The simmering tension between SiriusXM host Stephen A. Smith and Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett boiled over on Tuesday after Smith challenged the Texas lawmaker for avoiding his show while simultaneously comparing him to a movie character synonymous with slavery.
Smith addressed the conflict on his program, “Straight Shooter with Stephen A.,” responding directly to a comment Crockett made on social media. After former CNN host Don Lemon posted an Instagram reel criticizing Smith, Crockett weighed in, stating Smith was “synonymous with the modern day Django,” referencing the fictional enslaved character from the 2012 Quentin Tarantino film.
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Smith didn’t mince words in his rebuttal, questioning why Crockett has refused multiple invitations to join his broadcast despite her active media schedule.
“Jasmine Crockett has been invited on this show a multitude of times. You sitting down talking to everybody else,” Smith said. “How come you ain’t sit down to talk to me? Scared of what I’m going to ask?”
He challenged the Congresswoman to deliver her critiques directly rather than in comments sections. “I don’t know. Have no clue,” Smith continued. “But if you going to say something like that about somebody, hell, say it to their face.”
The public spat marks a shift from late last year when the two appeared to reach a tentative truce. On October 22, Smith issued a public apology to Crockett regarding earlier commentary where he had labeled her rhetoric against President Donald Trump as “disrespectful.” At the time, Smith expressed regret that his words might have provided political “ammunition” for attacks against Black women.
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“I apologize because I respect the hell out of Jasmine Crockett and what she has accomplished,” Smith said in October.
Following that apology, Crockett appeared on a livestream with Don Lemon, admitting Smith’s initial criticism had “hurt” her, but insisting she was “always down for a real conversation.” However, despite launching her campaign for the U.S. Senate on December 8 and conducting various interviews since, she has yet to sit down with Smith.
Throughout 2025, Smith has frequently leveraged his platform to critique Democratic strategies and rhetoric in the wake of continued opposition to President Trump, often sparking friction with party figures.
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