Stephen A. Smith says Kevin Hart’s roast joke hit harder than he expected.
The ESPN personality responded on his SiriusXM show, Straight Shooter with Stephen A., after Hart named him during Netflix’s recent roast as part of his “Mount Rushmore of racism.”
“My Mount Rushmore of racism when it comes to hating Black people [is] Shane Gillis, Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan, Stephen A. Smith,” Hart said during the special. “Those are my four people when it comes to hating Black people.”
Smith, who was not at the roast, said the issue was not the joke itself, but that his issue was hearing it from Hart.
“I have no issue with the joke. I have an issue with the fact that it came from him,” Smith said, explaining that he believed they had a “pretty damn good relationship.”
“Knowing I’ve spent my life fighting on behalf of my community, that people try to continue this narrative about me that I know is false, [it] hurts to hear out of the mouth of anyone who knows me,” he said.
Despite his feelings, Smith says he still has a lot of love for Hart and will not be clapping back… things are still good between them.