Michelle Obama speakingMichelle Obama (Photo via YouTube)
Former First Lady Michelle Obama is not a big fan of ‘First Take’ and the rest of ESPN and recently took a brutal shot at the network.

ESPN is under scrutiny following the arrests of Marcus Morris and Gilbert Arenas. They have also fired Shannon Sharpe, letting the former NFL star go after he settled a lawsuit with a woman who claims he raped her.

The Worldwide Leader in Sports is hardly just about sports anymore. With drama high and controversy seemingly around every corner, the network has been compared to the reality TV show ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’.

That’s how Michelle put it while on her ‘IMO’ podcast alongside her brother Craig Robinson, with the pair hosting Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers.


“It’s all a sociological study,” she said. “They think that sports is better reality TV, I’m like, ‘it’s the same thing’.”

“If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you know? It’s the same drama, and they’re yelling at each other and they don’t get along, you know? I mean, Stephen A. Smith, he’s just like every other…”

“He’d be a great Real Housewife,” Rogers suggested.

“He would be amazing,” Yang said.

Michelle Obama Can’t Understand Why People At ESPN Can’t Get Along

Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith arguingPat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith (Photo via X)
Michelle also claimed to be fascinated by the constant friction between some of the folks at ESPN.

“I mean, the fact that people over seasons of working still can’t get along. They still have the same arguments, you know, and it’s not just women,” she remarked. “But this happens in sports, too. I find it fascinating.”

The four then discussed the fake drama created by the ‘Real Housewives’ franchise as they examined the similarities between sports shows and reality TV.

Of note, Stephen A. Smith has held down a role on the soap opera ‘General Hospital’, playing a character called Brick, a security expert linked to mob operations.

He made a cameo on the show as a reporter in 2007 but landed a recurring role in 2016 and has since made over 40 appearances.