Half a decade of All the Smoke and all of a sudden things are heated around the podcast. The show started back in 2019, born out of Barnes’ desire to create something of his own where he’d have more freedom of expression in the world of sports media. He formed a partnership with Stephen Jackson based on a similar desire.

The two stars, without a doubt, poured their all into the show over 5 years to build a fanbase of combined 2 million. So when Barnes’ found out that an ex-employee was still using the show’s name for his own gains, the former Golden State Warriors star couldn’t stand it. But the ex-employee in discussion, Sean Butler, didn’t let the allegations fly either and responded with a series of posts and stories. So let’s have a closer look into the arguments from both sides regarding one the most loved podcasts among NBA fans.

Matt Barnes comes down heavy on Sean Butler

Matt Barnes didn’t hold back when addressing his issues with Sean Butler and his words were anything but subtle. “This guy Sean Butler @hollywoodexec is FULL OF $H!T,” Barnes declared, accusing Butler of falsely claiming ties to the podcast. “He has absolutely NOTHING to do w @allthesmoke or me. He hasn’t been apart of the show since 2019. He’s going around talking to people & brands as if he reps me & my show.”

Frustrated Branes also demanded Butler to remove the Executive Producer title from his bio and warned him to stay out of his business deals. And to prove that Sean has been doing what Barnes is alleging, the ex-NBA star shared a screenshot in a separate IG post.

The SS indicated that someone was in touch with Butler in the name of All the Smoke team. “Quit playin w me @hollywoodexec. Got this screen shot this morning. This will be the last time I verbally address you. @cultivateentertainment & @hollywoodexec are all frauds,” Barnes captioned his second post.

Barnes even explained their history, revealing Butler only worked on the show for six months in 2019. Their partnership ended after Butler allegedly botched a deal that gave the show’s IP rights to Showtime. While Barnes fixed that, he’s now battling what he calls Butler’s false claims. And in a final warning, Barnes didn’t mince words. “I don’t want to have to sue you. I don’t want to have to go that route. Just leave me alone,” he said in his third IG post.

The story, however, does not end here. As mentioned earlier, Butler had his share of things to say against Barnes claims. And some of these claims from Sean are as bold as stating whatever Barnes is enjoying as of now is because of him.

Sean Butler’s response to Barnes’ accusations

Hopping onto Instagram, Butler made sure his side of the story got its time in the spotlight. “Alright, folks, let’s talk about All the Smoke. And, no, I’m not talking about what y’all roll up, even though we did a LOT of that back in 2018 at Matt Barnes’ house,” Butler began, throwing in a bit of humor.

He went back to 2017, when he first met Barnes, and fast-forwarded to 2019’s July 4th weekend. “While y’all were eating BBQ, I flew to NYC, walked into that room with Brian, pitched All the Smoke, and boom—sold it right there. Fireworks, literally,” Butler wrote in the caption to his IG post.

And here’s where it gets intriguing. To prove his involvement wasn’t just talk, Butler shared a screenshot of a Deadline article titled “Former Laker & NBA Champ Matt Barnes Signs With ICM Partners”. The article stated that along with Sean Butler and Patrick Strøm, his producing partners and managers from Cultivate Entertainment, Barnes will partner with ICM to expand his slate of film and TV projects and speaking engagements. “… Barnes continues to be managed by Cultivate Entertainment Partners,” it further read.

After all this, Butler feels that Barnes could not have been more terrible in repaying the favour. If that wasn’t enough, Butler called out Barnes for rewriting history. He even accused Barnes of downplaying his contributions. “I introduced him to agents… Nobody wanted to sign him—not even CAA! So, I went back to my old stomping grounds at ICM, pulled some strings, and made it happen. Got him signed. You’re welcome, Matt!”

However, the 40-year-old was still not done ranting about Barnes’ allegations so he posted more his videos to his IG story section.

Who exactly is Matt Barnes’ latest rival and what more he has to claim

Sean Butler has an impressive resume to back his words. According to IMDb, Butler is the co-founder and president of Cultivate Entertainment Partners. A company managing talent and producing top-tier content — clients tied to shows like Quantico, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It. And Sean didn’t hesitate to flex his credentials while addressing the drama. Making it clear that Barnes needed him, not the other way around.

“You came to me. I didn’t really want to work with you… But I was asked to work with you. I’m not going to name the producer who asked me to work with you,” he claimed in one of his Instagram stories. He even called out Barnes for airing their feud on social media instead of reaching out privately.

Barnes, however, already clarified in one of his IG posts, “Sena Butler, if I had your number dude, I would’ve hit you up… But I don’t have your number because I don’t f*ck with you…” But as per Sean’s IG story, the ex-NBA star actually blocked his number. He did not even hesitate from calling Barnes a “fraud”.   

As for the Barnes’ claim that he worked at All the Smoke for just 6 months, Sean humorously stated he is glad his experience with Matt Barnes felt like it was only six months. But Butler did not leave things just to his statements. He shared a snap of Barnes in meeting with showtime’s president along with him. For those unaware, showtime was the past producer of All the Smoke until All the Smoke Productions came into place.

Yet another video in Butler’s IG story featured Barnes giving a shoutout to All the Smoke team, three months in, including Sean as well. “Let’s continue to make and tell great stories, have great guests, and push this podcast to the top so yalls ain’t seen yet. 2020 is only going to get better…” he said in video. To seal his point, Sean dropped press tour snaps, highlighting his role in the podcast’s growth.

That has been about all from both the sides for now. Barnes is out promoting the All the Smoke X Boardroom collaboration and Butler, his journey and insights in conversation with Paths.