Stephen A. Smith: Amber Rose 'did a good job' in RNC address

Sports radio host Stephen A. Smith defended Amber Rose from criticism the reality television star faced for her speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee earlier this week. 

Rose "did a good job" Monday night, Smith said during an episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show" aired Wednesday.

“I’ve been watching the RNC convention each night in Milwaukee, Wis., and I know that Amber Rose took a lot of hits,” he said. “Y’all kick rocks with that. She did a good job.”

Rose, in her speech on the first night of the convention, walked back her previous criticism of former President Trump and instead offered a ringing endorsement. 

“I’m no politician and I don’t want to be, but I do care about the truth, and the truth is that the media has lied to us about Donald Trump,” Rose said. “I know this because for a long time, I believed those lies. … I believed the left-wing propaganda that Donald Trump was a racist.”

“I realized Donald Trump and his supporters don’t care if you’re Black, white, gay or straight. It’s all love,” Rose continued. “And that’s when it hit me: These are my people. This is where I belong.”

Rose’s speech drew backlash — notably from MSNBC host Joy Reid, who said the model's remarks won’t win over Black voters, in part because Rose appears racially ambiguous and has previously been accused of trying to downplay her Blackness. 

But Smith said the substance of Rose’s speech hit on where voters are most concerned. 

“Amber Rose gave a good speech,” Smith said. “She talked about gas prices. She talked about shopping. She talked about stuff that hits home. With her 20-plus million social media followers, don’t think people are ignoring that.”