Don Lemon Calls Out Stephen A. Smith For ‘Cozying Up To White People’

Lemon called out Smith over his comments on the recent Minneapolis ICE shooting that killed a 37-year-old mother.

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon publicly criticized ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith over his commentary on the recent Minnesota shooting involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in which a 37-year-old mother was killed.

In a segment on The Don Lemon Show, which the former anchor hosts on social media platform TikTok, Lemon accused Smith of tailoring his remarks to appeal to white audiences. He also suggests Smith’s comments on high-profile political topics is motivated by finances.

Lemon started the conversation by pointing out his personal choices when adding to the discourse. As a Black man, he says he reserves some of his harsh opinions for Black men for a private setting. However, where he typically avoids speaking about other Black men in media, he felt compelled to respond to Smith.

“I try not to criticize, especially Black men, or just Black people in general, you know, because we get so much s—. The rules are different for us,” Lemon said.

The criticism stemmed from Smith’s take on the killing of Renee Good by ICE agents in Minnesota. On his show, Straight Shooter with Stephen A., the sports analyst claims “from a legal perspective” the ICE agent was justified in shooting the mother of three in the face. Though, Smith claims as a “humanitarian” that the ICE agent was wrong, he places blame on Good, saying she “wrongfully disregarded a law enforcement official.” Lemon took issue with Smith’s framing.

“He just gets on these like white boy, right-wing podcasts or his own show and just goes off about Black people and things that for which he has no clue,” Lemon said. “It’s just shocking to me, this sort of cozying up to white people,” Lemon said.

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Lemon also questioned Smith’s transition from sports commentary into political and social analysis. He says Smith’s sudden desire to weigh in on issues beyond his expertise is suspect, to say the least. Lemon believes Smith often speaks from a position of ignorance and risks reinforcing harmful narratives and undercutting serious conversations about race.

“Smith goes off and he talks about shit that he has no idea about,” he said. “It seems that’s become his stock in trade to make excuses for white people and to cozy up to people like Megyn Kelly.”

Lemon addressed a broader trend in which prominent Black voices on mainstream platforms come to believe that distancing themselves from Black issues can result in significant financial gain.

“If I became a Black conservative, I would be rich, like a millionaire, or if I just went on and started like bashing Black people,” he said. Was this a note to Smith signing a $100 million contract in 2025? Lemon didn’t name Smith or reference any specific deal, leaving listeners to draw their own conclusions.