Stephen A. Smith has opened up about the harsh realities of growing up in Queens, New York and witnessing friends being killed.
In a recent appearance on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Smith gave an in-depth answer to whether he saw people getting shot at as a kid.
“Of course, a couple of my friends got killed,” Smith responded. “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, I wouldn't say that he was a close friend, but we knew one another,” Smith continued. “He was joking around arguing with this guy and they were making jokes towards 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 fucking with me.’ Dropped the gun and walked away.”
After revealing another horrifying story of seeing a friend killed in a nightclub, Smith revealed why he never told anyone after situations like that happened. “You keep your mouth shut,” admitted. “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.”
Smith’s been really open and honest about a lot of things in his life lately; even going so far as to not entirely rule out that he’ll run for president in 2028.
“I have no desire to be a politician, zero,” Smith said. “I’d love to be on the debate stages against some of these individuals that think they’re better suited to run the country,” he explained, suggesting voters deserve to hear from someone who prioritizes everyday Americans over political self-interest.”
