The hostility between ESPN’s First Take’s primary analyst Stephen A. Smith and former Detroit Lions QB turned NFL Analyst Dan Orlovsky has gone beyond football analysis in the past. From Smith’s infamous tirade over Orlovsky flying his wife in coach during a family vacation to Hawaii to repeat on air clashes, their dynamic has caught the attention of the viewers. Now, Orlovsky himself seems to have reached his tipping point.

A fan recently commented on Stephen A. Smith’s hostile tone, tweeting, “I don’t like how Stephen A be talking to @danorlovsky7 on first take #firsttake”, to which Orlovsky replied bluntly with a single word: “Same”. 

This comment was most probably made regarding a recent segment on First Take where the panel was discussing the LA Rams’ Super Bowl chances post the unretirement of Aaron Donald. Orlovsky compared their title expectations to Tom Brady joining Tampa Bay and making them the favorites to win the Super Bowl, which was met with hostility from Smith. 

ESPN Insider Adam Schefter, a guest on the show, then joined Smith in shouting over Orlovsky, creating an aggressive two-on-one ambush that left the former quarterback visibly frustrated. When Orlovsky explained that, in his subjective opinion, Brady’s arrival did make the Bucs favorites, Smith struck it down, saying just because Orlovsky thinks so doesn’t make it true.  

Stephen A. Smith has previously called out Orlovsky for not having “objectivity when it comes to quarterbacks.” 

On another broadcast, Smith opened the show with an aggressive confrontation, demanding to know why Dan Orlovsky was sitting in the lead desk seat usually occupied by Smith. When asked the reason behind his outrage, he clapped back with a rude declaration, “Because you’re cheap!” 

Despite all this, Dan Orlovsky has maintained a dignified level of respect when it comes to the lead co-host of ESPN’s First Take show. Orlovsky has previously called Smith an “absolute ten,” adding that he elevates his colleagues’ careers. But all this is undermined by constant interruptions, personal barbs, and dismissive behavior that Stephen A. Smith is known to show. The response by Orlovsky, which is rather straightforward, could be a sign of the frustration that working with Smith on a daily basis can bring about.

Orlovsky came onto the First Take show as part of a rotating panel of co-hosts after the dynamic between Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman came to an end (orchestrated by Smith himself). While this setup on ESPN features analysts like Orlovsky and Shannon Sharpe, it maintains Smith’s authority as the primary analyst who can overpower other co-hosts.

In an appearance on the Awful Announcing podcast, Orlovsky revealed the one condition Stephen A. Smith posed to him. 

“He said, ‘I got one demand.’ And I said, ‘What?’ He goes, ‘I do not care if you’re right. Pick a side and go. I don’t care if you’re right. And I think him saying that freed me up in a way. Empowered me. I don’t know if I would have been as comfortable. But him giving me the free rein to be like, ‘Go,’ and having him do it for me, was a big deal,” Orlovsky recalled while discussing how he got on board while Stephen A. Smith was retooling the show after Kellerman’s departure. 

So whether or not Dan Orlovsky really meant to call out Smith for his unfair treatment, one cannot deny that there is respect, at least from one side of their dynamic.