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Last week, Stephen A. Smith was given the “Thumbs Down” award from the National Association of Black Journalists for his ‘lack of accountability‘ and for ‘disparaging black women.’ Smith briefly defended himself in a post on X. After 11 days of silence, he took to YouTube to address the matter fully on his channel, Stephen A’s Straight Shooter Media. In the episode, Smith discusses why he waited so long to respond, why the comments from his fellow community were so disappointing, and why “disagreement should never automatically be labeled as disparagement.” “I am a human; I do have a heart; I do have a soul. I know what black women mean to me; I know what black women have always meant to me, and to hear such a flagrantly disrespectful accusation levied in my direction definitely, definitely hurt. But it gave me an opportunity to see how things unfold…and I cant put into words my level of disappointment,” Smith said. “As I said on the airwaves last Monday…you disagree with me, cool…we are in the conflict business…but when disagreement is allowed to be defined as disparagement, we got a problem, especially when journalists don’t even have the courage to point out the distinction.” Smith shared an exchange he had with his daughters as they attempted to console him during his 11-day hiatus. “Daddy, you say some crazy things sometimes; this ain’t one of them. You never did this; this is a lie; they trynna gain clout off of your name,” Smith’s daughter said. Others have used their platforms to defend Smith, including peer Anton Daniels, who has frequently appeared on podcasts with Smith. “I have never in my life seen or heard Stephen A Smith disparage, go at, or disrespect black women; it’s just not a thing,” Daniels said via his personal podcast. Smith continued to address individuals with whom he has had disagreements, and all have refused his offer to speak. “I’ve invited Don Lemon on this show. Don Lemon wants to talk privately first — but he said a whole bunch of things publicly… I’ve invited Jasmine Crockett on the show! Crickets! I ain’t hear a word! I’ve invited Kamala Harris on the show! Crickets! I ain’t hear a word… Michelle Obama has been invited on this show! Haven’t heard a word,” Smith said as he addressed open invitations he’s extended to left-leaning individuals. Smith’s defense focused on clearing his name, as he believes those who have accused him have no evidence beyond the fact that he is opinionated and doesn’t always agree with left-leaning media and political figures.