Stephen A. Smith Admits He Spread False Claims About Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert's Divorce

Stephen A. Smith is walking back some explosive claims about Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert's divorce after admitting that the financial figures he shared were false—and that supposed quotes from the former NBA champion weren't even his words.

The ESPN commentator issued a public apology after discussing the former couple's divorce settlement on an October episode of The Culture Table, a podcast produced by his Straight Shooter Media company.

During the conversation, Smith claimed Taylor walked away with $25 million, plus another $10 million in property, luxury vehicles, and other assets. He also alleged that Shumpert received approximately $2 million and was left without a home.

There's just one problem: Smith now acknowledges that the information wasn't true.

"Those statements were inaccurate, and I want to sincerely apologize to both Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor," Smith said in his retraction.

But the inaccurate financial breakdown wasn't the only issue. Smith also admitted that statements presented as Shumpert's own account of the divorce had been falsely attributed to him.

"The quotes attributed to him, however, were not his statements at all, and the financial figures presented were inaccurate," he clarified.

Smith explained that the claims came from media reports and social media posts that allegedly detailed Shumpert's financial circumstances.

After speaking directly with Taylor, who disputed the information, Smith acknowledged that his company had failed to verify the allegations before presenting them to viewers.

"Straight Shooter Media and I, as the CEO, have a responsibility to ensure that information presented is properly sourced," Smith said. "We didn't meet that standard here. Plain and simple."

Smith confirmed that he personally apologized to both Taylor and Shumpert. The podcast episode containing the allegations has reportedly been removed.

The retraction comes after the former couple's divorce sparked its own legal disputes.

Taylor and Shumpert, who married in 2016 and share daughters Junie and Rue, finalized their divorce in July 2024. Their legal disagreements continued into 2025, when Taylor accused the former Cleveland Cavaliers guard of leaking confidential information about their proceedings.

Shumpert denied the accusation. In August 2025, a judge found Taylor in contempt of court and ordered her to pay Shumpert $70,000.

Taylor subsequently said that she wasted no time making the payment.

"If it's gonna give me my peace and we can be done with this for good, I sent that wire so fast," she said, calling it the "best lil' coin I ever spent in my life."

More recently, Taylor has focused publicly on maintaining a working relationship with Shumpert for their children.

"Once children are involved, you understand the importance of really still having to show up for each other," she said.