Not even a week after his last serious on-air apology, Stephen A. Smith is right back at it.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel over the weekend, Smith offered a correction and apology to ESPN contributor Iman Shumpert and his ex-wife, the performer Teyana Taylor, for making false comments about their divorce.
During a recent episode of The Culture Table, a recently launched weekly podcast hosted by Smith and four female colleagues from the entertainment business, Smith shared inaccurate details about the couple’s split.
“In the interest of fairness, accuracy, and decency, I believe it’s important to address what happened in an October episode of The Culture Table titled, ‘Can Men Trust Women With Their Finances?’” Smith said. “During that episode, I stated that Teyana Taylor walked away from her divorce with $25 million, $10 million in properties, luxury cars, and other assets, while Iman Shumpert, her ex-husband, was left with approximately $2 million and nowhere to live. Those statements were inaccurate, and I want to sincerely apologize to both Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor.”
Smith went on to share that he was duped by viral quotes that were falsely attributed to Shumpert. It sounds like Taylor reached out to Smith directly to set the record straight.
“Straight Shooter Media and I as the CEO have a responsibility to ensure that information presented is properly sourced,” he said. “We didn’t meet that standard here, plain and simple.”
Smith added that he has personally apologized to both Shumpert and Taylor, and that the Culture Table episode in question was taken down.
Unlike some of his more free-wheeling responses to critics or opponents, Smith’s video addressing Shumpert and Taylor appeared to be pre-written.
“I also regret that the segment may have left viewers with the impression that Iman had publicly disparaged the mother of his children,” he said.
While explaining how he veered off course from the original purpose of the podcast conversation, Smith described a “broader lesson” that “a claim does not become a fact” simply because it circulates widely online.
As the ESPN and SiriusXM host has grown his profile, he has frequently gotten himself into trouble. Last week, Smith was driven to apologize after speaking jokingly about Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson’s retirement after Johnson cited mental health challenges. Not long ago, Smith was given a “Thumbs Down” tag by the National Association of Black Journalists for his supposedly undue criticism toward Black leaders.
Shumpert, however, doubles as a colleague of Smith’s as a contributor to ESPN’s NBA coverage.
While Smith has un-published the original episode of The Culture Table, he said the apology video will remain public:
“This statement and apology will remain available, because addressing what happened openly is what’s important here.”
