Stephen A. Smith revealed a few “Hollywood stars” stopped talking to him because he compared Rihanna to Beyoncé.
Stephen A. Smith Recalls JAY-Z Calling Him Over Beyoncé VS Rihanna Remarks
ESPN's First Take Stephen A. Smith has revealed Jay-Z had a word with him about the comments he made comparing Rihanna to his wife, Beyoncé.
During a sit-down conversation with the Connect the Dots podcast, on Monday (March 4), Smith recalled when Jay-Z had to give him some advice regarding him downplaying Rihanna's Super Bowl LVII Halftime performance and claiming there's only one Beyoncé in an interview last year.
The ESPN personality shared a story about Hov phoning him after he ignited a debate about Bey and RiRi’s respective talents.
Smith began by recapping his initial statement, saying: “I love Rihanna. I bought her album; she gets my money. Mad love for her, wish her nothing but the best … But you do know there’s only one Beyoncé.”
The First Take host later revealed that unspecified “Hollywood stars” were mad at him for his remarks and that a few have never spoken to him since.
He also said JAY-Z phoned him up shortly after the drama and gave him a light telling off for speaking out of turn.
“A month later, Hov and I were on the phone,” he shared. “Hov was like, ‘My dawg, you family, that’s family. That’s too close to say that.’ I said, ‘I didn’t know.’ He said, ‘I know.’ Done!
“In other words, it’s a business, it’s a part of it, you don’t know how she’ll receive it, etc. etc. etc. That’s all he had to say. I appreciated that.”
Last January, Stephen A. made his controversial statement comparing Rihanna and Beyoncé during an appearance on The Sherri Show in 2023, ahead of RiRi's Super Bowl Performance.
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