Michelle Beadle has some pretty valid reasons to dislike Stephen A. Smith these days, and she’s not ready to turn the other cheek just yet.
Beadle and co-host Cody Decker were fired by SiriusXM the day after they learned their radio show was being replaced by a new Stephen A. Smith show, which they aired their grievances about while on the air. The former ESPN host also conducted a separate interview, in which she stated that she “doesn’t respect” Smith.
“I don’t respect his work. He doesn’t like me,” she told Front Office Sports. “This goes back to the Ray Rice stuff. He made some really piggish comments on the air. I responded; he got suspended for like two weeks. I think that was sort of the beginning of the end for anything,” she said. “I just don’t respect him. I think he gets things wrong all the time. I’m not talking about opinions; those can never be wrong. But factually, when you spread yourself so thin, it’s hard to be right. Not a fan.”
Barstool’s Mark Titus took Smith to task over the way he’s been deployed by ABC and ESPN during their 2025 NBA Finals coverage, saying recently that Stephen A.’s over-the-top, ego-centric antics detract from what should be a celebration of great basketball.
“I love basketball so I want to watch the two best basketball teams compete for the highest honor in professional basketball, if you choose to do that, you’ll get Stephen A. in your face,” said Titus. “And you’re just like god d*mn, this guy’s awful. I almost forget it because I don’t watch all the other sh*t he does.”
That rant got aggregated by the New York Post and shared on X Saturday morning. Beadle took note and couldn’t help but throw in an extra dig.
No lies detected.
— Michelle Beadle (@MichelleDBeadle) June 21, 2025
“No lies detected,” she wrote in response to the post, which included the quote ‘This guy’s awful.”
Smith has certainly tested the patience of many a basketball fan in recent weeks. He got caught playing solitaire during a Finals game. He criticized Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton and got into a feud with him during the series. He claimed the reason many NBA players don’t want to play in Memphis is that it’s unsafe. He took shots at LeBron James. He praised Candace Owens. He brought his daughter on with him during Finals coverage for some reason.
Most of all, he’s the face of what’s considered an unenjoyable NBA Finals coverage experience by ABC and ESPN, one that prioritizes the ESPN personalities over the players on the court.
So while it might be personal with Beadle, she’s certainly not the only person who feels that way.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.