CNN —
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith learned the hard way that when you come for Rihanna, her fans only give “FourFiveSeconds” to apologize.
During an appearance Wednesday on Sherri Shepherd’s daytime talk show, Smith commented on the singer’s upcoming appearance on the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
“There’s one thing she’s not, she’s not Beyoncé,” said Smith, who began the comment by saying Rihanna was “spectacular” and congratulating her on becoming a new mom.
When audiences reacted negatively to his comment, Smith added, “The only reason I approached Beyoncé is because Beyoncé recently performed at the Super Bowl.”
That wasn’t enough to reassure the Navy, as Rihanna’s devout fans are known, and her hit Smith hard on social media.
Smith then turned to social media to offer a three-minute video apologyand he tweeted, “Sorry to Rihanna for my words, I have to be more careful.”
“I will own it. I know what you’re trying to do, but I’m going to own it because I’m getting paid to make a living, so I have to be more careful,” he said in his video. “I want Rihanna to know you’re a superstar, you’re sensational, you’re spectacular, you’re no joke and you’re a worthy person to do the Super Bowl Halftime Show.”
Smith said he’s a Beyoncé fan and thought both her 2013 solo performance and her 2016 performance with Bruno Mars and Coldplay were two of the best Super Bowl halftime performances he’d seen.
“What I’m saying is that everyone has to measure up to that,” Smith said.