Podcast host Stephen A. Smith revealed on Friday that former President Barack Obama called him before the 2024 election to discuss his influence, noting that Obama wanted to speak privately rather than appear on his podcast.
“What I never told y’all, and I never brought up, is that Barack Obama called me too. The content of that conversation will remain private because I will not violate trust,” Smith said. “He called before the election to discuss my impact, but he didn’t come on the podcast either.”
Smith spoke to “The Culture Table,” hosted by Tori Cooper, Sumatra Abernathy and Ashley Christopher, about receiving a “thumbs-down” award from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) at an Atlanta gala, defending himself against the criticism.
“It was after I said that we need a new president because Joe Biden clearly was done. You know, he clearly looked done. So the point is, folks like to talk to me privately, but then when I ask them to come on camera and to have a fruitful discussion, now they go elsewhere,” he continued.
“So it’s like I’m taking these hits, and these are people that want to facilitate or assist in the facilitation of these narratives being disseminated and projected about me. But the same people calling me privately, having discussions upon which I have never violated. This is the first time anyone has ever heard me publicly state that Barack Obama called me,” Smith said.
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The former president’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Obama wasn’t the only one Smith accused of not coming on his show. He also named former first lady Michelle Obama, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
“I think the Democrats fear my footsteps,” he said. “I think they know that they have a legitimate fear that I can influence the election potentially. I will never divulge what was said, but last week when I did my podcast and I responded to the NABJ, I pointed out how Kamala Harris reached out to me and asked to meet with me, and we met for two hours.”
“She did not speak to me and come on my show before the election,” Smith said of Harris. “Once again, in my opinion, they take paths of smaller resistance.”
Harris’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Smith recently addressed the NABJ’s thumbs-down award during his show.
“The reality is that it was a personal hit job,” Smith said. “We can sit up there and lollygag around and act like we don’t know any better. It was a personal hit job. Which, by the way, usually doesn’t phase me. I know you think something phases me, just because you see me commenting on it. No, I’m in this business. I have a platform. I can comment about anything I want to, and I will continue to do so.”
“That’s not what this is,” he added. “This is different. This is a journalism organization that didn’t engage in journalism when it came to critiquing me. Disparaging Black women is a very incendiary thing to say. If you felt that adamant about it, [NABJ] President [Errin] Haines, how come I never got a call?”
Smith speculated that the award was focused on his past criticism of high-profile Black female political figures like Crockett. He also revealed that he reached out to Haines regarding the organization’s allegations to potentially discuss their differences, a conversation that ultimately went nowhere.
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“While much of the public conversation in recent days has centered on Stephen A. Smith, he was one of five recipients named this year,” the NABJ previously told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The concerns NABJ raised extend well beyond any one individual and include threats to editorial independence, the loss of newsroom diversity and reporting expertise, the treatment of Black journalists in the workplace, responsible use of influential media platforms, and decisions that affect the ability of journalists to fully and fairly cover Black communities and hold powerful institutions accountable.”
Media analyst and Fox News contributor Joe Concha told Fox News Digital that high-profile Democratic figures have rarely appeared on less traditional media platforms, unlike President Donald Trump, who appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
“Bill Maher has shared the same sentiment: High-profile Democrats want nothing to do with his program, much as they avoid Stephen A. Smith’s. The same applies to potential 2028 presidential contenders such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who rarely leaves her political comfort zone, and Kamala Harris, who avoided holding a traditional press conference during her vice presidency and her presidential campaigns because she prefers to control the narrative.
“This is the essence of being risk-averse. It is also a losing proposition. Donald Trump joined Joe Rogan for a three-hour interview in 2024 and appeared on other programs, such as Theo Von’s, to reach younger male and nonpropensity voters. Harris wanted nothing to do with either.
“Similar behavior is evident in Ocasio-Cortez, who struggles when faced with uncomfortable questions, as seen during her appearance in Munich. Conversely, potential 2028 nominees such as JD Vance and Marco Rubio have proven they will take questions from anyone at any time. Ultimately, that kind of exposure can make the difference in a close race.”
Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
