As he weighs whether to run for president or remainat ESPN, Stephen A. Smith this week recounted witnessing people "get gunned down" and "get killed."

"Of course, [I've seen people shot at]. Couple of my friends got killed," Smith told podcaster Graham Bensinger. "I've seen a couple people get gunned down. I've seen some people get killed. I've seen somebody get shot. I remember one time, one of the guys that I grew up with, um, I wouldn't say that he was a close friend, but we knew one another. He was joking around, arguing with this guy, and they were making jokes toward one another about each other's mother, who could tell the best jokes or whatever. And this one guy got the better of the other guy. The other guy goes up to him and shoots him in both kneecaps and said, ‘I told you to stop f'ing with me.’ Dropped the gun and walked away."

"That's kind of stuff that I grew up seeing," he continued. "You know, I grew up seeing one of my boys gunned down in the nightclub. Guy walked up to him, blew his head off, you know, just because he didn't like him."

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 06: Stephen A. Smith speaks at SiriusXM on Radio Row at Super Bowl LX on February 06, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

Bensinger asked Smith how he responded in those situations. Smith said he kept silent.

"Well, unfortunately, you know, you don't like to say these things, but you know what? You keep your mouth shut. You know, people talk about snitching, no snitching or whatever, but you see something like that, you open your mouth, you might be next. And so that's the kind of environment we grew up in."

In total, Smith says he witnessed multiple murders, including one in which a friend was shot in the head at a nightclub. He also indicated that at least one of the incidents involved a perpetrator leaving the gun at the scene and that he chose not to speak to authorities out of fear for his safety.

Jason Whitlock questioned the story:

"Netflix & Stephen A's handlers have clearly told him to spice up his movie script with some additional lies. This dude is a pathological liar. None of these murders and shootings he witnessed made his memoir. But now they can be told as he runs for president. The Bride of Disney."

Whitlock's point is valid. Stephen A. claims he told his entire life story in his 2023 memoir, "Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes." There was no mention of these shootings and killings in it.

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