ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith issues apology to Rihanna for his ‘ain’t Beyoncé’ comment
3 min read
Getty Images
Stephen A. Smith has issued an apology to Rihanna and said that he meant no disrespect when he said that the Barbadian singer ‘ain’t Beyoncé.’
Here is everything you need to know
Stephen A. Smith apologizes to Rihanna ahead of her Super Bowl performance
Stephen A. Smith caused tons of stir when he appeared for an interview on Sherri Shepherd’s Fox daytime talk show.
During the interview on Wednesday, Smith was discussing the upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance of Rihanna.
He began with, ‘I don’t want to say I’m not excited, she’s fantastic, but that’s not where I’m going with this.’
Moreover, he continued, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, she’s a lot of things, she’s spectacular actually – and congratulations on the new mama hood – there’s one thing she’s not, she’s ain’t Beyoncé.’
Meanwhile, the crowd appears to have a mixed reaction to Smith’s remark. However, Rihanna’s loyal fanbase was certainly not impressed with the comment.
Furthermore, Smith took to his Twitter handle to issue an apology seemingly after facing massive backlash for his comments.
He said, ‘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 the Super Bowl halftime show.’
In case you didn’t know, Rihanna is all set to perform for the NFL’s 57th Super Bowl halftime which is slated to happen on 12th February.
Meanwhile, Beyoncé took the stage at the Super Bowl twice. Once in 2013 and the second one a couple of years later in 2016.
American Sports Television Personality, Stephen A Smith on Rihanna’s upcoming Super Bowl performance
— I Choose Violence (@ourhermitage) January 18, 2023
“she is no Beyoncé… there’s levels to the talent…there’s Beyoncé and everybody else” pic.twitter.com/k96pCDFJei
Rihanna fans react to Stephen A. Smith’s comment
Fans of Rihanna have been criticizing Stephen A. Smith on social media after his comment about the Barbadian singer on Sherri’s show.
A fan wrote, ‘Shoulda kept his mouth closed cuz nobody wanted to hear that take.’
Shoulda kept his mouth closed cuz nobody wanted to hear that take
— Tan ❤ #BlackLivesMatter (@itskindamadison) January 18, 2023
Moreover, another fan said that Smith’s take was ‘unnecessary’ while another fan pointed out that he should ‘let Robyn shine.’
For the unversed, the latter remark was a reference to Rihanna’s birth name, Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
Furthermore, pop culture journalist Shar Jossell went on to call Smith’s statement ‘tacky.’
In addition, others blamed Smith for comparing two female artists and supposedly trying to create an avoidable conflict.
A fan account of Rihanna penned, ‘It’s a pretty sad comment to make comparing two black female musicians who are completely different both performance wise and musically.’
It’s a pretty sad comment to make comparing two black female musicians who are completely different both performance wise and musically. The comparison doesn’t even make sense because y’all are stuck in the 2009 comparison when they both did rnb. Grow up. pic.twitter.com/OgnxlkIS9C
— Robyn Hood 🕸🤫 (@robynsrighthand) January 18, 2023
They wrote in a follow-up tweet, ‘The comparison doesn’t even make sense because y’all are stuck in 2009 … when they both did rnb. Grow up.’
