Karen Hunter had plenty to say about the celebrity controversies over the past week, and she didn’t spare people she has known, supported or respected.
During a recent segment of “The Karen Hunter Show”, the SiriusXM host weighed in on the clash involving Stephen A. Smith and Cari Champion, along with Fat Joe’s defense of his continued use of the n-word.
“What do you do when a person who you believe is an ally does or says something that you think is ridiculous or does or says something that you know is detrimental?” Hunter asked her audience.
Her comments about Smith came with years of personal history.
“My relationship with Stephen A. Smith goes back to the early ’90s at the New York Daily News,” Hunter explained.
Hunter recalled that Smith “literally sat in a seat I vacated in high school sports there” and said she helped him navigate the newspaper business. Their relationship extended well beyond work, she said, including celebrating his 50th birthday at his home.
“I’m disappointed. I’m angry a lot of the times,” Hunter shared. “But because of our relationship, I’ve been relatively silent,” going on to recall a time Smith once contacted her because other people on her show had criticized him.
“How you going to let somebody talk about me on your show?” she recalled him asking.
Hunter says she doesn’t “police people’s commentary,” adding, “Everybody’s grown. Everybody has their own perspective,” and acknowledges that disagreement does not erase respect, even when the criticism gets uncomfortable.
She then moved the conversation to Fat Joe, who recently defended his use of the n-word during an appearance on “The Joe Budden Podcast.”
“Fat Joe is not Black,” the award-winning journalist declared. “He’s not a Black man, but he was on Joe Budden’s couch debating and arguing why he should and could and will continue to use the n-word.”
“You have far too many ignorant people with microphones,” she continued. “Far too many people who are not immersed in history, don’t understand the culture.”
Hunter made it clear that she does not allow the word on her own show, even from guests who regularly use it elsewhere.
“Everybody’s been able to do it, which tells me that you’re able to do it,. We can all express ourselves without using it.”
Hunter also challenged the argument that anyone needs the word as part of everyday speech.
“Why do you want to use that word?” Hunter asked. “Does it make you feel good about yourself? […] If white people can’t use it and Fat Joe can’t use it, none of us should be using it,” she stated.
