Cari Champion confronted Stephen A. Smith about past professional disagreements during a recent appearance on her and Jemele Hill’s podcast, “Flagrant and Funny.” The interview, which spanned three hours, touched upon Champion's experience at ESPN, including her perspective on her hiring for the show "First Take" and her subsequent career moves.
Smith, who was a co-host on "First Take" with Skip Bayless, stated that Bayless did not want to hire Champion. Champion directly refuted this assertion, telling Smith, "Neither did you." She joined ESPN in October 2012 as the moderator for "First Take," a role she held while Smith and Bayless were on the show. Bayless departed ESPN in April 2016.
Champion later moved to host "SportsCenter" in 2015 and then "SportsNation" before leaving ESPN in January 2020. Smith suggested that Champion desired a role on "SportsCenter" and wished to return to a previous position. Champion denied this, stating, "That is not true Stephen A. I know you lying. That is not true. We are disagreeing right now." Smith maintained his position, responding, "We’ll disagree. I don’t lie."
Champion also commented on the hiring process for "First Take," mentioning that she and Hill, along with other women, auditioned for the role. Previously, Champion had expressed feelings of not being valued during her time on "First Take" with Smith and Bayless.
The conversation between Champion and Smith is set to continue, with a second part of their discussion scheduled for release on Friday.