“I discover her to be a bit indifferent from actuality being confronted by Black Individuals in all places,” Smith mentioned of Kelly, who slammed the efficiency of “Raise Each Voice and Sing,” sometimes called the Black Nationwide Anthem, on the Tremendous Bowl.

It started on Sunday after Kelly and lots of different conservatives known as out the Tremendous Bowl on social media for that includes a efficiency of “Raise Each Voice and Sing,” sometimes called the Black Nationwide Anthem, earlier than the Huge Recreation.

Following Andra Day’s efficiency of the tune, Kelly took to X, previously Twitter, writing, “The so-called Black Nationwide Anthem doesn’t belong on the Tremendous Bowl. We have already got a Nationwide Anthem and it consists of EVERYONE.”

The conservative commentator obtained backlash over her put up, with some accusing her of being a racist.

On Monday’s episode of The Stephen A. Smith Present, Smith, 56, got here to Kelly’s protection, saying that does not imagine her remark was racist.

“I am sick and bored with of us on the market — notably within the Black group — being so fast to throw out the phrase ‘racism.’ While you throw out the phrase ‘racism,’ do me a favor,” he started, per The Hill. “Have extra proof earlier than you do it, so it could’t be dismissed through believable deniability or one thing else.”

Whereas the TV persona mentioned he would not know Kelly “in any respect,” he would not “discover her assertion to be racist.”

“I discover it to be, in her eyes, patriotic. I discover it to be, in her eyes, self-righteous,” he defined. “I discover her to be a bit indifferent from actuality being confronted by Black Individuals in all places. I bought that half, however I can not go in the way in which that I needed to go in about her when individuals are on the market — from my group — simply throwing out the phrase ‘racist.’ You do not know that about her.”

Whereas Smith famous that he has “profound respect” for Kelly’s work, he discovered her remark to be “extremely insensitive.”

“I do not anticipate white individuals to have the sensibilities of Black individuals. I do not anticipate someone white to get it, about Black individuals the way in which I anticipate Black individuals to get it about Black individuals,” he mentioned.

“Megyn Kelly, should you’re watching, you are listening: I do not like what you mentioned in any respect,” he continued. “I feel it comes throughout as extremely insensitive. You can’t consider historical past. You can’t acknowledge since you are historian. I’ve heard you, I’ve watched you, I’ve listened to you — profound respect for you.”

“However you ain’t Black. You have not been marginalized and ostracized and handled within the method that Black individuals have been handled,” Smith mentioned, including that critics ought to educate themselves on why the Black Nationwide Anthem is important to the Black group.

The sports activities broadcaster concluded, telling Kelly, “I do not know you, I simply know what you have been as a journalist and I respect the hell out of you. I respectfully say to you, might you do one or two issues? Might you could have a extra thorough understanding of Black historical past, what provoked the existence of the Black nationwide anthem and communicate to that actuality? Or just abdomen it?”