Full Show: Influencer Druski stops by. Trump decisions creating widespread confusion. D'Aaron Fox trade Rumors.

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Damn ain't nothing but chaos been going on this weekend
courtesy of one executive order after another from the President
of the United States, alienating one half of the country
galvanizing the other. We've got to get into that. Plus,
I got the great Kenya Burris in the house. He's
got a lot to say. Drew Ski's in the house,
He's got a lot to say. And of course I
got to speak on Lebron James. Certain things in life

(00:24):
are very, very very difficult to say, especially about a
superstar of his magnitude. But it's necessary. It's nothing personal,
it's just necessary. The stephen Ate Smith Show in the house.
But first, a word from a boys at Prospects on

(00:45):
the Big Game. Okay, everybody, I need you to listen up.
The teams have been decided for the Big Game in
a couple of weeks, and with smack dab in the
middle of the NBA season. So with all this action
going on, the stephen Ate Smith Show wants to make
sure you take it advantage of it all. That's why
we've partnered with Prize Picks, the best place to get
real money action while watching your favorite sports. You see

(01:08):
with Prize Picks you pick two or more of your
favorite players, and then you simply select them more or
less or the projected stats for the game. Pick Patrick
mahomes passing yards, AJ Brown's receiving yards or de Montes
Sabonis's rebounds, all in the same entry and get this
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one passing yard for you to cash in, so make

(01:31):
sure you don't miss out. All you have to do
is download the app today and use the code essays
to get fifty dollars instantly after you play your first
five dollar lineup. Again, download the app and use code
essay yes to get fifty dollars instantly after your first
five dollars lineup. Prize Pects run your game. Now, let's
look at my picks for today. I'll be making picks
for the Big Game, the Kansas City Chiefs versus the

(01:52):
Philadelphia Eagles. First up, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes
more or less than zero point five passing yards. Of course,
I'm going to say more. Damn it. I already told you.
Why listen up. Next up, we've got the Philadelphia Eagles
quarterback Jalen Hurts more or less two hundred and twelve
and a half passing yards. I'm gonna go with more
on this one. AJ Brown's gonna have to have a

(02:12):
big game in order for them to win the championship.
You know, listen, Vontae Smith, he's gonna have to do something.
Dallas God Is gonna have to do something. Sain Kwon
Barkley not just as a runner but a pass catcher.
They gonna need everything in order for the Eagles to
beat the Chiefs, And in order to that to happen,
everybody's gotta be all hands on deck, and Jalen Hurts

(02:33):
has to be the ring leader. He has to be
feeding everybody the ball. It's gonna be for more than
two hundred and twelve yards. I can promise you that.
Next up, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelsey more or less
than sixty three and a half receiving yards. I'm gonna
go with more on this too, because I think the Eagles,
with the defense being as elite as it is, with
Vic Fangio leading these troops, their secondary having buffered up,

(02:55):
You're gonna have pass rushers like Carter and those boys
getting that Patrick Mahomes, he's gonna need to get rid
of the ball a little bit quicker. Who better to
do that with than getting the ball to Travis Kelsey,
mister reliable. That's what he's going to do. Impossibly, Travis
Kelsey's last game. I think he's gonna show out a
little bit personally. That's just what I think. Finally, the
Eagles wide receiver Aj Brown more or less than seventy

(03:17):
and a half receiving yards. I'm going with more on
this as well. Like I just told you, like I
just finished explaining, Taylor Hurts got to swing that ball around.
He's got to get everybody involved. It's all hands on debt.
They all gonna have to do it. We're gonna go
with more on this one, too, More and more, more
and more. It's a given, we understand. That's how it
goes with prospects. Who wins you money? What's up, everybody?

(03:51):
Welcome to this latest edition of The Stephen AI. Smith Show,
coming at you over the digital airways of YouTube and
of course iHeartRadio as I love to do at the
very least three times a week. Thanks again to my
subscribers and followers. As always. We've now eclipsed to one
point zero seven million subscribers on YouTube, and we've had
millions of downloads over the last few months on iHeartRadio.
Can't thank y'all enough for the love and support. Keep

(04:12):
it coming, and I'm gonna keep on coming. To continue
to like and follow the show, just click the bell
and get notified for all of our newest content, and
you too shall be the latest member of the Steven A.
Smith Show family. And remember while you're doing that, to
pick up a copy of my New York Times best
selling book, Straight Shooter, a memoir of second Chances and
First Takes now and paperback. Just go to straight shoot
to book dot com and get yourself a copy. Once again,
that straight Shoot to book dot com to get yourself

(04:34):
a copy. Let's get started with President Trump and his
efforts to freeze federal funding. Trump's mission to cut government
spending became very clear this week when a White House
offered a buyout to roughly two million federal workers and
an order to freeze aid. The abrupt stoppage on federal
grants and loans announced one they created confusion throughout the government.

(04:55):
So yesterday the Office of Management and Budget omg B,
I'm sorry, sent a memo clarifying that programs such as Medicaid,
food stamps, head Start, and pelgrants would not be part
of the pause. But today the White House rescinded the
federal aid freeze after the administration received a flood of
calls from lawmakers and state officials with questions on how

(05:18):
it would impact their home states. Here's part of the
statement from the Office of Management and Budget. Quote OMB
Memorandum M twenty five thirteen is rescented. If you have
questions about implementing the President's executive orders, please contact your
agency general counsel end quote. If the freeze had not

(05:38):
been rescinded, it would have essentially set up a long
brewing legal battle over the core constitutional principle that says
Congress gets to decide how to spend tax payer money. Legally,
these arguments would eventually have made their way up to
the Supreme Court, where some legal experts believe Trump could
be in for an uphill battle. Meanwhile, a federal judge
had temporarily blocked part of the administration's plans to freeze

(06:03):
the federal aid Ladies and gentlemen, let's get one thing straight.
All of us should have a heightened level of sensitivity
for the disoline and the disenfranchised amongst us. If you
are poor and impoverished, or you are old, we need
to be looking out for folk. For those folks. First,

(06:26):
people got to eat. They gotta survive, got to have
a roof over their head, gotta have clothes on their back,
food on their table. Some heat can't freeze the death
at certain parts of this country, particularly how vicious these
winters have been. And if you're old and you put
in your time, and you paid your taxes, and you
got social Security and stuff out there, and that's not
enough to live on, we got to help them too.
So nobody's advocating for anything otherwise. When the Trump administration

(06:51):
spoke up and they clarified that Medicaid and Medicare and
Social Security wasn't being compromised and stuff like that, I
believe them. Having said all of that. How they've looked
over the last few days. Dare I say the word
inept might apply. They look a bit confused at the
very very least. I mean, you have situations where other

(07:13):
Republicans have to step in and say, wait a minute,
this is a bit chaotic. This is not the way
to go. It would take a lot in order to
continue to move with fluidity and not disrupt our entire
apparatus when it comes to federal funding as it pertains
to Medicare and Social Security and things of that nature.

(07:37):
So that's something that's going to be a blemish on
Trump's resume, no question about it, because he's going to
come across with somebody who doesn't know what the hell
he's doing. That's what they're going to say. How true
that is, we don't know, but it's clearly something that
the left is going to say. Here's what I like
about it. What I like about it is that go ahead,
Democrats attack that all day. Finally you're attacking something substantive

(07:59):
fun because that makes sense. That absolutely makes sense. If
he would to go along with his federal freeze and
that disrupted so many American lives, that would have been
problematic when you speak up on those issues, those are
the Democrats that we remember, Those are the Democrats we

(08:22):
voted for. Those are the Democrats we can support. That's
what you do. We got a whole bunch of stuff
going on here, and we got to understand something Trump
deserves heat for this, for how discombobulated and somewhat disorganized
that disappeared to be. But he doesn't deserve it about everything.

(08:48):
I'm just looking at some of the decisions that he
has made and some of the things that he has
taken heat for. If you have illegal immigrants in the country,
the more you have, the more some have to be
taken care of, and how you're gonna take care of
them through tax bare dollars. And when you're complaining about

(09:09):
being able to help the desolate and the disenfranchised amongst us,
how can you justify supporting folks who aren't American citizens
ahead of those who are. You can't do it. That's
the argument for the right. Why do you think he's
able to get away with America First during his first term?
Why do you think he's able to get away with

(09:29):
slogans like make America great again? Because once upon a
time the belief was it was America First. When he
threatened Columbia with tariffs when they weren't willing to take
a military plane with immigrants on it being returned to
Columbia and he had to get on the phone with

(09:53):
mister Petro, they had a Columbia. What do you think
happened there? He threatened to smack five percent tariffs on them,
threatened to elevate it to fifty percent. Why do you
think he did that? Why you think the president changed
his mind for Columbia? Why do you think he changed
his mind? Because what Trump said is we being pinched.

(10:13):
It's time y'all get pinched too. What do you think
he's talking about when he's talking to Canada. What do
you think he's talking about. When he's talking about Mexico.
What do you think he's talking about. When he's talking
about China, He's saying, we getting holes, we're getting pinched,
we're suffering. Why should you live pretty? So you're not
gonna get folks to disagree with him on everything because

(10:38):
the left took it to a different place. When you're
talking about identity politics, when you're talking about well culture,
when you're talking about transgender what do you think is
gonna happen? Then any issues that affect the everyday lives
in the pocketbooks of the average American. But if you
let twelve to fourteen million immigrants cross the border illegally

(11:01):
and you're giving out fifty three million dollar prepaid credit
cards in the city of New York and you're spending
billions of dollars as a state like California, what do
you think people are gonna complain about? Because they're gonna
look at it as a direct assault on their wallet,
which is a direct assault on their livelihood and their
quality of life. And they're gonna say, wait a minute,

(11:24):
what's going on? What does that have to do with
the conversation. It's Trump? What is he doing offering buyouts
to two million federal players? Everybody?

Speaker 2 (11:34):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (11:34):
Whoa, whoa, Wait a minute. Yeah, that might be excessive,
it might be too much, But guess what the idea?
Ain't that damn bad? Why? Because he's already telling you
we're downsides in his government. Y'all gonna lose some jobs now.
The overhead is too steep. We gotta downside, so we're

(11:56):
gonna let you go. You if you accept the buyout,
you'll probably get about eight months pay. That's what he's saying.
That's what he's saying, and you best believe. Let me
be very clear, some of them better take it because
they're gonna get cut anyway. If I tell you, yo, Grift,

(12:21):
what's up, yo? Gala, what's up? Charry? What's up? Is so?
H ten of the isso, what's up? Bro? If I
tell you, look, man, I'm gonna let you go right now,
but you got eight months pay coming your way. If
you don't take it, I might let you go. I

(12:44):
might note it might be in three months, six months,
or a year two years, or it might be next week.

Speaker 3 (12:52):
What you gonna do.

Speaker 1 (12:55):
All of a sudden, See, we gotta bring it with
the goats can get it. As the late great Joe
Madison would say on Urban View Radio, you gotta put
it where the goats can get it. That's the analogy.
That's a real life analogy. Yo, Gayala, what's up? Eight
months pay? Or I can let you go at my discretion,

(13:19):
I might. I might note. It might be soon, it
might be later. I don't know, but you might be going.
You see where I'm going at, ladies and gentlemen. That's
what he's talking about here. We got a whole bunch
of people out here complaining about everything, complaining about the buyouts.

(13:41):
He's clearly coming to downsize government. Why do you think
DOGE exists? That Ramaswami walked away from, but that Elon
Musk is still overseeing once again, is the Press Secretary
for the for the Presidency, the White else. This is
not a recession. There's not a recision of the federal

(14:04):
funding freeze. It is simply a recision of the o
NB memo. Why to end any confusion created by the
court's injunction, the President's eos on federal funding remain in
full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented. They're
going to fire people. They're giving you advance notice. You're

(14:25):
getting you're going to be gone now. You can take
it with eight month severance, or you could take your chances.
That's what he's doing. They ain't playing. So this is
the way it goes. And why let's not forget it's
a product of spending. Now, don't let the Republicans off

(14:45):
the hook. Some of them have overspent two Even Sean
Hannity and Mark Levin admit that for years and years
and years when we think about a thirty six trillion
dollar budget that we have the Republicans' hands ain't ain't
ain't clean, And all of this Trump spent, Bush spent,
hw Bush spent read my lifts no new taxes, and

(15:09):
then put it for more taxes. Reagan spent. It's not
about spending, because they all spend. It's who you're gonna
spend on what you're gonna spend on. Democrats and Republicans.
They're all guilty. All of their hands are filthy, and
it's thirty six trillion dollar deficit that we operate under.
They're gonna make changes. It's coming. That's the way that

(15:35):
it goes. And if you are the Democratic Party, rather
than give that old song and dance with your frivolous
arguments about in regards to identity politics and woke culture
and immigration and even immigration transgender issues as opposed to
LGBTQ overall issues, if you're gonna do all of that,
that's not what people care about. When their wallets are

(15:57):
being pinched, when eggs and milk and gas and bread
and everything is expensive, they don't care. They only care
when they're comfortable. They don't care when they're suffering. Get
used to it. D I. Oh, everybody's in an uproar

(16:18):
about d I. You know what my uproar was. I
don't like the fact that you're acting like everything associated
with DEI involved some incompetent people that weren't getting jobs
based on their merit. But you're forgetting why the need
for dee I was necessary to begin with, similar to
white a Rooney ruling the National Football League was was
necessary to begin with, similar to our affirmative action was necessary.
If you hadn't been so in citios, so vicious, so inequitable,

(16:39):
and in terms of how you treated other human beings
that weren't white, those programs wouldn't have needed to be
in existence. But that doesn't mean that the left end
go overboard in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder in
Minneapolis by those police officers, mainly Derek Chauvin, and that
they didn't use it as an opportunity to try to

(17:01):
guilt the nation in the voting for them, regardless of
the incompetence and the tone deafness that they operated under.
Everybody's hands are dirty, everybody. The difference is Trump. Trump
doesn't mind getting his hands dirty and dirty are so Yeah,

(17:24):
you're right. This whole thing with the freeze, the federal
freezing has been somewhat mishandled, particularly in the public eye,
and he had to be called on the carpet for it,
and he had to backtrack a little bit to make
sure that they dited their eyes and courts their teas
appropriately before moving forward with it at a later date.
But make no mistake, he has sent the message he

(17:46):
ain't messing around. Now the Democrats can get back to
doing the job they were supposed to do, legitimately pointing
out the flaws and his moving forward as opposed to
trying to take us back when you swear he's the

(18:08):
one doing it, it's you two trying to get us
back to a time where we fall for your frivolous
nonsense instead of the issues that are really really important
to us coming up. He's known for the sitcoms Blackish
and Grownish, and he also directed the hilarious You People
on Netflix. The one and only Kenya Barras is here.

(18:31):
We'll get to him just ahead, but first, Drew ski
is here and he's got some exciting news from Prospects.
That's next on a Stephen Nasmith's show, My Guest is
an actor, comedian, and creative reality shows, comedy tours, a
record label, and over sixteen million followers across Instagram and

(18:52):
TikTok and over two point three million subscribers on YouTube.
As well. He's here to talk about the prospect Super
Sweat contest. Please we come up, boy, drew Ski's in
the house. What's up big time with you? Man?

Speaker 4 (19:03):
How's everything ready? We ready? You see, I'm in the
just locking you.

Speaker 1 (19:08):
Ain't nothing wrong with that. Ain't nothing wrong with that.
Working on Jay and all of that.

Speaker 2 (19:12):
Yeah, working on the j I've been doing a couple
back down. Who was working on the dribble?

Speaker 4 (19:17):
For sure? I like that. I like that.

Speaker 1 (19:19):
Look, before we get into the Prospects supersweat Conscious want
to take a moment to acknowledge some of the alcolades
you received in the last few years, because I think
the audience needs to know, Okay, we're talking. June twenty
twenty four, Complex crowned Jew the number one funniest person
on the Internet right now, named to the Hollywood Reporters
in Augurille Creator a list that celebrated the fifty most

(19:39):
influential influencers. So props for that. Forbes twenty twenty four
Top Creators List for a second consecutive Yeah, I mean
damn twenty twenty three thirty list.

Speaker 2 (19:51):
Man, I got a guarantee. I gotta get it to you.
Eight it's a blessing. I'll say that for sure. You know,
I'm not one of those guys. I don't like to rebdend.
You can keep throwing. If there's more.

Speaker 4 (20:02):
I think there's a couple more thing.

Speaker 1 (20:03):
I mean, there's a couple more highlighted on Rolling Stones
Top twenty five most Influenced.

Speaker 2 (20:07):
All Right, were done, We've.

Speaker 1 (20:10):
Done, We've done. Okay, I'm just saying. But you know,
when with prize picks, we like winnows bro and you're
a winner. So that's why we do it.

Speaker 4 (20:16):
That's why I'm ready for the Super Sweat.

Speaker 2 (20:18):
Man. You know, I need everybody to put in there.
You know, their dance lists and everything they need to do.
Just get it popping. It's time for you submit your
videos of your best dance. So that's really what I'm
excited about. You know, last year I won a million
dollars in the Super Sweat during the Big Game, so
you know they're doing a million dollars again, so we
gotta you know, I'm trying to get all my fans
to participate.

Speaker 1 (20:38):
Damn right, damn right, get that shit. You know I'm
all about that. Get that paper. Let's I don't know,
I don't know, man, I don't know. You know how
everybody got your bag on the back of That's right,
you know I want it on the back end. I
do want it on the back end, I really really do.
Let's get to the reason you're here. You want a
million dollars, like you just said during the Big Game
last year making your picks on prize picks. How surprised

(21:02):
were you when you want?

Speaker 2 (21:03):
Honestly, bro, I honestly, I had no idea that I
was that close because I think it came down to.

Speaker 4 (21:11):
Overtime.

Speaker 2 (21:12):
So if the game last year didn't go into overtime,
I really there was no chance I was gonna green now.
But I think with everything working together and it all, Hey,
I don't know what happened, but I'm thankful that they
put that dude no agree back in the game is
as a backup tight end for Travis Kelce and they
put him in for one play and that one play

(21:33):
home stew So I'm like, hey, I was, Hey, I
ain't gonna lie. I almost passed out that night for sure,
absolutely celebrating going on in Vegas.

Speaker 4 (21:42):
That's all.

Speaker 1 (21:42):
People don't realize. That's what it's one thing to make
some money. It's another thing to make a lot of
it in one night. I mean that really hits you.
It's a that's a different kind of effect. Right, Well,
you know where I went that night. I got you.
We're both part of the Prospect Super Sweat concous So
let's get that out of the way with prosects. Are
not the first Super Sweat petitor. On Conference Championship Sunday,
you have a Prospect social media contest that will give

(22:05):
someone a chance to win one million dollars on the
Big Games. Explain how that works, Juicy.

Speaker 4 (22:10):
So pretty much what you do. Everybody has to make
a dance video.

Speaker 2 (22:14):
And you know, with social media being so popular, you
gotta submit this dance video to the world. Has tag
put Super Sweat anywhere. It don't matter if you post
it on x, Instagram, TikTok, whever. Just post it tag Prize, pickts,
tag Drew Ski, hastag super Sweat and you got You
gonna get a chance at a million dollars. But you
got to have a good dance with your dance. Move's
gotta be on point. We need to like your best

(22:36):
touchdown type celebration dance. That's what that's honestly what I'm
looking for. And I got to pick between you know, three,
I think two or three people. So yeah, we're gonna
come down to see who can make that happen. But yeah,
I'm excited for that for sure.

Speaker 1 (22:49):
Do you have a go to touchdown dance?

Speaker 2 (22:53):
I think a lot of people always see the little
stuff I do, Man, they see it on social media.

Speaker 1 (22:58):
I got you, But do you have one go to?
That's what I want to know. Come asking.

Speaker 2 (23:03):
I'm okay, I'm gonna tell you. I've been in the gym,
I've been training. You know, I'm at the ote arena
right now, so I kind of I just pulled my
hind leg and practice. We just was running suicide, So
I can't. I couldn't show you nothing now. Usually you know,
I get up, I'll show you whatever.

Speaker 1 (23:18):
But I but you got cramp and you're running your tie.
You got cramps? All that, right? That's yeah?

Speaker 3 (23:24):
You know how it is.

Speaker 4 (23:25):
You get this right, athletes?

Speaker 1 (23:27):
Yeah, I understand.

Speaker 4 (23:30):
I gotta hop, but I'm gonna be good. That's right.

Speaker 1 (23:33):
Ain't nothing wrong with the ice. Bad works, bro. It
does work. It'll do some things for you. It'll do
some things. Look, man, I appreciate your time. Man, thank
you so much for being here. Man, go get in
the ice bucket. You know what I'm saying, ice everything.
Don't catch any cramps. We got a lot of stuff
to deal with between now, over the next one months,
over the next week, week, you know everything that everything

(23:56):
damn right, icy hot baby, and everything else too.

Speaker 2 (23:59):
Shoot, you know about that.

Speaker 1 (24:05):
We gotta go, We gotta go, We gotta go. Alright, alright,
everybody listen up with all the big time sports action
that's happening each and every day, NFL games, NBA games,
and the college football playoffs. The Steven A. Smith Show
wants to make sure you are taking advantage of all

(24:28):
of it. That's why we partner with Prize Picks, the
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for hit ABC sitcoms Blackish, Grownish, Mixed Dish. He's also

(27:40):
known for directing You People, starring Eddie Murphy on Netflix,
among other things. Of course, now he's got a new
podcast on Audible called The Unusual Suspects, and it appears
that he's taken over my studio. I mean, I don't
even know what else to say. One and only Kenya
Barris is in the house.

Speaker 4 (27:57):
What's that?

Speaker 1 (27:57):
Big time? How are you man?

Speaker 3 (27:58):
I'm good, bro. I just want to make a couple
quick changes.

Speaker 5 (28:01):
Oh my lord, that's my book, just a couple of
what could I have done better? What could I have
done better?

Speaker 2 (28:11):
Man?

Speaker 3 (28:11):
It's perfect as tell me, how are you?

Speaker 2 (28:14):
Bro?

Speaker 1 (28:16):
It's good to see you. My brother's good to see you,
first of all, First or to business, with all that
you've accomplished, with all the great things that you continue
to do in Hollywood and beyond. Here you are with
a new podcast. Talk to me about this, the usual suspects,
what it's all about.

Speaker 6 (28:32):
I got with Malcolm, we became friends. I approached him
at a restaurant, and always my joke is like, when
you see a writer in public, it's kind of like
saying a porn star, because it's like you've seen somebody
who you have this intimate relationship with, you know what
I'm saying, and you don't see him out And so
when I saw him, I was like, oh, I I

(28:53):
did the whole I never do this, but like, he
couldn't have been sweeter. And we struck up a friendship
since then, and we kind of realized that we looked
at things as he's a million times smarter than me,
but we looked at things.

Speaker 3 (29:05):
We both like to look at the thing.

Speaker 6 (29:06):
Behind the thing, and we kind of thought we were
our couple, but at the same time not our couple.
And we I'm a huge fan of his revisional history
podcasts and his books, and were like, let's get together
and talk to people. We both love that other people love,
but might not know that they love him, or why
they love him, or who exactly are. And that's kind

(29:27):
of the point behind the podcasts.

Speaker 1 (29:29):
Wow, that's a great idea. Shoot, I wish I would
have thought about it my damn self. But that's why
you are who you are. And I'm just littlelone me.
I'm just little low me. I mean, how much? How
interested are you really really doing this? Because you're a doer.
Some of us are just talkers for crying out loud.
But you've done a lot, You've accomplished a lot. What

(29:50):
is it going to be like for you to be
in front of the microphone? And not only that, keep
in mind that even in the age of podcasting, it
almost seems like a video is a attached to every podcast.
So you're going to be seen and heard more from
a literal perspective. And it's not just your name and
people knowing the name and that's the man who does
this great work. But now they'll see you and they'll

(30:12):
know you. How ready are you for that?

Speaker 3 (30:14):
Well?

Speaker 6 (30:14):
We did it, so it's finished, so so's it's coming out,
so we will we will see I was I'm you know,
I'm I got a little bit more comfortable being in
front of the camera doing black af but I still
feel like you can rob me with a camera beyond
Cole says you can rob him or a snake, you
can rob me with a camera.

Speaker 3 (30:33):
Like but I do I do like asking questions.

Speaker 6 (30:37):
I think that everybody's story is amazing, you know what
I'm saying, Even the time we've spent just talking about
just think everybody's story. If you just sit out and
talk to anybody, everybody's story is amazing. And we got
to talk to some truly amazing people who had truly
amazing stories. And one of the things that we I guess,
like the narrative, you know, thematic that we were looking
for everybody.

Speaker 3 (30:57):
It's like, is there.

Speaker 6 (30:58):
Something that people who have achieved great things? Is there
something in them that we could kind of find a
narrative to. And there were some things I'm saying, relationships
to mothers or surrogate mothers, relationships to you know, passion
compared to compulsion, compared to you know, ambition. But like

(31:18):
in general, it was really just an amazing center and
listening to people that we all kind of had our
own like sort of secret private love, relate relationship with.

Speaker 1 (31:25):
You know, when I look at you and I think
about the great work that you've done throughout the years,
I guess the question that I think about asking you
often is what would you say you bring to Hollywood,
to television, to movies, et cetera. That's an aberration that's different,
nothing than what other people have brought.

Speaker 6 (31:44):
A bunch of luck. Now, I feel like I think,
I you know, you know, and just same thing. I
think that you do the same thing. I think that
a lot of people do. We come from a different
place that Hollywood was not used to, you know what
I'm saying, And I try to bring the most authentic
version of who I am, the most author version of
telling stories, and also the most authentic version of other

(32:07):
people's stories.

Speaker 3 (32:08):
I think that is for me.

Speaker 6 (32:10):
I don't like to play the you know, the game
of like trying to say or you know, reach everybody.

Speaker 3 (32:18):
I want to reach the people who want to hear
the truth.

Speaker 6 (32:20):
And I think that's something that we do in this podcast,
and then I, you know, I won't hopefully do just
in the in the work that I do.

Speaker 1 (32:26):
Why do you think you've been able to pull it off,
particularly in ways that most people especially most black folks
haven't been able to pull off obviously, the road or
the obstacles that Hollywood presents and what have you. That's
a challenging and of itself. But you've clearly conquered a
lot of the obstacles that have been placed in the
path of many many of us. That hasn't been the
case for you, at least from the from from from

(32:49):
our vantage point, how do you think you've been able
to pull it off?

Speaker 3 (32:51):
I mean, first and foremost, like you know, not just
as the goodest.

Speaker 6 (32:54):
I mean, you know, obviously, God I'm saying, like you know,
I think he has plans and He's given me, you know,
some blessings and a destination that has a journey for me.

Speaker 3 (33:04):
So I always want to, you know, take that first.
I think that.

Speaker 6 (33:08):
I also feel, like, you know, I started from the bottom,
I was a PA and work my way up. I
think that's something that doesn't happen as much anymore, you
know what I'm saying. People kind of get thrust into
it and they aren't quite ready because the place that
they're thrust into, they haven't seen all the stuff that
can come before. I think working your way up and
learning that you know, what everybody's job is, what everybody's

(33:29):
name is, what everybody's job is important, and having respect
for that, and just like really really being curious, Like
I'm really really curious about a lot of different stuff,
and so I'm being curious and trying to answer my curiosities.

Speaker 3 (33:44):
And then do it in an entertaining way.

Speaker 6 (33:45):
I think that's sort of if there's been anything that's
sort of been. The thing that I try to do
is like take stuff that people are curious about and
how to answer it back, and not just answer from
one point of view. Make sure you put enough different
people in different characters. Me and Malcolm are different but
the same in some aspects. But make sure you don't
come out I from just one point of view. Come
at it from a lot of different points of view,

(34:06):
and be open to like people disagreeing like you disagree
with your co hosts and people all the time. I
think that's what makes some of the best stories.

Speaker 1 (34:14):
You know, I'm wondering what do you feel about the
advent of podcast and not only that, suemingly everybody having
their own production company in this day and age, venturing
into a world that some would say you've now mastered.
How do you feel about the proliferation of it, just
the activity in the industry now more so than ever before,

(34:35):
because I imagine somebody like yourself has an idea about
who's qualified to be in this space and who isn't.
What are your thoughts about that?

Speaker 3 (34:43):
I love it, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 6 (34:45):
I love it, and I the reason I love it is,
you know I you know, I look up you know,
I look at you. The difference between you, i'll, difference
between Cam and May is the difference between shann and
the difference between you know, Oprah or whoever. Really, you
know what I'm saying, people or you know whatever, And
I feel like there's a I think, finally there's a
lot of diversity, and I think it's really important.

Speaker 3 (35:06):
I also feel like it will show.

Speaker 6 (35:09):
Eventually that the cream will rise, which I think is
really important because I think that everybody can't do something,
and once people everybody thinks they can, it kind of
actually makes the people who can do it a little
bit more special. So in a little bit of an
asshole way, I love that everybody's trying to do it.
I love One of my favorite things is like people
come from my house, and my house is decent. My

(35:31):
boys who grew up with will be like, man, I
should start writing, and I'm like, yeah, man, because because
it's just that easy, everybody can do it, you should
start doing it too, you know what I'm saying. It's like,
I think the idea of you know, we're in a
place where the media and the tools have allowed people
feel like everybody can do it.

Speaker 3 (35:50):
Everybody can't do it, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 6 (35:52):
We'll see if I can do it, but I feel
like there are certain people who are good at what
they do, and you got to give everybody a chance
so that it will actually the cream will rise and
people will say, oh, that dude is actually really special.

Speaker 1 (36:04):
When you look at right now. Particularly, let me transition
for a quick second to what you know. You live
in Los Angeles, and what has transpired in Los Angeles
with the wildfires obviously has been catastrophic, so many people
being displaced, so many people losing their homes, et cetera.
You have folks who ain't even political getting a bit
political because they're disgusted with the local government and how
they've been doing things in terms of their planning, being

(36:27):
their preparation, et cetera, et cetera. You could take it
anywhere you want to go. As this stuff has unfolded
over the last few weeks in Los Angeles and it's
outskirts of Pacific Palisades and beyond out to Dina, let's
not forget that. What have you been What have been
your thoughts watching all of this unfold.

Speaker 6 (36:44):
I've had a huge amount of thoughts, I'm saying, and like,
it's a really big, big, big big It's like it's
it's stopped me from doing a lot of my work.

Speaker 3 (36:54):
You know.

Speaker 6 (36:54):
I had a conversation, you know, with a couple of filmmakers.
If I had if I have time right now, I
would turn a camera on and I would tell that
camera to go and start taping, and I would call
it a tail of two cities.

Speaker 3 (37:07):
And I want to see.

Speaker 6 (37:09):
Right now, in real time, how these two cities affected
by both fired unbelievable strategy or people a lot of stuff,
how it's handled, and the difference in how it's handled.

Speaker 3 (37:22):
I love to tell that story. That's one thing I'd
love the point love.

Speaker 6 (37:27):
I think you could almost make a case study out
of how it's you know, the difference of how it's handled.
I've also talked to you know, a lot of friends
and people that have relationships with to try to talk
about for my particular you know what I'm saying. I'm
sad for everyone, but you know, my particular people to
advocate like in Althadium was the first one of you know,

(37:47):
if not the first black middle class enclave where we
could have it. And it's one of the only places
in America where you have like historic you know, passed
down like grandmother's gave the houses to mothers, gave the
houses to daughters, you know what I'm saying. And that's
one of the only places that still in this country
you could see that. I'm very much so concerned that Alad,

(38:11):
you know, some big development group, black so black Rock,
whatever you wanna call it, is going to come in
and they're going to take it from us, and it's
going to be you know, passing in the hills, you
know what I'm saying, passing in too. And I feel
like I want to make sure that that place continues
to look like it was like it looked before it was.
You know, this tragedy happened because I think it's really

(38:32):
important that we had We saw it happen to us
in New Orleans. We saw it happened, happened, is happening
to us in Harlem, saw it happening in.

Speaker 3 (38:41):
Brooklyn.

Speaker 6 (38:41):
We saw it happen in you know, Miami, the Venice Canals,
we saw it happened in the idea that when things happen,
we get you know, we get wiped out, and they
figure out another way. So I've I've had some conversations,
you know, I'm saying. I have been in some aspects
really inspired by there was response, and other aspects try

(39:02):
to keep it to myself right now, I feel like
certain people have sort of degalvanized from a group and
sort of been more interested in their path. I feel like,
for me, I really want this to be something that
we help the city and the audience and the guests
and the people who live there, you know what I'm saying,
and the people who've been a part of the strategy

(39:24):
be able to look and see that that city looks
like the city that they remember when they you know,
when it was at its heyday. I think the population
is at thirty six percent black, It was well over
fifty or sixty and gentrification and started shrinking it. I
don't want to look up ten years from now and
it's just been wiped away.

Speaker 1 (39:43):
Please consider me a soldier on your behalf and making
sure we keep a spotlight on that kind of story,
because clearly we don't need to just sit back and
let that happen to be quiet about it. Ain't no
question about that. So I'm riding with you on that
one all day every day. I got to ask you
about Hollywood in this regard though. Talking to Rob Lowe
just a couple of days ago, he was talking about

(40:05):
how he's lived in Los Angeles since the seventies and Hollywood,
meaning the business in Hollywood, Hollywood itself, you know, just
the business that's everywhere. It's Atlanta, there's various other places, Detroit,
various other places throughout the country, out the world, even
Vancouver of around out loud stuff like that. But in
Hollywood businesses, you just see the level of activity dissipating.

(40:29):
Does Hollywood have a lot to worry about because of
the government, the local government and things that are going
on in the state of California. Does Hollywood have a
lot to worry about?

Speaker 3 (40:38):
Hell?

Speaker 6 (40:39):
Yeah, I feel like you are in an industry that
is controlling the world right now in terms of entertainment.
Sports controls is the number one, you know driver right
now of entertainment. All the entertainment facets, from the streamers
to the linear parts to the cable have quadrupled ten

(41:00):
times fold their contracts, double down, triple down. They understand
the sports is a driving force. I think the idea
of like actual narrative, you know, content is taking a die.
There's been several articles that talked about I think comedies
are down thirty seven percent. I feel like, I, you know,

(41:21):
try to like examine why. I think, you know, I
went to a game the other day and the Clippers
were down the Clipper and the Clippers were down twenty
six in the first by the end end, but we
won the game. And I think that's one thing that
people understood about sports and the why those contracts in
the NBA and NFL we were able to sort of
get the money they want because every night when you
watch a sports game, it's like watching potentially a hit movie.

(41:42):
And there's nothing else in the world that can give
you that promise of that, you know, I'm saying, you
can't promise that with a with a with the television
show a promise that on the movie. So I understand
why sports is so important, but I also feel like,
you know, we're seeing a contracting of all the media studios.
You know, it used to be twenty and now we're
saying this game became attracted to this, manuye this, and

(42:04):
it's gonna be smaller and smaller, and I feel like
more and more jobs are being lost. You see, when
tragedies like this happen, those are people are gonna move
out of Los Angeles where they gonna go. I feel like,
you know, I was looking. I'm doing a documentary on
the Great Jerry West. I got to interview Adam Silver
and basketball, which I'm a huge fan of. It's down

(42:26):
and watching I think it's down forty eight percent something
like that, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (42:30):
And I think the only.

Speaker 6 (42:31):
Reason you can look at that is kids don't watch
aren't watching TV live, right, what I'm saying. So if
you're really a basketball fan growing up, I watched my
team every you had to watch them three four.

Speaker 3 (42:43):
Times a week, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 6 (42:45):
Football has a great advantage, even though there's a couple
of days, but in general, you get you get one
day week, they own a day of the week, you
know I'm saying, And it's benefiting from that. Also, the
thing that I this is my own personal before like
you know, NBA dominates social media. You can go look
at the clips, which in some aspects probably felt like
a really great thing. But when you're not watching watching

(43:06):
your team every week every night, and you can just
look on clips and see LaMelo's highlights or see Bronze highlights,
or see jobs highlights, that helps hurts the you know things.
So and I also feel like, you know, the globalization
of sports, you know.

Speaker 3 (43:21):
What I'm saying.

Speaker 6 (43:21):
I think there's a lot of different things that are
affecting what media is. But I do think that it
is we're seeing sparks if it come back. I was
super happy to see East's movie Open up. Well, I'm
excited about the oscars. Maybe bring some excitement to it.
I think if you look at the you know, we've
had to survive a pandemic, a strike, and now these fires,

(43:45):
you know what I'm saying, and now you know, just
in an election, you know what I'm saying. I think
there's been some things that have really stunned and what
entertainment is and having it grow. But I feel like there,
hopefully there is some hope of some things coming back.

Speaker 3 (43:57):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 6 (43:58):
I think that we're seeing some of the bright people
like you know, you, Chuck Shaq. I've seen people who
actually know the game getting into it in a different way.
They're going to create you guys are going to create
better stuff. So I have faith, but I do I
am worried.

Speaker 1 (44:15):
Let me transition to you in this regard multi generational
Coca Cola commercial. I watched it. I saw Laura London
and then I mean I was like, I said, damn,
that seemed I mean, that seemed like a Super Bowl commercial.
I mean, this is some special stuff right here right now.
That's what I'm talking about with Kenya Burch. Talk to
me about that. Tell me about how that came about.

Speaker 3 (44:37):
I got a chance. They came to me.

Speaker 6 (44:40):
They've only did it once before, they did with the
creator of the Bear. They wanted to do something that
scratched over some generations. I worked with them. I pitchedhot
idea of like you know, growing up in the hood,
everybody had that liquor store that they went to and
it served a lot of different purposes. It was, you know,
the thing that kind of almost becomes like a community icon.
And I felt like I wanted to tell a story

(45:01):
that like what happens over the generations. And I think,
you know, interesting enough, Coca Cola is often a sponsor
of that.

Speaker 3 (45:07):

Speaker 6 (45:08):
You go in there and you do your suicide at
the machine, or you play video games, or you had
your first kiss, or you got your in your first fight,
got your bikes, got your bike still there.

Speaker 3 (45:17):
So I feel like telling.

Speaker 6 (45:18):
That story was really special to me, and they really
you know, we had, you know, to get that cast together,
you know, get my sister Lauren, Lauren London, and get
the great Omara Harwig, you know, Tay Hecker, I got
my kid's mom, and my kids were in it with
me and saying Linel voices. I think I think could
be the face of the next generation of black superstars.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
I'm saying, to do.

Speaker 6 (45:42):
It under the banner of coke and under the banner
of a store in the hood, like that was.

Speaker 3 (45:46):
I was a dream come true. Man.

Speaker 1 (45:48):
I don't know if you ever realized, I mean, how
phenomenal it is that you pulled off what you pulled
off with Blackish. And this is what. Let me tell
you this little story because Anthony Anderson is a friend
of mine and he came to me and he talked
to me about Blackish. He came on first take to
promote Blackish before before the first episode, and I never
forget he and I were talking in the green room

(46:09):
prior to it, and I said, bro, great cast ken
use that, dude. I'm not worried about the content. Here's
my problem. Look at the world we live in. In the
title Blackish, are you sure? Are you sure that that's
not gonna hold it back? ABC Network Television Blackish? He said,

(46:32):
we ain't worried one damn bit. We're gonna do this.
That's what he said to me. That's what And sure enough,
y'all did it? Did you have any reservations or was
that on purpose purposeful the title Blackish? Did you think
in any way that that was going to galvani or
not shouting to say galvinized, but polarized or alienate an audience?

(46:52):
Were you ever worried about that at all?

Speaker 3 (46:54):
I wasn't the network wise.

Speaker 6 (46:57):
I'm saying that on tour, saying to talk about what
because people thought it meant like cursed. People thought it
might like is this saying like black shit or just
you know what I'm saying, or like or less than
black and whatnot, And they really didn't come down from
I really came to like, I have six kids, they
had their.

Speaker 3 (47:14):
Little friends come over.

Speaker 6 (47:16):
I looked around the country, and there really wasn't a
black or white kid that I remember left in the
you know what I'm saying, Like, even though when you
go to the hood, you know what I'm saying, black
kids is dressing in like skaters. I feel like we're
all a little bit of blackish black, white black. What
I'm saying, there's a black culture has penetrated the culture
in such a way that I really felt like that
was what like we are this country is blackish, I'm saying,

(47:39):
is a little bit of us? Isn't everything we've done?
And I want I'm a big fan of titles. I
think titles matter a lot, you know what I'm saying,
Like when I solid four year old virgin, you got
what it was immediately.

Speaker 3 (47:50):

Speaker 6 (47:51):
When I you know, I'm saying the things that I
really love, Like I feel like you know, you want
a title that sticks out, that makes noise. It's loud,
and I feel like, you know saying I did black
af I feel like you want something that says what
it is, you know what it is in the title,
and makes people actually want to tune in it.

Speaker 3 (48:07):
What's that story? Uh? That's that?

Speaker 6 (48:09):
The average how Restern fan listens an hour a day,
The average how Restern hater listens two hours?

Speaker 3 (48:15):

Speaker 6 (48:16):
When you when you get people sort of mad, it's
all something they want. They actually want to tune in more.
And sometime we'll actually find something that they will know
the best way. I think you know my grandmother thing.
You want to exit a conversation differently than you enter it.
That's a good conversation. You want people to try to
exit this this episode different than the interest. So they
want them to go into the show feeling a certain

(48:38):
way and leave out feeling a different way.

Speaker 3 (48:40):
And then then I feel like that's what true success is.

Speaker 1 (48:44):
Do you care about being hated or disliked doing what
you do?

Speaker 3 (48:47):
Full of it?

Speaker 6 (48:49):
I don't, I'm saying, but I but I do for
my kids, if that makes sense. You know what I'm saying,
I met, I make jokes about the whole I'm a colorist,
you know what I'm saying, thing like I saw a
joke somebody puts, you know, says like I'm a color
So I just did a show based around my family.
My wife is biracial and the kids that we make

(49:10):
look like the kids that me and biracial who will make.
And people were like, you're a coloross. I'm like, well,
are just doing a show based on my feeling. But
I understand, you know, the commentary around, and I wanted
to talk about that, but I do feel like when.

Speaker 3 (49:24):
The only time it affects me is when it affects
my kids.

Speaker 6 (49:27):
When people come and like you know, leave comments like
you're not really black and things like that, that does
affect me because I feel like they don't they didn't
ask to be brought into this, although they've you know,
reaped a lot of the benefits of.

Speaker 3 (49:37):
It too much sometime.

Speaker 6 (49:39):
But I do feel like, you know, I think that
that is and I think you know better than anybody,
you know what I'm saying, Like you're gonna do you
you know what I'm saying, and if you do, if
you do, you and people don't have some shit to say,
then you're probably not doing the right. Look at Lebron,
look at exact, look at George, look at anybody who's you know,
we're doing everything.

Speaker 3 (49:56):
If people just like everything you're doing, you're problemly not
doing right.

Speaker 1 (50:00):
With that being said, you brought up your kids on
a couple of occasions from minder. And first of all,
you got six kids, right, I'm right about that, right,
you got six kids?

Speaker 3 (50:07):
Right?

Speaker 1 (50:07):
Uh? You and your wife? How many and how many
of your kids work for you? And how do you
do you even try to shield them from the kind
of things you just talked about, wanting to avoid them
being subjected to.

Speaker 3 (50:25):
Well, my daughter and I just sold a movie yesterday.
She wrote.

Speaker 6 (50:31):
Okay, we wrote the Richard Pryor series which were out
with which I'm unble. She was in the room and
she did an amazing job. She became one of the
young my middle daughter, she became one of the young.

Speaker 1 (50:41):
Hold on, hold on, hold on. Can you first of all,
what's her name and how old does she?

Speaker 3 (50:47):
Her name is Leah Barris. Okay, she's twenty three. Okay,
amazing young young writer.

Speaker 6 (50:55):
She is, you know, just such a better writer me smart, funny,
you know I'm saying, really her own person. My daughter
Kaylee is runs our social media. She is she went
to USC and very interesting, like it's full of riz
and full of always kind of telling me, you know

(51:16):
how I'm what I'm not doing right and I'm corny.
My daughter come to corny and lame constantly.

Speaker 1 (51:25):
My youngest daughter, I got a sixteen and a fifteen
year old. My youngest daughter just called me corny. She
she just called me corny two days ago. I feel it,
really did.

Speaker 6 (51:33):
It does hurt your feeling because they can get you.
They don't care. My youngest daughter, not a little bit.
My youngest daughter, Lola Gosta, she's been she's interned at
our company.

Speaker 3 (51:44):
She's at Spelman right now. Four point oh student.

Speaker 6 (51:47):
You know what I'm saying, went to Sierra Kenyon with
Juju and and Bronnie and Rice and was all part
of that and went out to Atlanta and is having
her culture shocked. A liiver bit that My oldest son
Bo we call him Pops. He's interned there. He's doing
you know, has his own thing. So those four have
worked there. Hopefully my next two will will in some

(52:08):
aspects come and work, work with me. But I feel
like that's the greatest thing that I've been been able
to do, is to be able to do something. I
get to work with my kids, and I've stolen so
much from them in the stories and the ideas, and
you know, they're my my test group. No matter what
I do, they have to like they're forced to read,
listen and hear are pitches and do all that. I

(52:30):
kind of think like that's something that we used to
do a lot more as Black people would get to
like work with our family.

Speaker 3 (52:37):
And I think, to me.

Speaker 6 (52:38):
That's the greatest gift any of this has been given me,
is the idea of not only being able to provide,
but to be able to work with them and see
them grow and see them be a part of what.

Speaker 3 (52:47):
You know, our hope is a better future.

Speaker 1 (52:50):
Why do you think we're not doing more of that
as a people? I don't know what we used to do.
What you just alluded to, think the opportunity.

Speaker 6 (52:57):
I think the opportunities are not there, you know what
I'm saying, or not as present, you know what I'm saying.
With the American dream has not been as kind to
us as we would like it to be. You know
what I'm saying, We've had to sort of grab it
in a different kind of way, and when it has
we've kind of more so done it to you know,
provide and and and just you know, get by. I

(53:20):
think the idea of the you know, for most of
us have had any kind of real, you know, some
type of success that people would say is is more
of than nominal. We're first generation. I got to work
with Tracy Ross and Rashida Jones, who like are some
of the only second generation successful people I know, But
in general, for most of us, this is first generation.

Speaker 3 (53:41):
We don't have a blueprint.

Speaker 6 (53:43):
Who's been our blueprint of how we sort of we
don't know how to pay taxes and pay packs is
the right way and tax loops and when a stock
is gonna split and we're how to how to do this,
Like we're kind of figuring it out for the first time.
So I feel like having my kids around so that
when their their time comes up, they have an ability
to do something that I didn't do.

Speaker 3 (54:02):
Like that, to me is everything.

Speaker 1 (54:04):
Great, great advice. I ain't gonna lie to you because
I think about the same thing you got me thinking
about it. I'm thinking about going home having a conversation
with my daughters. But they gotta get to work for me.
They gotta get to work for me. They've been holding
off long enough. They don't want to answer to their dad.
That's what they do. They're like, we gotta deal with
you enough. We don't want to deal with you on
a job too. But anyway, care I'm gonna make them
anyway before I let you get on out of here.

(54:24):
You brought up the Richard Pryor project, right, I know
you mentioned that, but didn't you once you involved the
remake of the Wizard of Oz, once you involved with
something along those lines as well as It's a wonderful life.
What's going on with those two projects?

Speaker 3 (54:36):
I mean, were they were ready to go?

Speaker 6 (54:39):
Strike happen, you know what I'm saying, And now everything
has to People understand that whenever things like you you know,
you've seen it happen in sports, or you've happened contract negotia,
it takes everything and step back, you know what I'm saying. Scripture,
you know we're ready to go. We have to you
know it right now, it's about getting things cast. People

(55:00):
don't understand how magical actors are you know, I'm saying,
you can't do anything with actors. So it's like getting
a cast and budgets are shrinking because the studios are
all contracting and like they have to look at, you know,
what is their spend for this year, what's their spending
for that year.

Speaker 3 (55:15):
It's it's a lot that goes into make a movie.

Speaker 6 (55:18):
I don't think people understand, like you have to not
only get the script to a point wh people want
to make it. Then you got to get a budgeted.
Then you got to get the stars. Then the stars
have to be available. Then you have to get a
director who's available during the time. Then you have to
make sure that the company and that quarter has you know,
one hundred hundred and fifty million dollars two hundred million
dollars to spend. Then they have to make sure that

(55:40):
they have you know, seventy five to one hundred million
dollars in PA. Then you have to make sure that
you're you're ready in a place to go shoot.

Speaker 3 (55:47):
The things that come.

Speaker 6 (55:48):
Together to make a movie happen are it's it's amazing
that they happen the way that they do, because it
is a lot of things that have to fall into place.

Speaker 1 (55:56):
I got you before I get you, let you get
on out of here. I'm inn you think you know
I'm not gonna let you get on out of here
without talking about your clippers. Right, You're not gonna have
to ask you what we got talking about. I didn't
expect them to be I didn't expect them to be
as good as they were. They still got some work
to do. It's nice to see Kawhi Lendon on the court.
I don't know how long that's gonna last. We got
a hold on it that moment. We got a question

(56:17):
about that. James Tyler is a hell of a coach.
He came on this show. He came on this show
and raved raved about uh, you know, Jeff Van Gundy
and what he's brought to the team defensive as an
assistant coach. How are you feeling about your clippers right now?

Speaker 3 (56:36):
I'm feeling I'm feeling excellent. I'm feeling excellent.

Speaker 6 (56:39):
I feel like every night before we got Kawhi, I
feel like every night we were competitive. Even if we lost,
every night we were competitive. And I feel like tyleru
the ability to get dudes who before they came to him,
who didn't think that they could play on that level.
The ability of not just the coaching that but the

(57:00):
what it takes for a coach to get into the
mentality of a player to make them believe that they
can compete on the highest level and play as a team.

Speaker 3 (57:07):
That is an amazing thing to do.

Speaker 1 (57:09):
How the hell is somebody living in Los Angeles and
they find themselves being a Clippers fan and not a
Lakers fan. How does that happen?

Speaker 6 (57:17):
Well, I'm a Laker fan. I'm not allowed. Clipper fans
can be Laker fans. Laker fans have to be Clipper haters.
I'm a Laker.

Speaker 3 (57:25):
I'm elect point. I'm a Laker fan.

Speaker 6 (57:29):
Love Lebron, you know, love j jj Reddick is trying
to do love a d rich Paul is my boy.

Speaker 3 (57:36):
I keep saying I'm a Laker fan. But my Clippers.

Speaker 6 (57:39):
When I started being able to buy tickets from my
family could afford them.

Speaker 3 (57:43):
They were affordable.

Speaker 6 (57:44):
The the environment felt like a real environment, like people
who were there wanted to be there.

Speaker 3 (57:50):
It wasn't so good seeing glossy. They were scrappy.

Speaker 6 (57:53):
I got to go through Lob City, I got I
got to see the end of Pool Richardson. I get
to now see I got to CEPG whose game was
like jazz to me. I got to see, you know, Harden,
who I think might be. You know, when it all
goes sitting down, you know, is he in the top five?

Speaker 3 (58:12):
You know what I'm saying, when it's all said and done,
I got to know. No, I love him.

Speaker 6 (58:17):
If you want to start talking about stats, you're gonna
start talking about stats.

Speaker 1 (58:21):
Somebody stopped that.

Speaker 3 (58:22):
Come on, come on.

Speaker 1 (58:24):
Stop, can you stop it? He's not top top five,
He's top one of the greatest scores in NBA history,
one of the greatest scorers, no doubt.

Speaker 6 (58:33):
In history, in history, right, and you have when you
add up all his stats, his stats have to put
him in the top ten.

Speaker 3 (58:41):
His stats have to put him in toping.

Speaker 1 (58:44):
You know what, I'm gonna dedicate a segment on this show.

Speaker 3 (58:47):
It's gonna blow your mind on this show. Your mind, It's.

Speaker 1 (58:50):
Gonna blow your I'm gonna say, I'm gonna replay it
for the NBA audience, and I'm gonna say, ken, you
bears said James Harden, top five, say top ten?

Speaker 3 (59:01):
It I say, top.

Speaker 1 (59:02):
Ten, top ten, top Ten's.

Speaker 3 (59:05):
Lokistically he might be in the top five.

Speaker 6 (59:07):
And if you just go shooting guards, I am absolutely
sure he's in the top five.

Speaker 1 (59:13):
You know you on camera, right, I will say that
right now, you know right.

Speaker 3 (59:17):
And James James is not my boy.

Speaker 6 (59:19):
I love his game, I am saying that, and he's
his When you look at his statistics, they are phenomenal, phenomenal, Okay,
you know they are.

Speaker 1 (59:33):
I'm not knocking it. I'm saying I'm saying you piaqued
my curiosity. I gotta go back and look at it
hard about this, and I gotta say, wait a minute,
must look at Kenya Barris's vantage point and let's see
if it's right. Look, man, I'm gonna let you get
on out of here. I appreciate it. The usually the
unusual suspects. When is the podcast? When is the podcast?

Speaker 4 (59:53):
Drop?

Speaker 1 (59:53):
It drops tomorrow?

Speaker 2 (59:54):
Right?

Speaker 3 (59:54):
Yes, I'm gonna say yes because I don't have actual.

Speaker 1 (01:00:00):
Yes it drops tomorrow. I know this for sure. I
was just double checking. But anyway, man, I appreciate you.
I owe you big time. Man. I'm sorry they got
my day job. Maybe I don't run. I'm not my
own boss with everything like you something just not with everything.
So That's what I got to tell me. I owe
you big time man. Thank you, bro.

Speaker 3 (01:00:18):
I appreciate you having me. I appreciate you.

Speaker 1 (01:00:20):
All one and only. Can you barrass right here with
stephen A coming up? Could we see Daron Fox team
up with Victor women Yama And did jj Reddick make
a mistake playing Brownie James extended minutes last night in Philadelphia.
I'll get into some NBA news. Plus I respond to
your tweets. Don't go away. It's your boy, stephen A
right here back with moren a minute. I'm looking forward

(01:00:46):
to it. I know you are. Super Bowl fifty nine
in New Orleans, Louisiana. Baby, the Philadelphia Eagles versus the
Kansas City Chiefs, Hurts sat Kaan versus my homes Kelsey
and the crew. I'm looking forward to it for several
Number one, I expected to be a good game. Number two,
guess what, I love New Orleans sometimes anyway, the food
is great. Number Three, I get to be away from

(01:01:08):
my damn nephew, Josh. He's trying to come down there.
I'm not letting him. This little knucklehead right here, this
is this is Josh Junior, my little nephew, Jase. He
can't come to the super Bowl. He's gonna be in school,
just the way I like it. He can't come.

Speaker 3 (01:01:26):
And you like that.

Speaker 1 (01:01:27):
You gotta stay at home. You gotta stay home. That's
how it goes. See y'all at the Super Bowl. Stephen A.
Smith Show will be in the house all week long.
Holler at you boys, Welcome back to the stephen A.
Smith Show. Now let's go to Philadelphia, where Bronnie James

(01:01:49):
last night played his most minutes by far in an
NBA game last night as the Lakers lost to the
seventy six Ers one eighteen to one oh four. Brownie
was held scoreless in fifteen minutes and struggled guarding Sixers
star Tyree's Maxie. Before I get to my thoughts, please
take a listen to coach JJ Reddick and what he
had to say about Bronnie's performance last night. Take a listen.

Speaker 7 (01:02:09):
Maybe put him in a tough spot, you know, flying
up yesterday and you know, nationally televised game and Philly
all that stuff.

Speaker 3 (01:02:18):
It's you know, he didn't play well, but.

Speaker 7 (01:02:22):
He's been playing great, you know, in the stay ready games,
and he's been playing great in the g You know.

Speaker 1 (01:02:29):
I was on First Take My Day job on ESPN
earlier this morning. I spoke about this and I felt
the need to elaborate even further because a couple of
people text me and pissed me off, and they know
who they are, people close to lebron James talking to
me about questioning him as a father. Come on, y'all,
I mean, it's gotten to a point where this Lebron

(01:02:51):
sensitivity is just beyond the pale. You call him the
second best player in the history of the game. You're
insulting him because you said he's not the goat. You're
saying that at age forty, we've never seen anybody do
what he does, but pointing out at times how he
may not have hustled back on defense in a key

(01:03:14):
pivotal moment, and that's a problem. You give him all
the praise in the world when he drops forty, but
he has a bad night and you say he had
a bad night and you're hating. It's ridiculous. But never
before has it been more ridiculous than it is right now.
Because the reality is is that we got to be
real about what we're seeing when we talk about Bronnie James,

(01:03:39):
I am not a person that had a problem with
Bronnie James being on the court for the season opener
with Lebron James. That was a phenomenal moment to see
a father on the court with his son who has
NBA aspirations, playing together for the first time in NBA history.
The Griffi's in baseball, King Griffy and Junior were in

(01:04:00):
attendance for it. It was a special moment. My position
has always been that should have been the only moment
we saw Bronnie James in the Lakers uniform this season
because he's not ready. I'm not here to tell you
that he won't be ready. I'm not here to tell
you that he won't be an NBA player. I'm not

(01:04:21):
here to tell you that he should give up his
dreams and his aspirations. I think the kids got potential.
I think the kid will be in the NBA one day.
I watched him in the G League doing this thing.
I think he's gonna be fine eventually. But that's not
the case yet. And because it's not the case yet,

(01:04:41):
and then you see some of these numbers, I do
find myself looking at Lebron James instead of Bronnie James
because Lebron is the basketball savant. Lebron is one of
the top two greatest players in the history of the game.
Lebron hast forgotten more basketball than most people would know.
So no matter what we think about Bronnie, he knows more.

(01:05:04):
But you see what you see. Brinnie James is played
in thirteen NBA games, Ladies and gentlemen. He's averaging zero
point three points, zero point three assist and zero point
four rebounds. He shot one for sixteen from the field
in his NBA career, an zero for seven from three

(01:05:27):
point range. And he's playing in the first quarter of
an NBA game, really, and everybody wants to look at it.
And Lebron has nothing to do with that. That's yeah,
he didn't tell JJ Reddick to put him.

Speaker 3 (01:05:46):
In the game.

Speaker 1 (01:05:46):
I get all that, but come on, I'm not being
cruel to Bronnie. I'm I'm looking out. Do you want
it this way, Lebron? Do you want it this way?
Rich Paul? Do you want it this way? He can't

(01:06:11):
go into the G League and average twenty twenty five
and stay there until he's ready because he's Lebron's son,
you know, how they're gonna judge him. And before anybody
wants to jump on me, remember I never saw Bronnie
James play until he showed up in the NBA and
the G League. I refused to watch him because if

(01:06:32):
I watched him, I would have to talk about him.
And I didn't want to talk about Lebron James son
because I thought it was so unfair to the kid.
He's such a wonderful kid, wonderful family. I don't want
to hear me talking about questioning Lebron James' fatherhood, Lebron
How many times do I have to rave about Lebron
James On ESPN? I put up a ticker great father,

(01:06:54):
great husband, great philanthropians, great businessman, great actor, great producer,
great director, great great great great. How many times have
I said that, I'm simply saying, yo, he's not ready yet,
and to put him out there getting him exposed to that,

(01:07:19):
it's really hard to watch. When Kobe Bryant was a
rookie and shot those airballs in that closed out playoff
game against the Utah Jazz, people were talking about he
wasn't ready for the moment, and I thought it was unconscidable.

(01:07:40):
What coach Del Harris at the time did to him
by throwing him to the wolves because he got frustrated
because Kobe kept talking about how he's gonna end up
being the greatest ever because he was chasing Jordan, and
they got tired of here in his mouth and his bravado,
and he threw him to the wolves very unfairly, which
I think it's something that ultimately ruined Del Harris because

(01:08:03):
he shouldn't have done that. But nobody questioned whether or
not Kobe Bryant belonged to the NBA. Nobody question that.
With Bronnie James, they're questioning it because there's no collegiate
career to speak of, because he had the health issue
and never really did anything at USC in his only

(01:08:24):
year there. And he ends up getting drafted fifty fifth overall,
and I don't care about the money that he's gonna
end up making, like he'll end up making over a
span a couple of years, eight million, while the other
fifty fifth pick from the year before the year before
that probably made it about eight hundred thousand. The hell with that.
Lebron James is underpaid. Lebron James is underpaid. He should

(01:08:51):
get paid much more than he's getting paid. In Any
money that he could get for his son, he could
get for Rich Paul, he could get for him, anybody
he should get because he is underpaid. Well what he
means to the NBA. I don't care about the money.
I care about what the kid is being exposed to.

(01:09:12):
With Lebron James mystique hoefery over him zero point three points,
zero point three assists, zero point four rebounds, one for
sixteen shooting over all, zero for seven from three point
range thirteen games. There are millions of kids out there
starving to play in an NBA game that are more

(01:09:35):
qualified than his status show. And what I'm saying is,
if you see a son being exposed to things they
may not be ready for, when do you wrap your
arms around them and say, all right now, now's not

(01:09:57):
the time. I use the box analogy on first take
earlier this day, and I used Marvis Fraser, the son
of Joe Fraser. Go back and look at the highlights.
He went into the ring against heavyweight champion Larry Holmes,
who had one of the best jabs and one of
the best right hands in boxing history. And I remember

(01:10:22):
Larry Holmes being interviewed and saying, ain't no kid with
ten damn fights beating me, That's what he said, And
then went in there and beat him in the first round.
Remember he dropped them. And then remember Fraser gets up
and if you remember the fight, ladies and gentlemen, Larry
hit him with a right and waved the referee on
hit him with the right and waved the referee to

(01:10:44):
come and stop the fight. Hit him again, waved the
referee to stop the fight because he knew the kid
didn't belong in the ring with him, and you know,
took the hits for that. Joe Fraser, former heavy champion
of the world, one of the great fighters in history,

(01:11:04):
had no business putting his son at that early stage
in the squared circle with Larry Holmes. Look it up.
That's all I'm saying with Lebron the best of intentions,
wonderful father by all accounts. I'm not casting any aspersions

(01:11:27):
on him. I'm saying, that's your son, bro. You know
the game of basketball. He ain't ready yet. Why put
him in that position? You had your moment being on
the court with him. Now, that kid's gotta go earn
his stripes, which I believe he will do watching him

(01:11:51):
in the G League. Can't do this, can't continue to
let us see what we've been seeing. And I'm wrong.
I'm questioning him as a father because I'm saying, YO,
wrap your arms around him and say not now, not

(01:12:13):
just yet. That's questioning somebody's fatherhood, you see. That's why
ladies and gentlemen, Contrary to what people believe, I have
a great relationship with a lot of NBA players. You
don't have to know that. I know that. I know

(01:12:35):
who talks to me, I know who gives me information.
I know who reaches out to me. There's plenty of players.
Some of the stars don't, and I could give less
than a shit because we've devolved to a point where
literally trying to be constructive and helpful is considered hating.
They adopted, their hanging on is adopted, and you're the

(01:12:58):
villain for pointing out obvious. I'm tired of that sensitive shit.
It drives me nuts. We gotta preface every comment we
make with a bunch of platitudes and lauda bulls about everything.
I mean, damn, what do we gotta do do their

(01:13:19):
laundry before we say something? We gotta sit there and
give them a bubble bath. Before we sat they played
like shit. I mean, come on, it's gotta stop. I mean,
no disrespect whatsoever to Lebron on this issue. I would

(01:13:41):
never do that to any player, any athlete. I'm saying,
we all see what's happening with your son right now.
It's kind of hard to watch. Not that it won't change,
not that it won't get better, but it's not there yet.

(01:14:03):
You could do something about that. Why haven't you. That's
all I mean, no disrespect, none, that's all I'm saying.
Staying in the NBA, where, according to ESPN Shan Sharania,
the Sacrament of Kings expected to open talks for a

(01:14:25):
potential the Aaron Fox trade. The King's all star guard
has one year left on his contract before he hits
free agency in the summer of twenty twenty six. San
Antonio Spurs are apparently the top destination on his list
as a potential landing spot. I wish he could go
to the Lakers personally, I know Anthony Davis wants a
five so he can go back to his natural position
at the four. The Aaron Fox has average at least
twenty five points over the last three years. He's an

(01:14:46):
All Star. He's an All Star caliber player. He's also
the only individual that I've ever gotten into an argument
with Magic Johnson about in twenty five years. The Aaron
Fox is that dude. I implored Magic Johnson to draft
that kid number two overall instead of Lonzo Ball. I said,
Lonzo Ball is a business decision. De Amon Fox is
a basketball decision. I saw what that brother did in
the NCAA tournament to Lonzo. I saw that he was

(01:15:09):
a better player than Lonzo. I think, you got to
keep that kid, you got to get him. And they
passed because Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills, Box Office, all of that.
No knock against Lonzo because I hope he gets healthy,
and I believe in the brother. But de Aaron Fox
is Diaron Fox. However, his wife and what I'm told
is from San Antonio obviously playing with Victim when Mionna

(01:15:32):
the best defensive player in the NBA as far as
I'm concerned right now and will soon be the best
player in the world at seven five, with his skill set,
who knows what's down the pipe for them? They've got
it like nine picks. You get de Aaron Fox when
Vianna could be special. So I understand that Houston, Miami,
New Orleans, other teams like that are in the mix.

(01:15:53):
I wouldn't mind seeing the Aaron Fox in Miami either.
But in the end, what it really really comes down
to is that I really wish he was with Anthony Davison.
Lebron James in Los Angeles ain't gonna happen at all
likely so they don't have the assets to get them,
but it would be nice. Let's go to some tweets
before I get on out of here for the day.

(01:16:14):
First up, Stevin A. Smith. How legendary with a battle
between Obama and Trump?

Speaker 3 (01:16:20):
Be?

Speaker 1 (01:16:21):
Oh? I think it would be legendary because I think
that Trump would try his insults and Obama is quick
with it, enough, stylish enough, with enough charisma, he'd come
right back at him, and he'd eat Trump alive. I'm
talking about in that category as it pertains to debates, Lebron.
You know, Obama smooths and even though it didn't come

(01:16:44):
across as him being a centrist, because obviously you had
the progressive left pulling them and tugging towards him to
be in their direction and the Republicans were giving him
problems every time he took a deep breath. In the end,
I think that Obama is somebody that would be willing
to work across the all if you allow them to
do so. And the statesmanship Trump doesn't even compe in

(01:17:06):
that regard. But some would argue that Trump was a
better president than Obama was. Most of us would not,
but it would be an epic battle for the debates.
I could tell you that much. Next tweet, show me
what you got, y'all at Jennifer McGraw, McGr aw right,
Stephen A. Smith, what is an underrated thing I can

(01:17:27):
do as a girlfriend to make my boyfriend happy? Okay,
there is an R rated answer to that question that
you are not going to get from me. Figure it
out as it pertains to the G rated version of
my answer. I would say to you, master the art

(01:17:52):
of timing. It could be anything from sex to a meal,
to cuddling while watching a movie on television, to go
into the movies, to going out to eat, to just
talk and conversation. I would tell you mastering timing is everything.

(01:18:17):
See some ignorant ass men out there would be like,
just be quiet, don't talk your man will love you.
But those are boys that say that men don't mind conversation.
We mind when it arrives at the wrong time. There
are times we're willing to listen, and there are times
that we don't want to hear anything. There are times

(01:18:40):
that we don't want to hear anything because we're annoyed
and stressed from the job or the outside world. There
are times that we're stressed because of you and we
don't want to hear anything. There are other times that we
don't want to hear anything because we got other things
on our mind that we'd like to do with you,
and talk it ain't one of them. So all of
those things play a role. But when you master the

(01:19:03):
person that you're with and timing that comes with how
you interact with them, that goes a long way. Put
it you this way, ladies, if you had a man,
assuming you have a man in your life, because we're
gonna go you know, I'm just gonna say that, and

(01:19:26):
you wanted them at ten o'clock, is eleven o'clock good enough?
Is mid night good enough? I mean, you'll settle for it.
But what you want is what you want when you
want it, And when he responds in a timely manner.

(01:19:49):
That goes a long way, because he's feeding you when
you're hungry, not when you're okay or full, and that
has more value. Look at it that way. One more tweet.
Let's go to it. Please at Jimmy John's right, Steven A. Smith,

(01:20:11):
could you date someone who happens to be a loud
and messy eiter? No, I'm loud enough. Two of us
don't need to be loud. That's number one. Number two,
I don't like messy. Two of us don't need to
be messy. I'm a little messy. Don't get me wrong.
I'm not a slob. I'm not slovenly. I believe in

(01:20:32):
carrying myself with some level of distinction and what have you.
I believe in doing what I do in that regard.
But I would tell you that I don't like a
messy woman. I like a woman who's top na choose
a bit vain, who cares about appearances, how she looks,

(01:20:55):
how she conducts herself, how she carries herself, his mind
full and cognizant of her surroundings, and acts accordingly. Could
you imagine being out to dinner with company and your
girl is eating like this, What the hell is that?
Nobody want that? You don't want that from your man.

(01:21:16):
She could eat like that by herself around you. It's
a little bit more decorum in the face of company.
In the presence of company, you want class beside off.
You don't want nobody looking at your woman like she
just love. You don't want messy associated with your woman.
And you damn sure don't want loud. She don't know
how to exercise class and decorum. She got to be

(01:21:38):
all loud and boisterous and all of that stuff. You
as a man, you got to be all loud and
boisterous yourself when you with your woman around company. Not
Ain't nobody want that. You want somebody that's mellowed, that
understands the moment and what it calls for and what
it doesn't call for. That's the difference between a girl

(01:22:02):
and a lady and a boy and a man. That
is my answer to your question, and it's the right one.
I'm out, y'all until next time. This is Stephen A.
Smith signing off. Thanks again to the one and only
Kenya Barras and of course Drewski coming on the show.
Blessing us with their presence really really appreciated. Thank you

(01:22:24):
so much. I'll talk to y'all a couple of days.
Until then, Peace of love,

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