Stephen A. Smith calls Hegseth a "modern-day DEI hire"

The Straight Shooter host separates respect for Hegseth's military service from his objections to the defense secretary's qualifications and conduct.

Channel: Stephen A. Smith Story of November 13, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 77,008 views a day, 7.1 times a normal first day on this channel (10,788).

PETE HEGSETH IS A MODERN-DAY DEI HIRE | STEPHEN A. SMITH

Next story: Democrats missed Hegseth vote after reception, LBC reports

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Military service deserves respect, Stephen A. Smith says. Running the Department of Defense is a different question. That distinction anchors his sharply critical Short about Pete Hegseth, which drew roughly seven times his usual first-day views.

Smith opens by questioning the dismissal of an impeachment resolution against Hegseth and why the effort was brought in the first place. He then makes his own position explicit: "I am no fan of Pete Hegseth and how he has conducted himself as Secretary of Defense for the United States of America."

His criticism centers on Hegseth's relationship with President Trump and his route to the Pentagon. Smith describes him as a "Trump wannabe" before delivering the label used in the video's title: "I consider him a modern-day DEI hire."

Smith thanks Hegseth for serving the country, but contrasts that service with his previous television role as a weekend Fox News host. He concludes that Hegseth should leave office.

The clip brought in about 77,000 views in its first day, with comments also arriving far faster than usual. Among the questions viewers raise is how Smith's characterization fits Hegseth's military experience and qualifications.

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More from Stephen A. SmithVideo taking off 6.6x its usual first dayStephen A. Smith skips insults, calls GOP defeat an "annihilation"His fast-spreading midterm Short contrasts Trump's 2024 coalition with Republican losses, prompting a debate about name-calling.Channel: Stephen A. Smith · Story of November 6, 2026 Also in Political commentators and debateVideo taking off 10x its usual first daySt. Clair attributes "White Boy November" texts to Stephen MillerThe Ring of Fire's Josh Gay examines the unverified screenshots and their proposed appeal to white male voters.Channel: The Ring of Fire · Story of November 13, 2026 A different discovery todayVideo taking off 23x its usual first dayJimmy Kimmel sets Trump's Triumphal Arch against veterans' budget cutsWith veterans in the audience, his Veterans Day monologue also revisits the Arlington guard's rebuke and closes on a parody doll commercial.Channel: Jimmy Kimmel Live · Story of November 13, 2026

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Stephen A. Smith calls Hegseth a "modern-day DEI hire" The full story on Trari: https://trari.com/en/story/mrstephenasmith-35495/

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The numbers

The Hegseth Short drew an unusually large first-day audience even as the channel's overall daily views ran below their usual pace.

the video's first day

usual first day here

10,788

this video

77,008

subscribers

1,430,000

no significant change in the last 7 days

total views

392,485,527

views per day

155,034

typical day: 280,116

the video

views

86,432

likes

904

comments

413

days online

1

subscribers: this channel and similar channels

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1,450,000

Stephen A. Smith

1,430,000

friendlyjordies

1,430,000

The Damage Report

1,390,000

The Ring of Fire

1,370,000

Keith Edwards

1,370,000

As of November 13, 2026 · Data source: Trari Social News, Trari Traffic Trends and Ranking Platform, Google YouTube

Subscriber, view, like and comment counts are YouTube's. Rates, usual days, rankings, comparisons and categories are Trari's own calculations.