Source: Eric Espada / Getty
Stephen A. Smith wants Rihanna’s navy to stand down after he said the singer “ain’t Beyoncé.”
The well-known sports commentator made the shady remark when Sherri Shepard asked if he was excited about Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show next month.
“I don’t want to say I’m not excited, she’s fantastic… Ladies and gentlemen, she’s a lot of things,” Smith said of Rihanna on daytime TV’s Sherri. “She’s spectacular, actually, and congratulations on new mamahood. There’s one thing she’s not — she ain’t Beyoncé.”
The talk show’s crowd immediately reacted with audible groans following Smith’s comment.
The sportscaster then clarified that the only reason he brought up Beyoncé is that the entertainer performed at the Super Bowl in 2016.
Smith said while he supports Rihanna and likes her music, “There’s Beyoncé, and there’s everybody else.”
Stephen A. Smith Apologizes To Rihanna
Smith’s opinion, or at least the way he expressed it, was immediately met with backlash. Rihanna’s fans, aka “The Navy,” took to Twitter to call out Smith for pitting Black women against each other.
Online users pointed out that both Rihanna and Beyoncé are highly accomplished entertainers who are incomparable talents.
Rihanna doesn’t need nor wants to be Beyoncé, let’s start there. She created her own lane and didn’t copy what was already done by MJ and Tina Turner. @stephenasmith it’s always the black man degrading a black woman. We don’t even know who you are. Clout chaser! pic.twitter.com/ma1UfXpXuP
— RihannaImpact (@rihanna_impact) January 18, 2023
1. Rihanna has NOTHING to prove. She already established that she’s greatness.
2. Don’t drag Beyoncé in your mess.
3. @stephenasmith https://t.co/KeVwn8rBQy pic.twitter.com/6Uj4k7cCSY
— keipac. (@x_Keith) January 18, 2023
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Smith apologized to Rihanna in a video shared on Twitter Jan. 19.
“I want Rihanna to know you’re a superstar, you’re sensational, you’re spectacular. You’re no joke, and you are a worthy person to be doing Super Bowl halftime show,” Smith emphasized.
The commentator took accountability for his reckless comments and any “brouhaha” his remark brought up. He also blamed someone on his team for sharing a now-deleted tweet saying Rihanna’s “fan base might just be worse than the BeyHive!”
See the tweets below.
Apologies to Rihanna for my words, gotta be more careful! pic.twitter.com/RLcsaQAJ4v
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 18, 2023
Horrific mistake. Something that was suppose to be a fun moment on the Sherri Shepard show has gotten out of hand. An overzealous member on my MGMT team — which has access to my account — posted something I would NEVER say about @rihanna, her fans or any other artist. The post…
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 18, 2023
Has been removed. My social management team will never make a mistake like this again. My apologies again to @Rihanna. And just to be clear, I’m a huge fan. Sherri and I were just having fun. That is all.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 18, 2023
Rihanna fans showing up to Stephen A. Smith’s House pic.twitter.com/THJBJpw8aw
— Blake Garman (@FrostedBlakes34) January 18, 2023
The man talks shit to Cowboys fans for a living but Rihanna fans got him ready to go into witness protection lol
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) January 18, 2023
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