Stephen A. Smith, ever the fearless analyst, has found himself in another beef as progressive commentator Joy Reid has decided to return fire. After Reid was dismissed from her post at MSNBC back in February, Smith claimed that the network pulled off this move because her program "The ReidOut" struggled with ratings.In an appearance on "Naked With Cari Champion," Reid turned the tables around by claiming that Smith was getting well-compensated to carry out a particular agenda."They’re paying you not for your numbers, my friend. They’re paying you because you are willing to say the nasty things about Black people that they want to say," Reid said. "You’re being paid for what you’re willing to do to us for white people’s entertainment."Baller Alert 🚨 @balleralertLINKJoy Reid is firing back at Stephen A Smith after he claimed she was pushed out of MSNBC because of ratings. She says his numbers were lower than hers and that networks pay him big money to say things about Black people they would never say themselves. Smith has denied that race played any role in her exit but Reid’s latest comments reopened the debate about who media platforms reward and why.Reid, who has since transitioned into podcasting, also pointed out the irony that Smith highlighted ratings in his comments on her dismissal."He said I got fired for ratings, and I’m like, ‘Uh, excuse me, sir, you got $100 million for a show with half my ratings at my worst,'" Reid said.Reid appears to be on point here, as "The ReidOut" peaked at 1.4 million viewers during its existence and finished with around 778,000 viewers on average right around its conclusion. Meanwhile, Smith's "First Take" averaged 496,000 viewers in 2023, which ESPN touted as its "most-watched year ever."Smith, who has ventured into political commentary aside from his sports analysis, has raised eyebrows with hot takes on topics like Serena Williams' marriage and Rep. Jasmine Crockett's approach to politics. His opinions on these matters have given Reid ammunition to retaliate."You want to go 15 rounds every day with Muhammad Kellerman?": Former "First Take" host shares thoughts on leaving Stephen A. Smith's showEarlier this month, Smith's former "First Take" partner Max Kellerman appeared on "The Bill Simmons Podcast" and discussed their dynamic on the ESPN program. According to Kellerman, he and Smith were both highly competitive, a common trait that ended up in their partnership's implosion."If you’re doing a debate show and you’re a competitive person, why would you want me as a partner? That isn’t good," Kellerman said. "You want to go 15 rounds every day with Muhammad Kellerman? That isn’t good. It’s embarrassing."The boxing analogy is apropos, as Kellerman is a boxing aficionado who resurfaced as a commentator for the Terence Crawford-Canelo Alvarez fight this past September, two years after he was laid off by ESPN.