Stephen A. Smith and Monica McNutt on "First Take." Stephen A. Smith and Monica McNutt on “First Take.” (Awful Announcing on X/Twitter.)

Stephen A. Smith was distraught with how Monica McNutt challenged him on the set of First Take Monday.

It was an episode in something we haven’t seen on the show hosted and executively produced by Smith since Max Kellerman graced the air. But after biding her tongue for much too long, McNutt decided to throw it back in Smith’s face that as much as First Take has shown grace in covering women’s sports and the WNBA in the past calendar year, you couldn’t say the same three years ago.

With Smith left speechless, he waited to respond on his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show. It was there that he seemingly made comments about “making” female personalities what they are today. Sure, he’s afforded McNutt, Molly Qerim, Kimberley A. Martin, Chiney Ogwumike, and Andraya Carter opportunities to appear on his show. But to say that we now know who Monica McNutt is, amongst others, because of him and First Take is out of line.

And critics across social media made sure to point out that Smith’s comments were out of bounds.

“But this idea of “making” people is … odd,” Hill wrote.

While some of the criticisms are more of an attack on Smith’s character than anything, it just seems like this all could’ve been avoided had he not championed himself for “making” women at ESPN. He completely misunderstood the point McNutt was trying to make and instead took great offense to her commentary. She wasn’t denying that First Take is a platform for diversity or that the show wasn’t discussing the WNBA at large.

Her point was that the show could have done more to elevate these discussions years earlier.

And that kind of commentary shouldn’t be a one-way ticket to completely dismissing McNutt’s talent preceding her time on First Take. She wasn’t created by the show; her skills have always been there. The same with the aforementioned female hosts and analysts above. Sure, First Take has given them a platform to shine, but would a director be taking credit for making an actor or actress because of their film’s success? Maybe partially, but that would completely undermine their standalone talent — one that’s always been there.

So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that comments implying he “made” McNutt, and by extension other female analysts, were met with swift condemnation. And while First Take undeniably provides a platform for these talented individuals, McNutt’s challenge exposed a missed opportunity for earlier and more impactful discussions on the WNBA.

Smith did address this again on First Take Tuesday, saying he fights for his colleagues:

But that’s not to say that Smith “made” them. Even if First Take undeniably offers a valuable platform for these accomplished women to reach a wider audience.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.