“That verbiage right there, that kind of turned me on,” he said on-air.

Stephen A. Smith called out for flirting with ESPN colleague Chiney Ogwumike: ‘Turned me on’

"That verbiage right there, that kind of turned me on," he said on-air.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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April 24, 2026 9:31 p.m. ET

Stephen A. Smith and Chiney Ogwumike. Credit:

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic;Stefanie Keenan/Getty

- ESPN's Stephen A. Smith's said on-air that costar Chiney Ogwumike's French "turned me on."

- Online commenters were quick to call out Smith's comments as inappropriate.

- has reached out to Smith, Ogwumike, and ESPN for comment.

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith's recent banter with colleague Chiney Ogwumike did not go unnoticed.

After Ogwumike, a former professional basketball player and an analyst for the network, spoke briefly in French, as she raved about NBA star Rudy Gobert, who was born there, she said that she hoped she did French people proud with her accent.

"I've got to get a little personal for a second here, Chiney," Smith said on Friday's edition of *First Take*. "Listen, I'm leaving the life. I'm pretty damn happy to say the last. But, I must admit, in all my years on this earth, I've never dated a woman from France or anything like that, but after hearing Chiney, what have I been missing? What have I been missing?"

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He added, "That verbiage right there, that kind of turned me on."

Ogwumike covered her face and awkwardly laughed off the moment, before Smith switched the subject back to sports.

** has reached out to Smith, Ogwumike, and ESPN for comment.

Stephen A. Smith in 2025.

Noam Galai/Getty

Backlash from the internet was swift.

For instance, after Instagram's Coach Jackie J shared a video of the moment and called for Smith to be fired, more than 11,500 followers liked it within four hours.

The comments on that one post were divided, with some people calling his behavior "gross," "definitely inappropriate," and "absolutely ridiculous."

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But others argued that Smith and Ogwumike have a playful relationship. Viewers were being too "soft," this school of thought insisted.

The debate is happening just as the sports world is reeling from the drama between New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and former NFL reporter Dianna Russini, after she left her position with The Athletic earlier this month following the publication of photos that showed her and Vravel holding hands. The scandal has resurfaced questions about sexism in sports.

Smith joined ESPN in 2003. He reportedly agreed to a $100 million contract with the network last year.

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