Stephen A. Smith has spent the last few years making himself ever-present and inescapable in the lives of sports fans and political conversations.<\/p>\n
He wants you to know it\u2019s been very, very hard on him to make himself the center of attention at all times.<\/p>\n
Smith struck a serious tone on a recent episode of his SiriusXM show, Straight Shooter with Stephen A., as he recounted how a joke by Kevin Hart during the comedian\u2019s Netflix roast hurt his feelings. Also, apropos of nothing, he said the Democratic Party is out to get him.<\/p>\n
The joke in question was Hart explaining who was on his Mt. Rushmore of racism. The members were Shane Gillis, Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan, and Smith. While Gillis was at the roast, and Kid Rock and Hulk Hogan are obvious targets as they\u2019re aligned with MAGA and Donald Trump, Smith wasn\u2019t present at the event.<\/p>\n
A somber Smith explained that he was surprised that Hart, a good friend, made such a joke about him.<\/p>\n
Stephen A. Smith says the Democrats are trying to silence him as he finally responds to the joke Kevin Hart made at his Netflix roast, where Kevin put Stephen A. Smith on his Mount Rushmore of racism.<\/p>\n
(\ud83c\udfa5 Stephen A. Smith\/Youtube) pic.twitter.com\/01689Fw12h<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) May 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI have no issue with the joke if it was a joke. If it wasn\u2019t a joke, I still wouldn\u2019t have an issue with it,\u201d said Smith. \u201cI have an issue with the fact that it came from him, somebody that I kind of know a little bit, that got a lot of love and respect for.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith explained that the joke stung because he has \u201ctaken a lot of heat because of perceived positions that I may have had,\u201d and that \u201cat a time in my life, knowing I\u2019ve spent my life fighting on behalf of my community, that people try to continue this narrative about me that I know is false, but that nevertheless still hurts to hear out of the mouth of anyone who knows me.\u201d<\/p>\n Things took a turn when Smith said that while he has achieved so much recently, it has come at a cost, including what he claims are backroom attempts by members of the Democratic Party to silence him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not gonna front and ignore and fail to acknowledge that this year has been very, very difficult for me,\u201d said Smith. \u201cFrom the standpoint that even though I\u2019ve been very, very blessed and fortunate to secure my future in ways that I never thought imaginable, first at ESPN and then here at SiriusXM, the flip side to that is that I\u2019ve taken a lot of heat because of perceived positions that I may have had. And as a result, you\u2019ve had some people from the Democratic Party who don\u2019t know that I\u2019m aware of the steps and the lengths that they\u2019ve been willing to go through to silence me, even though I\u2019m somebody that has religiously voted Democrat and I support most Democratic views.\u201d<\/p>\n Alrighty.<\/p>\n Smith returned to the topic of Democrats towards the end of the diatribe, attempting to explain what they had to do with any of it.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd why do I bring up the Democratic Party? Because I know of people who were called by folks in positions of power associated with the Democratic Party for the sole express purpose of silencing me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Smith has indeed made himself a target<\/a> for ridicule, pushback, criticism, and disdain in recent years, much more so than previously. His forays into politics<\/a>, including a will-he-won\u2019t-he presidential run no one wants<\/a>, have been frustrating<\/a> and often appear to align<\/a> him more with<\/a> Republicans<\/a>, some of whom see him as a \u201cuseful idiot.\u201d His continued dominance on ESPN airwaves routinely ruffles feathers<\/a>, especially as he is constantly jumping from one unnecessary feud<\/a> to the next<\/a>. His on-air comments about female colleagues have been criticized<\/a>, and the way he talks about cities<\/a> and topics<\/a> he\u2019s not an expert on often gets him in hot water. And even the people who root for the same team as him don\u2019t really want him around<\/a>.<\/p>\n So we suppose we can understand why the last year has been very, very difficult for Smith. We can also offer a simple solution, one that we\u2019ve offered before, that would potentially heal all wounds: Give everybody a break from you<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t