Stephen A. Smith Praises Candace Owens After Interview on His Show: ‘Don’t Even Think About Challenging Her Intelligence’

Stephen A. Smith had strong praise for far-right commentator Candace Owens following their conversation on a recent episode of his show.

During Tuesday’s episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, the two spoke in-depth about a number of social and political issues, as well as Candace’s experience as a Black conservative in America.

Within the conservative media space, Owens is widely recognized as one of the more controversial figures. She previously worked under Daily Wire’s media umbrella, but was let go in early 2024 after a series of wildly anti-Semitic comments. Around the same time, she also took aim at the French first lady and pushed the baseless conspiracy theory that she was actually a man.

Smith notably chose not to challenge Owens on many of her more controversial comments. Speaking to his viewing audience after the interview, he explained that because it was their first time speaking to one another, he simply wanted to get to know her. He then vowed to be more “probing and challenging” the next time they speak before he went on to praise her intelligence.

“No matter what our emotional state of mind is,” Smith said, “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 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 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’re going to come for her because, ladies and gentlemen, like it or not, Candice Owens, she’s not going anywhere.”