I don't feel from what he said that anyone, let a lone a woman should be subservient. But what he was saying is there is a way to avoid lighting the fuse.
Taking into account that Mr. Smith is black and that the black family is largely Matriarchal in nature. Black men are most often disrespected by black women. Women actually have power in these situations. Every situation is different.
I don't think men ever should lay their hands on a woman and I don't Mr. Smith thinks they should either. BUT, you keep in a man face enough he may snap.
The right to swing your fist ends at the other person’s nose.
The attempt to rewrite the narrative of wife-beating is driven by the demographics of high-profile abuse cases and the support for wife beating in Islam. Throw in higher number of abuse cases in same-sex relationships and the narrative is required to be rewritten.