Rickey Smiley Says He Cried After Watching His Son Experience Alleged Racism From Argentina Fans During FIFA World Cup

Rickey Smiley Says He Cried After Watching His Son Experience Alleged Racism From Argentina Fans During FIFA World Cup

Rickey Smiley is opening up about a painful experience involving his son, Malik, claiming he witnessed him being subjected to racism while working during the 2026 FIFA World Cup festivities.

While discussing the incident on The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, Smiley said he initially brushed off social media outrage surrounding a broadcaster mistakenly identifying Pharrell Williams as A$AP Rocky during the FIFA halftime show, believing it was simply an honest mistake. However, his perspective shifted after seeing firsthand how his son was allegedly treated by Argentina fans at work.

“I was watching the Argentinian fans… I stopped by my son’s job yesterday, and I just saw some racism in real time,” Smiley said. “I literally drove off crying. I had tears in my eyes.” According to Smiley, the fans allegedly spoke to Malik “like he was less than a human being” despite his son trying to accommodate them while working. He also recalled seeing one man repeatedly look his son up and down before he approached and said, “I’m his dad.” Smiley claimed the man then suddenly acted as though he could no longer speak English.

The radio personality said the encounter left both him and his son shaken. “You can treat me like trash, but to see somebody treat your son like that… man, when I tell you the thing made me cry, I cried all the way to the airport,” he said. Smiley added that Malik later told him, “The Argentinians was so racist that he’d be glad to see white people,” a remark Smiley said underscored how deeply the experience affected him.

Smiley went on to say he had been researching racism in Argentina following the incident and admitted he was unaware of the country’s history before now. “I didn’t know that the racism that existed in the country of Argentina,” he said. “Had no idea. It’s crazy. It’s deep. It’s real deep.” He encouraged listeners to research the topic themselves, adding that he plans to continue discussing what he and his son experienced on future broadcasts.

As of now, Smiley has not identified the individuals involved or said whether the incident was reported to authorities or FIFA organizers.