Stephen A. Smith Discovers He Was Catfished By Fake Cari Champion in Wild Exchange

Stephen A. Smith appeared to have been catfished by someone posing as his former First Take colleague Cari Champion, and he found out during an awkward exchange with Champion.

Smith joined Champion and Jemele Hill on their Flagrant and Funny podcast this week for an expansive two hour-plus interview where Champion and Hill discussed their past issues and criticism of Smith directly with him. Champion and Smith also discussed their time working together, leading to the revelation that Smith was catfished.

During the podcast, Smith was discussing helping Champion, who worked on First Take from 2012 to 2015, early in her career in sports journalism. Champion pushed back on some of this, claiming Smith did not even want her on the show and that she was underused.

During this exchange, Smith claimed Champion had reached out to him after Molly Qerim resigned from First Take in 2025. Smith claimed Champion wanted to make her way back into ESPN.

“When Molly [Qerim] resigned a few months ago, did you not reach out?” Smith asked.

“No!” a shocked Champion said, pulling out her phone and asking for receipts.

“Molly? Where?! And by the way, when?!” Champion asked. “Where and when?! On text? Please, tell me! How did I reach out?”

Smith said he received a text, but admitted to changing his number in December. Champion read the last text she sent him, which was from September. She also noted that he had repeatedly texted her, “Who’s this?” when she would reach out.

“I swear to God, you are not telling the truth!” Champion yelled with her hands on her head in frustration.

Smith stuck by his claim, but eventually admitted, “Then it was somebody who pretended to be her.”

“Why would I call back for that abuse? Why would I want to sit in that chair and be abused?” Champion asked.

“Timeout. I wasn’t aware of abuse when it came from me. That’s why we’re having this conversation,” he said. “The fact of the matter is, Cari, you departed in 2015. I was never aware you had any issue with me until last year.”

“Because that was my support of you, Black man!” Champion shot back, later joking Smith is “lovely,” but “a trip.”

Watch above via Flagrant and Funny.

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