Full Show: Jay-Z Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Rape Accuser. Kyrie tears ACL. Candace Owens, a Black Conservative.

Summary

Summary of "The Stephen A. Smith Show" Episode: Title: Full Show: Jay-Z Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Rape Accuser. Kyrie Tears ACL. Candace Owens, a Black Conservative
Release Date: March 4, 2025
Host: Stephen A. Smith
Produced By: iHeartPodcasts

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1. Introduction and Initial Headlines

The episode kicks off with Stephen A. Smith acknowledging his listeners and subscribers, expressing gratitude for their support across platforms such as YouTube and iHeartRadio. He briefly mentions his best-selling book, Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes, highlighting his production company, Straight Shooter Media.

**2. Kyrie Irving's ACL Injury and Its Impact on the Dallas Mavericks

Timestamps: [01:30] - [23:19]

Stephen A. Smith delves into the troubling news surrounding Kyrie Irving's recent injury. Irving sustained a torn ACL during a game against the Sacramento Kings, effectively ending his season. This injury poses significant challenges for the Dallas Mavericks, especially following the trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, which has not panned out as expected.

Key Points:

• Kyrie Irving's Presence: Irving was a pivotal player for the Mavericks, averaging nearly 25 points per game. His absence diminishes the team's offensive capabilities.

• Trade Consequences: The Mavericks' decision to trade Doncic for Anthony Davis backfired when Davis suffered an abductor strain in his first game. This, coupled with Irving's injury, signals a bleak outlook for the Mavericks' championship aspirations this season.

• Management Scrutiny: General Manager Nico Harrison faces intense criticism and backlash from fans due to the underwhelming performances and strategic missteps, including the ill-fated trade decision.

Notable Quotes:

• Stephen A. Smith: “For all intended purposes, the Dallas Mavericks season ended last night. The second Kyrie Irving went down. It's over. They're not going to win any kind of championship this year.” [05:45]

• Stephen A. Smith: “If you are Nico Harrison, who is receiving death threats, hate mail and beyond since pulling the trigger on that trade for Luka Doncic, you can't imagine how bad things are for him right now in the city of Dallas…” [15:14]

**3. Jay-Z's Defamation Lawsuit Against Rape Accuser

Timestamps: [23:19] - [54:50]

The conversation shifts to the high-profile legal battle between Jay-Z and his accuser. Jay-Z has filed a defamation lawsuit against an Alabama woman who alleged he raped her when she was 13. Jay-Z's attorneys argue that the accuser timed her claims to cause maximum harm and discredit his reputation.

Key Points:

• Lawsuit Details: Jay-Z's team accuses the accuser and her attorneys of malicious intent, claiming they are driven by greed and a disregard for the truth.

• Accuser's Defense: The woman's attorney, Tony Busby, denies the accusations of malice, asserting that Jay-Z's investigators have harassed and intimidated the accuser in attempts to make her recant.

• Stephen A.'s Stance: Stephen A. emphasizes the severity of the allegations, stating, “A man was accused of being an adult and having raped a 13-year-old. That's not frivolous.” [45:00]

• Public Perception and Media Influence: Smith reflects on his long-standing belief in Jay-Z's innocence, acknowledging the complexities of public opinion when high-profile figures are involved.

Notable Quotes:

• Tony Busby (Accuser's Attorney): “Shawn Carter's investigators have repeatedly harassed, threatened, and harangued this poor woman for weeks, trying to intimidate her and make her recant her story. She hasn't and won't.” [13:42]

• Stephen A. Smith: “I never believed he was guilty of such a thing. The man that I've known for 25 years would never do such a thing.” [23:19]

**4. Interview with Candace Owens: A Black Conservative's Perspective

Timestamps: [55:24] - [66:48]

In a significant segment of the episode, Stephen A. Smith interviews Candace Owens, a prominent Black conservative commentator. The conversation covers a range of topics, including political dynamics, race relations, and Owens' personal journey.

Key Points:

• Candace Owens' Background: Owens discusses her evolution from a Trump supporter to a multifaceted public figure, highlighting changes in her personal life and professional focus.

• Political Commentary: Owens critiques the Democratic Party's relationship with the Black community, arguing that they have been taken for granted post the Civil Rights Movement. She challenges the notion of a monolithic Black voting bloc and emphasizes the importance of due process in the #MeToo movement.

• Social Issues: Owens addresses her stance on feminism, vaccines, and her opposition to the #MeToo movement, asserting the need for rational discussions over emotional reactions in societal debates.

• Future Aspirations: She hints at a continued series focusing on high-profile cases like Harvey Weinstein, aiming to shed light on what she perceives as wrongful convictions influenced by mass movements.

Notable Quotes:

• Candace Owens: “We are the stereotype of irrationality. All we have to do is make them feel something and they won't react.” [48:03]

• Stephen A. Smith: “There's nothing wrong with letting people speak and giving them an opportunity to express their views, even when I don't agree with them.” [25:20]

• Candace Owens: “I have had a fatigue with politics. I was quite bored, really, with the same arguments.” [38:27]

• Candace Owens: “With Club Candace, you know, I have my vaccine seats. I am quote, unquote, anti-vax. Don't vaccinate my children. And I want people to know why.” [52:00]

Discussion Highlights:

• Race and Politics: Owens challenges the assumption that all Black Americans lean Democratic, advocating for a more nuanced understanding of political affiliations within the community.

• Media Representation: Both Smith and Owens critique how the media portrays Black conservatives and individuals who challenge mainstream narratives, emphasizing the importance of independent media in shaping public opinion.

• Cultural Identity: Owens articulates her views on feminism, arguing that traditional feminist movements have had negative impacts on Black women's happiness by imposing male-centric standards.

**5. Concluding Thoughts and Final Remarks

Timestamps: [66:48] - [68:11]

Stephen A. Smith wraps up the episode by reiterating the significance of Candace Owens' perspectives and the need for diverse voices in public discourse. He emphasizes the importance of truth and intellectual rigor when engaging with controversial figures.

Key Points:

• Candace Owens' Influence: Smith acknowledges Owens' growing influence, noting her position within Spotify's top podcast rankings and her unwavering presence in the media landscape.

• Political Climate: He highlights the ongoing political tensions, referencing President Donald Trump's upcoming address and the persistent criticisms from Democratic senators regarding his administration.

• Call to Action: Smith urges listeners to engage critically with political narratives and remain informed about the shifting dynamics within American politics.

Notable Quotes:

• Stephen A. Smith: “You better know what the hell you're talking about when you come at her. That's what I take away just as much as anything else.” [55:19]

• Stephen A. Smith: “Deal with that. If not, I get the impression she will make you.” [59:54]

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Conclusion

This episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show" provides a multifaceted exploration of pressing issues ranging from high-profile legal battles and sports injuries to in-depth discussions on race and politics through the lens of a prominent Black conservative. Stephen A. Smith effectively navigates these topics, offering his insights while facilitating a compelling dialogue with Candace Owens. The episode underscores the importance of diverse perspectives in understanding and addressing complex societal challenges.

Transcript

[Stephen A. Smith]

Hey there Ritual.

[Candace Owens]

Here to give a big shout out.

[Stephen A. Smith]

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[Unknown Speaker]

Ew.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Geico's motorcycle specialists who know bikes like you do, assume no liability for clammy ice cream cones. Geico expertise for your motorcycle.

[Unknown Speaker]

Kyrie's down for the rest of the season. What does that mean for the Western Conference? Jay Z is on the warpath. What the hell am I talking about? And in case you didn't know, you might need a seatbelt. When you consider who I'm about to talk to today, you've heard the name Candace Owens, right? She's something else to say the least. She always got something to say. And that ain't changed here on the Stephen A. Smith Show. Let us pray. Let us pray. What's up, everybody? Welcome to the latest edition of the Stephen A. Smith show, coming at you over the Digital Airways of YouTube and of course, iHeartRadio. Thanks again to all my subscribers and followers out there, courtesy of iHeartRadio. Millions of downloads have taken place over the last few months and of course over YouTube we've now eclipsed over 1.1 million subscribers. Can't thank y'all for the love and support enough. As always, I say that I will always continue to say that because without y'all, there is no me. Please know that I know that. To continue to like and follow the show, just click the bell to get notified for all of our newest content and you too shall be considered the latest member of the Stephen A. Smith show family. And while you're doing that, make sure to pick up a copy of my New York Times best selling book, Straight Shooter, A memoir of second chances and first takes now in paperback. Just go to straightshooterbook.com to get yourself a copy. That's straightshooter book.com to get yourself a copy. If you're wondering what the name of my production company is, that's where I got it from. Straight Shooter, Straight Shooter Productions, Straight Shooter Media. That's where I got it from. The title of my book Got a lot to get into today. Candace Owens will be on in a few minutes. I got my seatbelt on y'all. I got my seatbelt on. But before we get to her, let's get started in the National Basketball association, where the headlines have gone from bad to worse for the Dallas Mavericks. Last night Kyrie Irvin suffered a left knee injury as he was fouled while driving to the basket against the Sacramento Kings. Replays show his knee appeared to hyper extend on the play and scans today revealed that Kyrie Irvin suffered a season ending torn acl. Kyrie was helped to the free throw line where he sank both free throws with tears streaming down his face. The nine time All Star was averaging nearly 25 points per game and has become Dallas primary outside shooting threat following the trade of superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. So far the trade has not worked out for the Mavericks as Anthony Davis went down with an abductor strain in just his first game with the team. All this while the team just announced plans to raise prices for season ticket holders. First things first, let me say this about Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving and I have had our differences in the past years ago, particularly particularly with COVID going on some of the situations that he's gotten himself into. I've never been shy, however, of acknowledging what an absolutely fantastic and phenomenal basketball player that he is and that at his core he is a really, really good and decent person. We don't wish this on anybody, but especially somebody being this spectacular talent and showstopper that he is and so I wish him nothing but the best. He's a good brother. We've even had differences in the past where it involved his daddy. And I've gotten to know his daddy and now he and I get along and we talk a lot. We don't talk a lot. I shouldn't say that, but we talk frequently enough. He's a good man. Getting to know him, knowing what we've seen from Kyrie Irving, we wish him nothing but the best. My prayers are with you, brother, for a full health and healthy recovery. The game needs you. It needs your magnificence, it needs your greatness on display. So I sincerely hope you come back from this devastating injury. If anybody can do it, you can do it. And you will do it. And just know that I'm rooting for you, bro, and I wish you nothing but the best. Transitioning to the president of basketball operations, general manager for the Dallas Mavericks, the one and only Nico Harrison. It can't get much worse. I have nothing but the best wishes for this guy as well. Nico Harrison was an executive for Nike for 19 years. He's worked with Michael Jordan, he's worked with LeBron James, he was very, very tight with Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant not only loved Nico Harrison, he trusted him. And I know what Nico Harrison and what kind of situation he's put himself in because to be the man running basketball operations for the Dallas Mavericks to just a month ago, having traded a 25 year old superstar in the game of basketball with a career average of 28 points per game, is a global iconic basketball figure. To trade him away for somebody six years older and Anthony Davis, and then Anthony Davis goes down. His very first game as a Dallas Maverick had 26 points, 13 rebounds in his first game in Dallas before going down in the third quarter with the abductor strain. And now here it is where Kyrie goes down too. For all intended purposes, the Dallas Mavericks season ended last night. The second Kyrie Irving went down. It's over. They're not going to win any kind of championship this year. Let's get that out the way right now. It's not going to happen. And right now, if you are Nico Harrison, who is receiving death threats, hate mail and beyond since pulling the trigger on that trade for Luka Doncic. You can't imagine how bad things are for him right now in the city of Dallas because Luke is still playing in la. And the Los Angeles Lakers have ascended to a number two seed within the Western Conference and they're in position to compete legitimately. For a shot at the crown. They're a championship contender as we speak. It can't get any worse for Nico Harrison. Could you imagine how bad it's going to be if the Lakers actually end up winning the west and go to the finals and Nico is playing and Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving are home and both are home due to injuries. Remember, Kyrie Irving goes out with an injury, but that's who you were placing the ball in the hands of for the franchise. Anthony Davis goes down with an injury. He's the guy you traded Luka Doncic for. Those are the cornerstones in your franchise for the foreseeable future. And both of them are down with injuries. Anthony Davis expected to come back. Kyrie Irving, obviously not. Can't get much worse for Nico Harrison. Can't get much worse. What I would ask the folks to do is be a bit patient. Let's look forward to next season and let's see what Kyrie, Irvin and Luka, sorry, Kyrie Irving and AD will be like together if they're healthy. And oh, by the way, Kyrie Irving has a player option for next year. He was looking for a long term deal. Kyrie Irving was on the verge of signing for over $250 million. This is the same Kyrie Irving that lost out on a lot of his money because of some of the incidences, public relations nightmares that he got into, he got, he got himself into. So who knows whether or not this is going to compromise his money because if you're Dallas, you want to give it to Kyrie Irving, a player, you just don't know how healthy he's going to be once he gets back. And you really don't want to make that kind of commitment until you know for sure. Dallas, with championship aspirations in the palm of their hands, eviscerated before our very eyes in a matter of weeks. Let me transition to the world of entertainment where Shawn Carter, known as Jay Z himself, continues his full throated defense of the sexual assault allegations leveled against him levied against him. Attorneys for Jay Z filed a defamation suit yesterday against the Alabama woman who claimed, okay, he raped her when she was 13 years of age. In a sense, withdrawn civil lawsuit. Carter's lawsuit said the woman, identified as Jane Doe, timed her claim to, quote, inflict maximum pain and suffering on Mr. Carter, end quote. The lawsuit also named the woman's attorneys, Tony Busby and David Fortney, whom Jay Z alleged were, quote, soullessly motivated by greed in abject disregard of the truth and the most fundamental precepts of human decency. End quote. As for Busby, here's his response to the allegations levied against him by Jay Z. Quote, shawn Carter's investigators have repeatedly harassed, threatened and harangued this poor woman for weeks, trying to intimidate her and make her recant her story. She hasn't and won't. Instead, she has stated repeatedly she stands by her claims. These same group of investigators have been caught on tape offering to pay people to sue me and my firm. After speaking with Jane Doe today, it's clear to me that the quotes attributed to her in the lawsuit are completely made up or they spoke to someone who isn't Jane Doe. This is just another attempt to intimidate and bully this poor woman that we will deal with in due course. We won't be bullied or intimidated by frivolous cases. End quote. It's not frivolous. Mr. Busby, respectfully, it's not frivolous. It's not frivolous. A man was accused of being an adult and having raped a 13 year old. That's not frivolous. And so most people would just move on with their life and live their best life. It's a very, very difficult thing to do when it comes to Jay Z because he's in the public eye and he proclaims adamantly his innocence. I've already told y'all, I never believed he was guilty of such a thing. The man that I've known for 25 years would never do such a thing. I couldn't imagine that. But I wasn't an eyewitness account to the affairs or anything like that. So I don't know. But I know what I believed in the case of Jay Z. However, if you are an individual that is innocent of such allegations, I don't blame you one bit for raining terror upon anybody who went about the business of accusing you of something, if indeed you are innocent. Say this much about Jay Z, he is certainly conducting himself like an innocent man. Case was dropped. He can fade away. He ain't fading away. He talked about how his business was cost $20 million. He's suing. He's keeping this story in the limelight. Why? Because he's making the case. I was wrongfully accused of the most heinous thing that I could possibly fathom. And I'm not sitting idly by and going for that. I told y'all weeks ago when I talked about this matter with Jay Z. I said this to y'all weeks ago. I've been in the presence of Jay Z on many, many occasions over the years. I've seen him when he's been around kids and folks with the foulest of mouths talking the way fellas can talk when they get around one another. White, black, Hispanic, and beyond. I've seen Jay Z like yo yo yo, kids are around. Everybody can have their opinions based on accusations, but if the facts is incriminating as the accusations are, if the facts don't match, especially if somebody comes at you, I don't blame people for being quiet and letting it fade.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But I also this podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. You know when you're really stressed or not feeling so great about your life or about yourself? Talking to someone who understands can really help. But who is that person? How do you find them? Where do you even start? Talkspace Talkspace makes it easy to get the support you need. With Talkspace, you can go online, answer a few questions about your preferences, and be matched with a therapist. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule wherever you feel most at ease. If you're depressed, stressed, struggling with a relationship, or if you want some counseling for you and your partner or just need a little extra one on one support, Talkspace is here for you. Plus Talkspace works with most major insurers and most insured members have a $0 copay. No insurance, no problem. Now get $80 off of your first month with promo code SPACE80 when you go to talkspace.com match with a licensed therapist today at talkspace.com save $80 with code [e-mail] Geico's motorcycle expertise gives me.

[Candace Owens]

The coverage I need. Like 24. 7 claims, I'm on cloud nine.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Disc clouds are wholly unable to support the weight of an adult human.

[Unknown Speaker]

What's happening?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Furthermore, clouds are not numbered. Even if you procured a jetpack and searched, you'd find no cloud number nine. However, at that altitude, you'd likely befriend a flock of migrating snow geese. Geese who'd encourage you to leave your 24.7geico motorcycle claims insurance behind, as they would take you in and even share their dinner of crickets and clovers with you. GEICO assumes no liability for any indigestion that may occur from a clover cricket dinner. Geico expertise for your motorcycle don't blame.

[Unknown Speaker]

Folks for creating hell and fury and going after anybody who dared to accuse them of such a thing. I don't mind Jay Z doing this at all Mr. Busby and his firm, beware. He's not going away. That much I will say about Jay Z. I don't think he's going away. Coming up, she's black and she's a far right commentator who is as outspoken as they come. And our latest crusade is trying to get Harvey Weinstein exonerated. Who else could I be talking about other than the one and only Candace Owens? Like I told you, get your popcorn ready and buckle that seatbelt. She's coming on in a few minutes with your boy, Stephen A. Don't go away. All right, everybody, listen up. With all the big time sports action that's happening each and every day, the Stephen A. Smith show wants to make sure you are taking advantage of it all. That's why we've partnered with Prize Picks, the best place to win cash while watching sports. The app is really easy to use to make a lineup. All you have to do is pick more or less on a few player stats. Pick choose from any of your favorite players, Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler, and Zach LaVine, all in the same entry. Then sit back and watch. The list is absolutely endless. You can play prize picks in over 40 states, including California and Texas. Best of all, Prize Picks will give you $50 when you play your first $5 lineup. Win or lose, you'll get 50 bucks. Just use promo code SAS and download Prize Picks right now. Again, download the app and use code SAS to get $50 instantly after your first $5 lineup. Prize picks run your game. Welcome back to the Stephen A. Smith Show. Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with the one and only Candace Owens. For those of you who don't know, she's a far right pundit who's not afraid to speak her mind on a variety of topics, even if her stance is controversial. She's an African American with conservative views that usually don't sit well with a whole lot of people. And I want to talk about that before we play this interview. See, on this show, one of the things that have been transpiring over the last weeks and months is that we've seen a lot of liberals come onto this show. We've seen Eric Adams, the mayor of New York on this show. We've seen minority leader in the House, the one and only Hakeem Jeffries, the successor to Nancy Pelosi. You just saw me interview former New York governor candidate for the mayor's seat of New York, Mr. Andrew Cuomo. You've seen Chris Cuomo on this show on many occasions. Bill O'Reilly's been on this show. Byron Donald, representative out of the state of Florida, he's been on this show. But when you see these folks, and let me not forget Wes Moore, the governor of Maryland, he's also been on this show. A lot of times people forget some of those guys. They remember others. Josh Shapiro has been on the show, Governor of Pennsylvania. And from what I'm being told, there's a whole bunch of people on Capitol Hill that want to end up on this show. And I'm honored to have them all. I say all of that to say on this show, this platform. I pride myself on being fair minded. I'm not an aficionado when it comes to politics. I'm just a conscientious observer. I read the news, I watch stuff on television. I see what I see. I wonder about what's going on. Based on the facts that are disseminated to us, I'm able to deduce balls and strikes and how to call it, and I go from there. For some people, that's not good enough. My response is, you're going to have to get over it. I'm not here to be friends, not here to make enemies either. But I am here to be fair. And part of fairness is letting people speak and giving them an opportunity to express their views, even when I don't agree with them. In the case of Candace Owens, we gonna do that. I got her for 25 minutes. She's already promised that she's coming back on and we gonna have a more lengthier discussion about all the things that entails Candace Owens, what makes her who she is. But why would I be interested in talking to her? It's not just because she's opposite, say somebody like a Roland Martin or an Areva Martin, who have been analysts, left wing analysts, I might add, that have blessed me with their presence on this show. But it's also to pique my curiosity and to edify me to some degree. You see, when I think about blacks who are conservatives, I see a guy like Officer Tatum out there. I want to meet that man. I want to talk to that man. In terms of black conservatives like an Officer Tatum, like a Candace Owen and various others, they pique my interest. Do you know why? Because they deviate from the norm. You see, when people make an argument against the black community and they say that we're monolithic in our thinking, I don't like that. When they say that 85 to 90% of the people in a black community are going to vote democratically, that has Always unnerved me for a few reasons. Number one, I remember when Lyndon B. Johnson was quoted as saying, before 1964, civil rights legislation was placed in the law. Put this through, push this legislation through, and we'll have the Negroes vote for us for the next 200 years. And I think about how divided society can be, how divided communities can be. You could be Hispanic, you could be Dominican, you could be Cuban, you could be Guatemalan, you could be Venezuelan, you could be Puerto Rican, you could be Mexican. It doesn't matter. You can't go to all of them and say, oh, excuse me, we got their vote. You can't take them for granted. You can't go to whites who are Catholics, whites who are Jewish and say, oh, we got their vote. You can't go to the Asian community and say, oh, we got their vote. We got that on lock. But somehow, some way, you can say that about us. So on one hand, we have a party which is the Democratic Party, which at least some people in the black community believe has taken us for granted because they know they got our vote. And then you got folks on the side of the conservatives who saying, there's no way in hell we gonna get the black vote, so why worry about them? And as a result, we end up being a disenfranchised community. That's the argument we were making before this past election. Back eight years ago, nine years ago, Trump looked at America, black America in particular, and said, what do you have to lose? Fast forward to 2024. He didn't have to say that because we saw a Democratic Party leaning significantly to the progressive left with the rhetoric they were spewing, and it cost them an election. How do we know that Trump won all the swing states? His popularity increased within 89% of the counties in the United States of America. His popularity increased within the black community, within the Hispanic community, and with young.

[Stephen A. Smith]

This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. You know when you're really stressed or not feeling so great about your life or about yourself, talking to someone who understands can really help. But who is that person? How do you find them? Where do you even start? Talkspace. Talkspace makes it easy to get the support you need. With Talkspace, you can go online, answer a few questions about your preferences, and be matched with a therapist. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule wherever you feel most at ease. If you're depressed, stressed, struggling with a relationship, or if you want some counseling for you and your partner or just need a little extra one on one support, Talkspace is here for you. Plus Talkspace works with most major insurers and most insured members have a zero dollar copay. No insurance, no problem. Now get $80 off of your first month with promo code space80 when you go to talkspace.com, match with a licensed therapist. Today at talkspace.com save $80 with code [e-mail] there's a type of soil in Mississippi called Yazoo Clay.

[Candace Owens]

It's thick, burnt orange, and it's got a reputation. It's terrible, terrible dirt.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yazoo Clay eats everything, so things that get buried there tend to stay buried until they're not In 2012, construction crews at Mississippi's biggest hospital made a shocking discovery.

[Unknown Speaker]

7,000 bodies out there or more, all.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Former patients of the old State asylum.

[Candace Owens]

And nobody knew they were there.

[Unknown Speaker]

It was my family's mystery.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But in this corner of the south, it's not just the soil that keeps secrets. Nobody talks about it. Nobody has any information. When you peel back the layers of Mississippi's Yazoo Clay, nothing's ever as simple as you think. The story is much more complicated and nuanced than that. I'm Larison Campbell.

[Candace Owens]

Listen to under yazukle on the iHeartRadio.

[Stephen A. Smith]

App, Apple podcast, or wherever you get.

[Unknown Speaker]

Your podcast odors and for the first time in 20 years, a Republican won the popular vote, not just the Electoral College vote. Sometimes that should give you cause to pause and to stand up and pay attention and to wonder what's the other side thinking, rather than challenge them on every single thing they think, feel and spew. Step back, simply ask the question and listen to what they have to say, knowing there's another day to get into a whole bunch of other stuff. That's what I decided to do with Candace Owens. Say what you will about her, she's smart as a whip, highly intelligent, very articulate, and doesn't play. There will be times in the future where hopefully she and I can get together and butt heads over one issue or another. But this interview wasn't the time for that. It was my first time ever meeting her and speaking to her, to my knowledge, and I simply wanted to ask some questions out of curiosity to get her response and let that response be heard to the masses. No judgment, no pushback. There would be another time for that. Not this interview, not with only 25 minutes with her. I just wanted to hear how she would answer certain questions Before I revisit those issues and many more with her later. She promised to come back and I'm thankful for that. For now, let's just listen and hear what she has to say. Your boy, Stephen A. Smith with the one and only Candace Owens. Take a look. I wanna start off by saying I am not responsible for any comments that are about to be made. I'm just interviewing. I'm just listening and hearing from the other side, per se. Buckle up with your seatbelt for this one. Because my next guest is considered a controversial figure known for her provocative statements and conservative views. She's built a successful media brand which includes a popular podcast and a new book called Make Em A why Real Women Don't Need Fake Feminism. Despite facing criticism and controversy, she remains unapologetic and continues to push boundaries with her content and her opinions. Please welcome to the Stephen A. Smith show, the one and only Candace Owens. Candace, how are you? Pleasure to meet you. How's everything?

[Candace Owens]

It is great and I'm actually so excited. I kept this from your producer because it's too good for me not to have told you as we're running live because this is a full circle moment, but I've actually met you before.

[Unknown Speaker]

Okay.

[Candace Owens]

And my ex boyfriend many years ago was a huge Stephen A. Smith. So we watched you and Skip every single morning. And then we went to a Knicks game and he was like, do you think you can get a hand, get him to give you a handshake? And you were coming in under and like after the game had ended, you were obviously in the front. We were not that close. And I was like, Stephen A. Smith, Stephen A. Smith, please, please shake my hand. And then he caught it on camera and then you gave me a high five and it basically made, it made our whole life, just so you know.

[Unknown Speaker]

Well, listen, I'm glad we have a fond memory together, but it's a pleasure meeting you. And just for the record, you are not in enemy territory. So I've got a lot of questions to ask you. But before I even get into all of that, I hear congratulations is in order. Mother of three expecting a fourth child. Is that true?

[Candace Owens]

That is correct. Eight more weeks to go here. So it's just a factory over here and thank you very much. It's a blessing.

[Unknown Speaker]

Absolutely. Congratulations to you and your. You and your hubby and your family and everything like that. Wishing you nothing but the best. Let's get right to it. Candace, up front. First things first. You know when you saw the election results take fold and you saw Donald Trump win the election, popular vote, electoral college vote, et cetera, et cetera. What were the thoughts that ran through your mind when you saw the results transpiring?

[Candace Owens]

You know, I think that the first thing I thought was that old school expression, it's the economy, stupid. You know, we've done a lot and everyone's screaming at each other all the time. There's been all these social movements and you, he versus her and black versus white. But at the end of the day, people just weren't living well under the Biden regime. I call it a regime, but it gets down to how was I living? What were the gas prices, how expensive are groceries? Are you willing to try something different? And I think genuinely there's a fatigue that is setting in that has set in that was beginning to sort of percolate of people that are just exhausted with being angry, you know what I mean? Like the media constantly selling this guy's this, this guy's that, she's this, she's. I think we're all just tired and that's kind of a good thing.

[Unknown Speaker]

Do you believe that Donald Trump won the election or that the progressive left and their thought process, their policies, some of the things that they were spewing, it was more a product of them losing. That's what I've been saying. It wasn't about him winning, it was about America saying, nah, he's closer to normal than what the hell we're hearing over here. We don't like this. And that's what transpired. What do you think it was?

[Candace Owens]

You are completely on the money with that. It was really more that the left lost. And it was a weird, it was very strange to watch Kamala run, I will say that, because she really only ran for 100 days. Right. Trump had been running throughout four years, basically kind of upset about the loss in 2020. And she kind of just comes in and it's almost like a coronation, which I think was disrespectful to the left leaning voter base. Like it was just, well, he has kind of said he's knighted me and therefore I am person that you should be electing. And she didn't really work for it and rather was, I think, quite accusatory. If you don't elect her, it's because you have an issue with women. I don't think Obama's speech to the brothers, the quote unquote brothers, helped him any. He's been gone, he's in Martha's Vineyard, living in a house. God knows how much it costs not something I could afford. And then he kind of reappears to sort of lecture the brothers about their responsibility. And I just don't think it sat well this time around. Just a different time, a different audience, and people kind of realizing, hey, that's not really enough. Paint me a vision. Tell me what you're actually going to do for me. Don't tell me that it's just simply my responsibility to give this woman votes because she's a woman.

[Unknown Speaker]

You know, I want to transition to Trump, back to Trump in this regard. I just. We just saw it. That world just saw. It wasn't a press conference or anything like that. I don't call it that. Him with Ukrainian President Zelensky and how he went at him and what have you. Now, Zelensky, if I remember correctly, you didn't speak too highly of him. I want to make sure I'm quoting you accurately. You called him a homosexual actor. Is that true? Did you call him that?

[Candace Owens]

I also just called him the neighborhood crackhead. Kind of just goes around asking for money. I've called him a welfare queen. Ghetto. This is the thing. The media kind of had me depicted throughout BLM as this person that uses these words to describe black people. I'm like, no, no, no, no. Let's be very clear. When I am calling somebody like Zelinsky a welfare queen, there's a reason for that. You come here with your handout, asking, asking, asking, making demands. It's funny, because I was having a discussion with my husband about this, and, you know, it's people that tend to need the most that make these sorts of demands, and they're so arrogant. He's taken billions away, unaccounted billions, by the way. So you and I have to get to work because Zelensky wants his borders protected, and we can't have our borders protected because that would be a racist thing to ask for. But he's allowed to demand that you and I get to work. He spent all the billions. His wife is shopping in Paris. The oligarchs in Ukraine are all buying yachts. And, yeah, I have absolutely no respect for him, but I wanna say I have not respected that man since day one. This is not something that's new. I just saw him coming.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's not something that's new. But what about Trump and Vance and how they conducted themselves? You and I might disagree on this particular issue, because I don't disagree with what you're saying in terms of. I was on the record saying, listen, you're coming with your Hand out. You need money. You might not want to be confrontational. You might want to be a bit more diplomatic, Zelensky, because you're the one that's in need. And Trump wasn't wrong when he said, or you don't have any of the cards. You don't have any of the cards. The flip side to it, however, is that the press conference, you're in the Oval Office. We know this is the White House. This isn't someplace in Ukraine. And he's got broken English. And you got the vice president interrupting him. You got them, I thought somewhat bullying him to some degree. I just didn't think it was necessary. It was a good look. That's where I'm coming from. Am I wrong in feeling that way?

[Candace Owens]

Yeah. No, I think you're perfectly. These are your feelings. They're valid, right? If that's how you felt for me, I felt it was refreshing. I'm so tired of politics. I know. They always button it up for us. They're constantly telling us, oh, this, and saying things that sound good but don't actually result in good things. And I think it was sort of the frustration of how much he has taken from America to not come with some respect. And I likened it to, even when you go to your granddad's house and it's your birthday, your mom kind of makes you wear something special. You know, he's going to give you a card and slip some cash in there. $100. Granddad's always good for that. And you just come with some decorum and some respect. This dude is wearing, has been wearing military fatigues for, like five years now. Okay, put on a suit. As soon as he gets out of the car, Trump's like, well, he's dressed up. This should let you know. This should signal to the public that what he's doing is an act. Why give me a scenario, a reason why he can't put on a suit. Even if you're in the midst of a war, why can't you put on a suit when you're coming to ask for money? Well, because he wants people to see him as a guy that's downtrodden in the trenches. And he's not that this guy's been on the COVID of Vanity Fair, he's been on the COVID of Vogue, he's been on the COVID of Forbes, he's doing photo shoots. He did a three hour podcast with Lex Friedman. He asked and was declined a spot to go to the Oscars a couple of years ago. And so this is making a mockery. It's just making him put on a suit.

[Unknown Speaker]

This is why people got to be careful about messing with you, because I was getting ready to disagree with you until you threw out those last. I didn't know he tried to go to the Oscars. I didn't know he tried to be on the COVID of. I didn't know that stuff, Candace. I honestly didn't know. Okay, that does change it a little bit.

[Candace Owens]

He is a literal actor, by the way. You know that, right? That.

[Unknown Speaker]

I know that. I know that. I know what. I will say that. So any sympathy for the fact that Russia did attack his. His nation. I mean, that. There is some sympathy for that. Right. We see the rubble. We see the catastrophe that is Ukraine. We see Putin bombing them for crime. We've seen that happen. Right?

[Candace Owens]

Yeah. So the thing for me is. And the reason why I say that I've been. I've had this opinion since the very beginning is I don't rely on politicians. I think all politicians lie. And so I was reading the transcripts leading up to this moment of Putin's speeches and Biden speeches and trying to discern what the truth was. And Putin was saying, you guys gave us assurances that NATO was not to expand one inch eastward into our territory. Essentially, NATO is a military. We were putting a military on his border despite in 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down as a condition, an agreement for them to agree to take down the Berlin Wall. We promised. And you can go look at this in NSA declassified documents. James Baker was. Was the Secretary of State at that time.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yes, he was.

[Candace Owens]

We promised them that we would never move NATO eastward. So you have to imagine the memory that they have, and they going, why are you now doing that? Now all of a sudden we're saying that Ukraine is going to join NATO. And he's saying, this is unacceptable. America can't keep changing its mind. And so when I was able to validate what he said and to read the speeches, you cannot walk away from that without an understanding that we are the aggressors. Everything that we say Russia is doing, recreating the Soviet Union, we are doing that. What is the European Union? What is NATO? And we've been getting away from it for too long under this guise of, quote, unquote, spreading democracy. So I fundamentally disagreed with what I saw as Western propagand trying to paint Putin as a monster for holding us to our promises and not telling the public that he just randomly woke up one day and just said, I Want, you know, I want to do hood rat stuff with my friends. And he went into Ukraine. That's not. That's a fairy tale. That's not what happened. And not beyond that. Like you saw when he sat down with Tucker Carlson. He asked to join NATO himself. Why are we not having a productive relationship with Russia? I call that Cold War hangover. People that grew up under their desks, afraid of a nuclear bomb, can never see Russia outside of. Of being villainous. And quite frankly, I think Zelensky is a. He suspended elections, he's locked down churches, he's locked up nuns. I'm a Christian. I don't like this guy at all.

[Unknown Speaker]

That's Candace. Oh, he was being quite honest. I get that part. Let me transition to you specifically to get to the real reason I wanted you on this podcast first. Before I even get into that, I want to ask you. I know your voice. Voice is very, very powerful. For those of you who don't know, top 10 on Spotify, I mean, you're one of the top podcasters in the nation, if not the world. I know everybody tries to listen to you, and they should, because you are not an idiot. You know what the hell you're talking about. And you can challenge anybody, and I give you credit for that. I gotta ask, however, though, leading up to the election, your voice was far more conspicuous in the past, over the last several years than it was right before the election. Am I wrong in saying that? And if I'm right in saying that, why was that?

[Candace Owens]

Yeah, so there were some life changes, obviously. I was pretty publicly fired, so there was a lot of things that I was just doing, trying to start my own business and to get back onto the airwaves. But going back to what I said earlier, I have had sort of a fatigue with politics. You know, I was quite bored, really, with the same arguments. I need a little bit of a challenge. And I. For me, I just. I like people to argue things honestly, whatever your opinion is, it's totally fine. But just let's argue honestly and not use all the same rhetoric. And so to be this far into. This is like the third time Trump is running, and we're seeing the same thing. Oh, everyone who supports him is a racist, is a sexist. I'm just bored, you know, And I've always, by the way, been very passionate about culture, vaccines. I'm also a mom now. So in the beginning, I was married. I had no children. Now my interests have naturally shifted since becoming a parent. And so I think people are seeing More sides of me. And in many ways, I'm growing up publicly and it's been refreshing, you know, refreshing kind of take people on the journey and to show people that I'm not just a Trump supporter, which the media did a very good job of painting that caricature of me.

[Unknown Speaker]

You don't think that's an act? You don't think that's an, I don't want to call it a caricature, but you don't think that's an accurate description of you as being a Trump supporter?

[Candace Owens]

No, I am a Trump supporter, but I'm not just a Trump supporter. And I think in the beginning they kind of made it seem like I was always angry, always talking bad about black people, which is like any person that listens to my podcast, white people get it 10 times worse, but the media will only pluck a clip when I'm, I'm speaking about a black issue. And then it's, oh, there she is again, saying stuff about black people. They did a very good job of conditioning, I would say, the public just via the mainstream media and flashy headlines, to think that I had, like, they call me a self hating black person. It was completely wild. It was out of, it was out of control.

[Unknown Speaker]

Well, listen, this is the thing, and this is the thing that gets me in trouble because obviously me being a black man, me being a centrist sort of center left as opposed to center right, I've been one that was inclined to vote Democratic, you know, at least for the presidency, for the vast majority of my life. If it was anybody other than Trump, I think I would have voted conservative. This time around, I'm sort of becoming even more enlightened. I'm going to use that word because I was so disgusted with the left and what I saw, my patience has run thin at times. And then I've listened to you over the years and one of the things that I didn't like is like, what you just described, what people would say about you. And I'm saying, well, wait a minute, is she wrong? What is she saying? That you disagree. How come you can't say you disagree with and make your points as to why like she does, as opposed to just attacking her. Which brings me to my next question. What's it like being a black conservative in America? Nobody better ask this question than you.

[Candace Owens]

Honestly, it's a hell of a lot easier than it was when I first got into this back in 2015, because people, that was the first time they saw Trump and people just could not see past. How could this possibly happen? I think the media had a stronger hold on people's minds then than it does now. Now we've seen the explosion of independent media. People are able to get their voices out outside of the New York Times and CNN and Fox News, and that's helped tremendously to defeat all of these media caricatures that are being created. But I find it now, it's pioneering, to put it in a nice way, and I think it's the most rewarding thing ever. When what I have found is that if you. For truth, even in the beginning, when it's really hard and people say terrible things about you, and I've been called everything you could possibly imagine, then there's that moment, even if it takes years, where they come. They do come back and they say, you were right, particularly about blm. I mean, I was hitting the drum about the finances so early. And I'm going this like, I'm not saying that you don't have feelings about this thing, but I am telling you something else is going on, and this is not. This is going to harm the black community in the end, this money is just going to be zapped out of communities, and communities are going to be destroyed. And then when that was proven right, it was so refreshing to hear people say, yeah, we kind of hated her for a really long time. We're kind of saying this for a really long time. And then, you know, the fraud of Patrisse colors and what they were doing with the money. And so my brain just works differently. I am different, and I'm happy being different. I don't want to be the same. But I also do respect, I think I've learned in the process as well, is to just respect where people are at. You know, I wasn't. My sisters did not like where I was at when I started speaking the way you have.

[Unknown Speaker]

How many. How many sisters do you have?

[Candace Owens]

I have two sisters, and they're like my. They're my best friends. So one is a year older, one's a year younger. So I grew up. We're like a trio.

[Unknown Speaker]

So they sandwiched. They sandwich you. They will get you and they sandwich you, huh?

[Candace Owens]

Well, they just didn't really care. To me, that's Candace. I've always been different, you know, and they didn't know what I was on or what I was thinking. And now this last election, they voted for Trump, which is crazy. Like, that mean they were fully on the left, and they just sort of saw it. And so it's just been Cool to see that. And they now like my podcast. Before, they didn't even listen to it, but we always had. I grew up, obviously, in a. Not obviously, but my family has a great sense of humor. And that was one of the worst things I hated about BLM is that I've always thought that black people, culturally, like, we're. Like, we're the funniest. We're the funniest. You always want to go listen to Chris Rock, Chris Tucker, and you saw that removal where everything was just taken so seriously. We're so easily offended. And I hated that. I thought the best parts of what the black culture represented to me growing up was removed. And for me, my sisters, they never cared. Like, I'd be like, can you watch my cat? I have to go to a Trump thing. And my sister would be like, oh, are you going to another one of your Klansmen rallies? Like, yeah, I'll watch your cat. You know, it's always a joke.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. And I get it. And I guess for me, because I think about it, and I remember when you showed up, I believe it was in Paris, you were with Kanye west and you were wearing the White Lives Matter, White Lives Matter shirt and what have you. And I said, damn. And I was upset. I was actually upset at you. And here's why, Candy, this. Because I looked at it and I said, no, don't give the ammunition. Don't give the ammunition. You can sit up there and you can talk to folks about your views, what you know, and educate folks without them being close minded because they saw something and visualize something and automatically deemed that you were against us as a people. So, I mean, as you reflect on a moment like that and you talk about the black community and politics, how do you feel? How do you gauge what's the right thing to do and what's not the right thing to do?

[Candace Owens]

You know, for me, the discussion and polite discussion, it doesn't work. I have found that you can go back and watch me on stage with T.I. and Killer Mike, and it doesn't work with the black community. And I have a theory on this. And I think partially it's because we have this. This instance of father absence, but that we. There's a lot of attitudes. There's a lot of attitudes, and if you try to come politely, you're just gonna get disrespected. And so in terms of the White Lives Matter shirt, first off, Kanye, that's how he communicates. He communicates with art. That's like, this was Kanye's thing that I was stepping into, But I understood what he was saying there because he is someone that does not like. No one puts Kanye in the corner. No one tells Kanye what he has to be. And so when you start saying, well, I'm going to superimpose you just being a black victim on someone like Kanye West. And, you know, he hated when white people would come up to him and say, black lives matter. So he's like, okay, you want to patronize me? Let me patronize you. You, Your life matters, too. Oh, yeah. Like, white lives matter, too. And I want you to know that white lives matter. Your life matters. He never liked that. Yeah, the patronization of it. And so I. And I felt the same way. And we communicate differently. I usually am using more bombastic words, but that moment, to me, especially as someone who grew up and really, Kanye's music kind of gave me the courage to be myself, to not have to be an archetype of what a black woman should be. It was a moment for me that I reflect on very fondly. And, yeah, it broke the Internet and it started a lot of conversations. But imagine if black people were just like, yeah, every time I saw a white person, I'm with you. White life matters. It's just. There's something about it I just don't like. It wasn't for me you brought up.

[Unknown Speaker]

The use of bombastic words. You used that with George Floyd as well, who was murdered by a police officer in Minnesota. And obviously, a lot of people in the black community had a real problem with you as it pertained to that. That brings me to this question. When you take these positions, does it enter your mind? I don't want to use the word vitriol because I think that's a bit too strong, and that's unfair to you, and I don't want to do that. But when you consider the fact that so many people in the black community have voted Democratic census civil rights legislation in 1964, remember what Lyndon B. Johnson said that, you know, you pass this legislation, and we'll have the Negroes vote for us for the next 200 years. Remember that statement? I know. I remember that statement. I'm wondering, because of your knowledge of politics, your obvious knowledge of the issues, when you speak on these things and you take positions about. You take such positions, particularly if it's antithetical or the antithesis of what the black community will point to. Do you think about it and do so on purpose? Because, dare I say, you're disgusted with us as a community for Being hoodwinked by the Democratic Party. In your eyes, is that possible?

[Candace Owens]

So that's a very good question. And disgusted would not be the right term for it. Frustrated, yes. And constantly trying to give people the facts so that they understand that we. Lyndon Baines Johnson was an avowed racist and he hated us. And yet we are doing everything that he wanted us to do. We are reacting emotionally and not rationally. We seem to be a stereotype of irrationality. Actually. All we have to do is make them feel something and they won't react. And I wanna be clear, it's not just Black Americans. The MeToo movement was another manifestation of that very. You know, that's why I'm doing this Harvey Weinstein series. But what really does upset me about the black community is that the manner in which we defend criminals, you will not find this in any other community. Okay, so white person gets shot, killed, unarmed. They're not coming out. White people are not coming out and burning down their own neighborhoods. Right? They're going to be.

[Unknown Speaker]

Did you see the black community attack me for going off about OJ Being celebrated? Did you see that?

[Candace Owens]

Yeah. Yeah, it is. They conditioned us to actually defend the worst in our communities. They just will let it go. You think Chinese people are going to run outside if they're like, well, listen, this guy was high on fentanyl. He got into brush up with police officers and he died. Chinese people will be like, especially Asian. Asian moms are just dead serious. They'd be like, you idiot. You know, good for you. So you're. You're an embarrassment. Never come home. This is how Asian women are. They have a standard. You think Jewish people are coming outside and going to, you know, rally around? No, they all know that. They think of that as like a natural process. We don't want to associate with that. And we have the exact opposite mindset. And in. When I say the exact opposite, I mean also the reverse of that being that the most educated and the most accomplished people in our community in terms of their intellect, we were just, how can we ever get ahead, right? Oh, Condoleezza Rice. No, she's a traitor. She's Uncle Tom. Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court justice, he's a traitor. He's an Uncle Tom. Dr. Ben Carson, a literal brain surgeon. Black people will call him stupid. It's crazy. So there's no way black America can get ahead with that. With that backwards mindset where you put. You put George Floyd on a T shirt and you denigrate and disrespect someone like Clarence Thomas, I'm just not with it.

[Unknown Speaker]

You know, you got a new platform called Club Candace, and I'm wondering how important is your. I know it's you're going to speak your truth. You have proven that time and time and time again. Okay, but in the process of doing so, as you have this new platform, how important is it for you, if at all, to reach and resonate with the black community or to really, really provoke change all across the board, particularly in the United States of America? Where do you lie with that?

[Candace Owens]

Yeah, the number one thing is for me to reach people who want to hear the truth. And so that comes in all different shapes and sizes and colors. And our demographics have really changed. It's very mixed people all around the world. Like, I have, shockingly, I would say in Africa, they absolutely love me. I mean, like, the amount of Nigerians who listen to my podcast Daily Uganda. So it's not a color thing. It's important for me to get information out that I don't think would otherwise be available. So with Club Candace, you know, I have my vaccine seats. I am quote, unquote, anti vax. Don't vaccinate my children. And I want people to know why. I want people, especially if you want to talk about something black Americans should learn about, it's the vaccine industry. We were targeted, you know, what was sent over to Africa to experiment and make people infertile. Hispanic women, Native Americans, and black Americans were experimented on. And this is the stuff that matters. And so also, obviously, the book club to introduce him to the books that I read outside of the school system that kind of helped forge a lot of my opinions, a lot of my political opinions. And so that's really fun that we meet every two weeks. And so it's. You're just getting kind of whatever goes on in this headquarters of crazy. It's all happening at Club Candace.

[Unknown Speaker]

Make them a sandwich. Why Real Women Don't Need Fake Feminism. Explain that title, please.

[Candace Owens]

We just need to destroy the feminist movement. It's just so toxic. And I think that on the heels of Kamala's loss and you know this, women are unhappy because they're being told to compete with men. We are not like men. We are not built like men. Biologically, mentally, physically, we are just not men. And the idea that to be equal in society, I have to have the same aspirations as a man is going to be something that makes women chronically unhappy, which is what we're dealing with today. And learning the real history of feminism. And I'm mimicking Gloria Steinem, a famed photo of her, who was actually a CIA operative, will wake people up to the fact that these decisions that you're being. That are being told to you of, like, yes, feminist movement was amazing. Was the CIA looking for a way to tax households two ways? And it has not. To the enriching of the household. It has not led to the enriching of our life experiences. And the biggest joys in my life are being able to be at home with my children and my husband. And I'm just tired of being told that that makes me somehow backwards. We gotta defend men.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, there you go. Hey, listen, I'm not complaining. I'm not complaining about that. Not even a little bit. All right. You recently interviewed former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein from prison. Why did you want to talk to him? And what was the most surprising thing you got from it?

[Candace Owens]

I have been a hater of the MeToo movement since day one. I. Even before I had sons, and now I have three. I knew that we need due process. And watching men lose their entire lives in the basis of an allegation, I mean, I could have literally ruined your life, Stephen. I could have been like, he touched my hand at that Knicks game, and I remember this and cry. You've been done canceled over forever. And that's wrong. Okay? Because women lie. Men lie. Women lie. Facts don't lie, and we need due process. And so the Harvey Weinstein case, someone brought it to me and said, take a look at it. And I actually thought he was guilty when I first got on the phone with him in prison. And we're totally on different sides of the political spectrum. But a friend had reached out and said, I think you'll be the only person that will actually take a look at this and tell the truth. And I've just always been committed to telling the truth. And it is my belief, and I think that once I show the public the facts of this case, that Harvey Weinstein was wrongfully convicted, and his case just got overturned in New York, as it should have, and now it's being sent back down in the appellate courts. He got. So it's got to be retried. And I just want the. We got to go back to the beginning. We got to put this genie back into the bottle and back into the Me Too bottle. And it all begins with Harvey Weinstein. And so I'm really excited about bringing that series forward.

[Unknown Speaker]

Got you. Before I let you get on out of here, you know, my producers in my issue, mispronounced Kamala Harris's name twice. I want to make sure you didn't do that on purpose. You didn't do that on purpose?

[Candace Owens]

No, I just don't know. What is it? Is it Kamala or Kamala?

[Unknown Speaker]

Kamala Harris. Kamala Harris. Kamala Harris.

[Candace Owens]

That's what I said. I said Kamala.

[Unknown Speaker]

That's right. I'm just. Well, don't worry about it. It's okay. It's all right. You said Kamala, but don't worry about it.

[Candace Owens]

Send her to me if she's got an issue.

[Unknown Speaker]

I got you. Listen, I know you got to go. Thank you for your time. I just want to say one thing to you. I've interviewed a lot of liberals on this show. I'm telling the conservatives they're welcome on the show, too. If I'm wrong correctly, if I'm right, agree with me. I have. No, I'm not in this game. Contrary to what they've been writing about it. I like being fair minded and giving everybody an equal platform to express themselves. And I appreciate you taking the time to come on the show. I really thank you for it and you're welcome back on the show anytime. Thank you so much.

[Candace Owens]

I would love to come back. Like I said, this feels so full circle to me, from the high five to this. So thank you so much.

[Unknown Speaker]

Works for me. You take care of yourself. All the best. I want to get in to what we just heard from Candace Owens. Okay, be clear. I'm fully aware. You heard her comments about Kanye. You heard her answering my question. You heard the way she answered my question about George Floyd. The primary reason I wanted her on this show was because I was curious as to how she felt as a black conservative, particularly as. As it pertained to black people, because of the vitriol that I've seen aimed in her direction. Are there times where I feel that she's a bit abrasive? Absolutely. Are there times that I feel she's that way unnecessarily so, yeah. Even she acknowledged she just don't have time. A mother of three expecting a fourth kid, preoccupied with a lot of things that occupy ourselves in life, and she don't have patience and tolerance for nonsense and games. That's how she feels. Everybody has their feelings. We have a right to disagree. And again, when we have a lengthier discussion, I will most certainly be a bit more probing and challenging. This wasn't the time for that. My first time meeting her, her. My first time talking to her, I wanted to hear what she had to say. And I wanted to hear the perspective that she provided to the masses out there and how unapologetic she is in doing so. I got that, and I appreciate it. Because here's what I want everybody to understand, and I want us to understand that we'll never get far until we learn to do this. No matter what our emotional state of mind is, is no matter how turned off we might be over the things that people say and the manner in which they say it. Yes, it's true. Every truth ain't meant to be heard. Yes, it's true. Sometimes it is about the way you say something instead of what you're just saying. But far more often than not, the truth is supposed to usurp. Usurp everything. And when that young lady speaks, don't even think about challenging her intelligence. Don't even think about challenging her ability to articulate her point of view. You better know what the hell you're talking about when you come at her. That's what I take away just as much as anything else. I can't wait until she and I sit face to face one day and volley back and forth about what we feel, what we believe, what we stand for, and why. Because I'm certainly different than her when it comes to some political positions she has taken, taken and beyond. There is no doubt about that. But I can't deny she's sharp as a tack. And you damn well better be if you gonna come for her. Because, ladies and gentlemen, like it or not, Candace Owens, she's not going anywhere. Even when you thought she was gone, she's around number eight on Spotify's list of podcasts and climbing. And she's in her 30s. She's not going away. No matter what summer you want, she's not going away. Deal with that. If not, I get the impression she will make you. Before we go, Hello. I want to mention that President Donald Trump will deliver an address tonight in prime time to the House and Senate lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The speech will resemble something like a State of the Union address. Meanwhile, Democrats today have gone out of their way to post messages on social media about the current Trump administration and what's happening to American lives. The problem is they're all literally saying the same damn thing. Don't believe me, me? Check it out.

[Candace Owens]

I win.

[Unknown Speaker]

I will immediately bring prices down starting on day one. That ain't true. That's what you just heard. Since day one of Donald Trump's presidency.

[Candace Owens]

Prices are not down.

[Unknown Speaker]

They're up.

[Candace Owens]

Inflation is getting worse.

[Unknown Speaker]

Gross gas. Now you See why Stephen A. Smart Smith was in the polls as a presidential candidate? See what I'm talking about? You see that idiocy right there? You talk about something. People being tone deaf. Why the hell would 22 Democratic senators be literally echoing the same thing and think that would resonate with the American people? All it shows is that the same fabric of our democracy is unchanging in the eyes of some of these officials, and as a result, the constituency they represent, which is why Donald Trump is in office. What, do I have to come up to Capitol Hill and give you lessons? Seriously, you don't get it all? You did Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Chuck Schumer, sir. Let's all get together. Let's put this in a prompter. And all together, albeit in separate rooms, we'll grab a microphone and say the same damn thing. And that's what's going to resonate with the American people. And then you wonder why you're no longer in power. You wonder why Trump is in the White House. You wonder why a vice president like J.D. vance has the authority to spew in the direction of the president of another nation. Don't you get what I've been telling you, ladies and gentlemen? I'm gonna put it right. Follow me in the camera. Follow me. Let me give it to you. I'm gonna use the saying from my old buddy, God rest his soul, Joe Madison, the Black Eagle. I'm gonna put it where the goats can get it. Please forgive me, because I'm going to cuss here only for the purposes of accentuating a point about Donald Trump, Chuck Schumer, and the typical politicians. Inflation is high. Oh, look at the. Look at. Look at them pointing the fingers at the migrants. Oh, look at them blaming immigration. They don't care about you. Oh, by the way, look, they don't care about this. Why would you bother people from the living LGBTQ community? Why would you bother folks with transgender and all of that? Why would you do that? That is what the Democrats say. That's what most politicians would say. Here's Trump. They're pieces of shit. They don't give a shit about you. It's rigged. They've hoodwinked you all the time. They think you're a freaking joke. They give you the middle finger anytime they want to. Here's Trump. Fuck them. They ain't worth shit. And do you know what his followers say? Yeah. Yeah. That's how we want you talking to those politicians who've been stealing our money all of these years. It's not what he says it's how he says it. He does it with vitriol and venom to show a disrespect to politicians who the public have no respect for because they feel they've been hoodwinked by those same politicians. He's using it to separate himself from the cesspool that is Capitol Hill. And how does Capitol Hill respond? By showing them there's still Capitol Hill. Did you see me on the View Tuesday afternoon? Did you see when they said, we don't believe there's a Trump mandate? I said, oh, really? Did you see the former press secretary for the White House? Come on. I think Stephen A. Is wrong. I don't believe what he said is correct. Donald Trump has the lowest approval ratings in. In the first month or so or two months of a presidency in American history. Oh, really? But didn't he win all the swing states? Didn't his popularity elevate within 89% of the counties in the United States of America? Didn't his popularity elevate within the black community, the Hispanic community, and the young voters? Didn't he win the popular vote for the first time in 20 years as a Republican nominee? Didn't he also win the Electoral College vote? Isn't he in control of the White House? Don't the Republicans have the House and the Senate? All of that happened, but there's no Trump mandate. You see the bullshit? Is it bullshit? Or is it just that the Democrats are so damn lost that they're actually going to convince themselves they can do the same old, same old and still regain power both in the midterms and in the 2028 election? I'm here to tell you that's not gonna happen, because Trump has the power now and he's manipulating the proceedings. And in case you didn't notice, one of his top boys, Elon Musk, Doge owns X. Who else was at the inauguration? Jeff Bezos, the man running TikTok, and Lord knows who else. And then you got folks like Candace Owens, who's a Trump supporter, along with various others with their microphones, their cameras and their audience. If you think the liberals are overcoming that, you go ahead and watch schumer and those 21 other senators talk their drivel. J.D. vance or Marco Ruby or something. Somebody will be the next president in 2028. You'll have nobody but yourselves to blame. As if it is edition of the Stephen A. Smith Show. I ain't got time to talk to this about this anymore. Hope y'all enjoy Candace Owens. She'll be back Till then, peace and love.

[Stephen A. Smith]

This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. You know when you're really stressed or not feeling so great about your life or about yourself, talking to someone who understands can really help. But who is that person? How do you find them? Where do you even start? Talkspace Talkspace makes it easy to get the support you need. With Talkspace, you can go online, answer a few questions about your preferences, and be matched with a therapist. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule wherever you feel most at ease. If you're depressed, stressed, struggling with a relationship, or if you want some counseling for you and your partner or just need a little extra one on one support, Talkspace is here for you. Plus, Talkspace works with most major insurers and most insured members have a zero dollar copay. No insurance, no problem. Now get $80 off of your first month with promo code space80 when you go to talkspace.com match with a licensed therapist today at talkspace.com save $80 with code [e-mail] what's up everyone?

[Unknown Speaker]

It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're.

[Candace Owens]

Going to be bringing you 40s and.

[Unknown Speaker]

Free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs, mock drafts to my top 101 free agents, we'll have it covered.

[Candace Owens]

For you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as.

[Unknown Speaker]

We head to the NFL Draft.

[Candace Owens]

Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.