other. Stephen made the comments in an episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show that aired on March 5, 2025, and the entire video was shared on his YouTube channel.

The video featured a moment where Stephen and Candace spoke to each other for more than twenty minutes, following which the former started praising Owens.

Stephen A. Smith said that he is well aware of the fact that everyone heard Owens’ comments during his conversation and the way Candace answered his questions. He addressed it by saying:

“When that young lady speaks, don’t even think about challenging her intelligence. Don’t even think about challenging her ability to articulate her point of view. You better know what the hell you’re talking about when you come at her… Candace Owens, she’s not going anywhere.”

Stephen also mentioned that he would be “more probing and challenging” when he would speak to Candace the next time. He said that he simply wanted to hear Owens’ opinion during the recent conversation and the perspective she wanted to provide to the general public.

“I can’t wait until she and I sit face-to-face one day and volley back and forth about what we feel, what we believe, what we stand for and why because I am certainly different than her when it comes to some political positions she has taken and beyond. There is no doubt about that.”

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Stephen A. Smith opens up on why he invited Candace Owens to his show

In the latest episode, before his conversation, Stephen A. Smith said that his show has featured many liberals over the years, including the Mayor of New York, Eric Adams. He further stated that there are a lot of people on Capitol Hill who want to appear on the show and that he is honored to invite them.

Stephen claimed that he has always been “fair-minded” while speaking on his show, adding that he is simply an observer who follows the things that he has witnessed on news and television. He said that there are people who are still not satisfied with that, and they need to “get over” it since he is not on the show to make friends or enemies.

“I am here to be fair and part of fairness is letting people speak and giving them an opportunity to express their views even when I don’t agree with them. In the case of Candace Owens, we going to do that. I got her for 25 minutes. She’s already promised that she’s coming back on and we gonna have a more lengthier discussion about all the things that entails Candace Owens.”

Stephen A. Smith also said that Candace Owens is highly intelligent and smart. He further stated that there might be a situation in the future where he and Owens would have problems with each other about a particular topic. He revealed that his interview with Candace was the first time he was speaking to Owens. After the interview, Stephen opened up on why he spoke to Candace on his show and said:

“The primary reason I wanted her on this show was because I was curious as to how she felt as a Black conservative, particularly as it pertained to Black people. Because of the vitriol that I’ve seen aimed in her direction.”

Notably, before his conversation with Owens, Stephen said that Candace is someone who is not afraid to speak on any topic “even if her stance is controversial.” Smith mentioned that Owens often lands herself in certain problems due to her conservative views. Towards the end, Stephen A. Smith also said that Candace Owens is “not going away”.