Sports commentatorStephen A. Smithopened up about the devastating comment from his father that changed his life and motivated his rise.
Now a successful ESPN commentator and influential media voice, Smith once was told he would never amount to anything. He recalled the moment on the"Hang Out with Sean Hannity"podcast, saying he overheard his parents discussing his intelligence.
"My father said, 'He's just not smart. You know he's not going to be anything, and you just need to accept that right now,' and when my mother turned around and saw me seeing him say that, she was aghast," Smith told Hannity on the podcast's premiere.
"She was appalled and all of that stuff, and he just shrugged his shoulders and turned around and walked away," he added.
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Smith revealed in his memoir"Straight Shooter"that he suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia and has spoken about his struggles with reading. While he was a talented speaker, reading comprehension remained a struggle. He told Hannity the cold comments from his father came after he washeld back from advancing a gradein school for the second time.
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"My mother thought that was going to [be] something that was incredibly devastating for me, and it hurt. I'm not denying that it did. But something inside of me just was motivated to prove him wrong," said Smith.
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He also revealed he was ridiculed by neighborhood kids for being held back in school.
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"That memory still stays with me because when I got left back the second time, and this time permanently held back for the whole year, I'm sitting on the back porch, and I'm crying because I'mbeing laughed at and ridiculedby the kids in the neighborhood because all kids can be very cruel," he said.
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Smith was the first guest onFox News anchor Sean Hannity's new twice-weekly podcast, released Tuesday. Also on the podcast, Smithshut down rumorshe may consider running for president in 2028.
Speaking with Hannity, he said if he has to "give up money, it's not happening." The Democrat also noted he would be willing to vote for Secretary of StateMarco Rubioover some other prominent Democrats.
Original article source:Stephen A Smith reveals devastating moment his father said he would never 'be anything'