Stephen A. Smith desperately tries to repair reputation after getting called out in Caitlin Clark debate

He clapped back at Monica McNutt and other women on his own show

Stephen A. Smith defended himself after being embarrassed on First TakeAP

ESPN First Take host Stephen A. Smith got publicly embarrassed by Monica McNutt on Monday so bad that it left him speechless. However, his silence on his coverage of the WNBA since Caitlin Clark’s arrival did not last long, as Smith clapped back at McNutt on his own podcast in a desperate attempt to save face.

The ego of ESPN’s $12 million man jumped out in his response. He hammered away at McNutt’s accusation that he did not use his platform to cover the WNBA three years ago by listing several WNBA analysts, including McNutt, who benefitted from his platform on First Take.

Stephen A Smith takes credit for Monica McNutt’s career

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“You ever heard of Monica McNutt? You have now, because she’s on First Take a lot,” he says on the Stephen A. Smith Show. He also listed ESPN personalities Chiney Ogwumike, Andraya Carter, Kimberly Martin and Molly Qerim as women whose careers he gave a boost.

However, by centering himself in the ongoing debate and taking credit for the careers of several hardworking women, many critics believe he missed the point and only dug the hole deeper when it comes to his WNBA coverage.

“SAS has missed the entire point. ESPN does need to answer for why they haven’t covered the WNBA over the years. Instead he is using the moment to go on an ego trip,” said a concerned user on X, formerly Twitter. “Listing the women that are featured on First Take isn’t uplifting women, it’s using them.”

Monica McNutt responds to Stephen A on Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe

McNutt joined Chad Ochocinco and Shannon Sharpe, who was also on the First Take panel with her and Smith on Monday, to discuss the situation on their podcast, Nightcap.

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She said she was genuinely surprised by the internet’s reaction. She confirmed that she had a conversation with Stephen A privately about their disagreement, walking back part of her statement but standing by other parts.

It seemed to be squashed on Tuesday, when Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe and Monica McNutt all returned to First Take to continue the WNBA discourse, which all went back to Clark’s incident with Chennedy Carter, and Ogwumike even joined the panel as well