Rickey Smiley recently called out certain fellow members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., after an on-air incident with Stephen A. Smith prompted memes to circulate on social media.
What did Smith say that led to a viral social media moment?
On Jan. 13, Smith mispronounced his own fraternity on air while explaining the culture to his viewers. The incident quickly spread online, with Omega Psi Phi members, also known as the “Ques,” voicing their criticism of the ESPN personality and sharing jokes and memes about it, The Grio reported.
Smith, 58, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and apologized to his fraternity brothers for the mishap, stating that he did not realize he had mispronounced the name during a segment on his The Stephen A. Smith Show podcast, according to Complex.
Smiley’s message to the Ques
Last week, Smiley addressed the issue in a lengthy Facebook video, calling out some members of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, their selective outrage on certain things and the viral memes he was included in alongside Smith.
“Today, this month, is a tough month for me, as it gets lower into the month of January, and January getting ready to come to an end,” Smiley began in a video shared on his Facebook page. “I start to conjure up grief because this is the week that I lost my son, and it does not get any easier.”
Smiley then discussed how Omega members had a history of using memes to call him out over things he may have mispronounced on The Rickey Smiley Morning Show. Smiley said those incidents occurred on days related to his late son, Brandon.
The Birmingham, Alabama, native talked about friendship and the lifetime brotherhood that Ques have with one another. However, this incident led Smiley to question some fraternity members after speaking with close friends who are also part of the fraternity.
“If friendship is essential to the soul, is what ya’ll doing friendly? Are you displaying friendship?” Smiley asked, noting that he wasn’t upset by what happened but wanted to address the Ques, and he called their behavior “gang activity.”
‘Y’all want to make memes about me’
Smiley also questioned the Ques who made the memes about him and Smith, but who seemingly did not call out those who were involved in the deaths of Southern University student Caleb Wilson and Memphis native Tyre Nichols.
“Y’all want to make memes about me, but I didn’t see you make memes about the Ques that killed Caleb Wilson. Did you make any memes about him and pass it around?” Smiley questioned. “Let’s talk about it.”
He continued, “Since ya’ll want to f**k with me in January, the month when me and my family is over here grieving and barely making it, and you want to f**k with me and be funny or whatever; let’s talk about it.”
“Tyre Nichols died the same week my son died, and two or three of the motherf**kin’ police officers that killed Tyre Nichols was Ques,” Smiley said. “Let’s talk about it.”
Smiley went on to speak out against some of his fraternity brothers’ behavior, insisting he wasn’t attacking the Omega Psi Phi fraternity but rather those who are not aligned with what the brotherhood means within the fraternity.
“I have real friends in the fraternity,” Smiley said, acknowledging that while he loves the organization, he can also hold members accountable for their actions.