Stephen A. Smith Says His Flagrant Interview Helped Drive Major Growth for Jemele Hill and Cari Champion

Stephen A. Smith is pushing back on Cari Champion’s suggestion that his appearance on the Flagrant and Funny podcast may not have benefited the show.

During the discussion, Smith pointed to the numbers surrounding his appearance with Champion and Jemele Hill, arguing that the interview gave the podcast a significant boost.

Smith said that when he arrived for the interview, the podcast had approximately 9,000 subscribers. After the interview, he said that number had climbed to roughly 30,000 subscribers.

He also highlighted the performance of the show’s videos, saying their two highest-viewed episodes are the ones featuring him. The view counts he referenced were approximately 630,000, 226,000 and 93,000 views.

According to Smith, before his appearance, the podcast’s highest-viewed full-length video had only reached about 39,000 views.

The interview was substantial, with the conversation ultimately spanning roughly three hours and being released in multiple parts.

Smith also appeared to suggest that the complete three-hour conversation was not initially released as one full video, adding another point of context to his argument about the show’s numbers.

His broader point was clear: regardless of whether Champion believes the appearance was beneficial, Smith believes the audience growth and view counts demonstrate that his appearance generated significant attention for the podcast.