Stephen A. Smith posted a clip on X calling for Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, writing, “We NEED You, Jasmine Crockett!” The video, from his Straight Shooter program, shows the host arguing that Crockett still has a role to play in public life. Online users quickly pushed back in the replies, with many rejecting the claim that she is needed and others questioning why Smith was appealing now.
The video shows Smith speaking into a studio microphone as he addresses the backlash after Crockett “showing up on stage with Chris Brown.” He says “a whole bunch of people” are “after Jasmine Crockett” over that appearance, and he ties it to an earlier warning that “doing stuff” like that “would eventually cost you an election in Texas.”
In the clip, Smith says that even though Crockett “lost to James Talarico in the primary for the United States Senate seat in Texas,” “she is still a representative” and “still somebody that people look at and say, ‘Hey, we need you to represent us.’” He argues that “by making that decision, they are all over her now,” including “liberals” and “Black women who are liberals.” He cites a member of his team saying, “You have to watch what you do when you are a representative,” then adds that he “remember[s] she is a lawyer by trade” with “a license to practice law in Texas and federally.”
Smith posted the same clip earlier with a different line, “…Am I Wrong Now?” The video does not show Crockett, does not include her response, and does not explain what happened immediately before or after the excerpt. It also does not independently confirm why he chose that moment to appeal.
How Viewers Are Responding to Smith’s Appeal
Some viewers said they heard Smith backing Crockett’s future, with one writing, “Clearly he wanted her to WIN… ppl didn’t hear the honesty of how she should play her cards right.”
Another replied simply, “She’s a lawyer.”
Others rejected the premise. “I have never seen/heard Jasmin Crockett and walked away thinking, ‘we need her,’” one user wrote.
A separate commenter asked, “Are you crazy?” and another said, “No, we don’t,” while a further reply put it as, “Texas doesn’t need her.”
A few framed the clip as Smith circling back to an earlier critique, with one saying, “You did call it.”
It remains unclear whether Smith’s comments will shift the debate around Crockett or stay confined to replies on the post. The clip continues to circulate as viewers weigh his warning about public choices against his claim that she is still needed.
