Stephen A. Smith felt the wrath of Rihanna fans when he boldly said, “she ain’t Beyonce.

Now, the “First Take” star is apologizing to the performer, who will perform at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show. In a video posted to social media, he described her as a “superstar” and “a worthy person to be doing the Super Bowl halftime show.”

Smith, who appeared on Sherri Shepherd’s daytime talk show, praised Rihanna before saying she “ain’t Beyoncé.”

“I know she’s phenomenal,” he said. “And she’s my sister. Nothing but love for her. But Beyoncé is my sister, too. I got love for both of them. I just think that Beyoncé is the greatest performer out there today. That’s me. That doesn’t mean I’m hating on anybody else.”

On Wednesday, Smith apologized and tried to clarify his comments.

“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 Super Bowl halftime show,” Smith said.

Smith said he believes that Beyoncé’s performance was so epic that it would be hard for anyone to measure up.

Super Bowl LVII is scheduled for Feb. 12. You can bet that plenty of Rihanna fans will be watching First Take on Feb. 13 to hear Smith’s assessment of her performance.

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Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.