Stephen A. Smith says Barack Obama called him privately before the 2024 election

On the Culture Table podcast, Stephen A. Smith announced that former President Barack Obama contacted him privately before the 2024 election to discuss Smith’s potential sway over voters, emphasizing that he will not reveal the details of their talk. Smith noted that Obama preferred a phone call over a guest spot on his show, a pattern he said extended to former first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, Representative Jasmine Crockett and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, none of whom appeared on his program.

The host tied the outreach to recent backlash from the National Association of Black Journalists, which gave him a “thumbs-down” award after he criticized President Joe Biden’s fitness for office. Smith also mentioned a two-hour meeting with Harris that did not result in an on-air interview. The former president’s office did not respond to requests for comment, and neither did Harris’s office.