It turns out that Stephen A. Smith didn’t just catch some heat from Rihanna fans but also got checked by Jay-Z following his controversial comparison of the Bajan pop star to Beyoncé.
The ESPN sports analyst made the comment last year just before Rihanna’s historic Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, where she revealed her pregnancy with her second child. Stephen A caught a lot of flack from supporters of both artists, and it turns out that some celebrities were also upset with him, including Beyoncé’s husband, Jay-Z, who heads Roc Nation, the label both artists are signed to.
Stephen A. Smith sat down with Connect the Dots podcast this week, where he shed some light on what ensued in the aftermath of his comment, including getting a call from Jay-Z.
“I love Rihanna,” he began. “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. 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!”
Jay-Z checks Stephen A. Smith
Smith says he appreciates how Jay-Z dealt with the matter and has no ill feelings towards the hip hop mogul after that.
“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,” Smith said. “That’s all he had to say. I appreciated that.”
Stephen A. Smith sounds in line with how Jay-Z deals with issues like these. He rarely ever deals with things publicly or on the internet like a lot of celebrities do these days. Perhaps this would’ve never been known publicly if Smith didn’t share it. Nevertheless, we’re all happy this matter was settled without any major falling out or physical confrontation.
Jay-Z was the first person to give Rihanna a start in the music industry when he signed her at a young age after she auditioned for him in New York. The two also collaborated on a number of hits over the years, including the mega-hits “Umbrella” and “Run This Town” with Kanye West.
Stephen A. Smith talks Rihanna, Beyoncé & JAY Z ?
?: @connectdots_pod pic.twitter.com/ChoVh4NTmo
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) March 5, 2024
Apologies to Rihanna for my words, gotta be more careful! pic.twitter.com/RLcsaQAJ4v
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 18, 2023
Rihanna and Beyoncé have never commented publicly on what Stephen A. Smith said. However, Smith later issued an apology to RiRi for his comment. “I’m going to own it because I get paid to speak for a living, so I need to be more careful,” he said in a video. “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.”
