STEPHEN A. Smith was left in shock after a brutal comment from Shannon Sharpe on Tuesday’s First Take.
ESPN’s popular sports talk show was experiencing a tense debate when Sharpe chose to lighten the mood.
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As a contentious discussion surrounding New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ absence from mandatory minicamp came to an end, NFL Hall of Fame tight end Sharpe delivered a brutal critique of guest Dan Orlovsky.
The former defender appeared virtually on the show, wearing a short-sleeved blue and white checkered shirt showing off his chain underneath.
And it seems that Sharpe didn’t really like his colleague’s appearance.
“Dan, don’t come back here looking like a fast food manager in that short-sleeved shirt,” he commented as host Molly Qerim set up a commercial break.
Smith burst into laughter as Orlovsky immediately repeatedly shouted “Wait!” while he tried to defend her appearance.
However, as Smith and Sharpe continued to laugh and mock Orlovsky, Qerim insisted that they should take a break.
“That’s bullshit!” Orlovsky said after slamming the table in anger.
Despite his best attempt to stick to the script, Qerim couldn’t help but note, “That was hilarious,” before the break.
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Sharpe’s comment quickly drew responses from viewers on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Telling @danorlovsky7 ‘Don’t come back here looking like a fast food manager in that shirt’…the energy is great on this morning’s show,” one fan tweeted along with a series of laughing emojis.
“I’m coming back”, Orlovsky he said in response.
“They are treating @danorlovsky7 so badly in the first take I can’t stop laughing,” a second added.
To which Orlovsky he responded“They try to beat me up, but I have big shoulders.”
Orlovsky’s outfit may not have pleased his co-hosts, but Qerim’s was another story.
First look at the numbers
First Take has grown from strength to strength under the guidance of Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim over the past year.
ESPN’s weekday debate show averaged 496,000 viewers in 2023 — making it the most-watched year in the show’s history.
Its December average of 611,000 represented a 24% annual increase compared to 2022.
The show has also recorded more than 250 million views on YouTube.
First Take was helped by the addition of Shannon Sharpe alongside Smith and Qerim after he left Fox Sports’ Undisputed.
The host stunned in a white corset-style top paired with a pearl necklace and a large cross pendant.
Qerim was labeled “a princess in white” by a fan on X.
Another said he thought she was “beautiful.”
Qerim and Smith will return on Wednesday at their usual time of 10am ET.
Since joining the show in September 2023, Sharpe has appeared every Monday and Tuesday.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
