Dan Orlovsky made his first appearance on First Take in three weeks and he promptly caused Stephen A. Smith to walk off set.
During Orlovsky’s three-week break from ESPN, he vacationed in Hawaii, prompting Smith to ask whether the NFL analyst decided to splurge for first class tickets on the more than 11-hour flight to Honolulu. And when Orlovsky said he opted to fly coach, Smith quickly left the set.
“Row 37,” Orlovsky said.
“You flew your wife coach?” Smith asked with disgust.
“My wife, my kids, my mother-in-law,” Orlovsky clarified. “12 hours. And on the way home, nonstop, red-eye through the night…Row 37. Very last row. And honestly, during the middle of the flight, I’m going, ‘I don’t regret not buying first class.’ The money I saved.”
Credit Orlovsky for being a regular dude who flies coach. His eating habits might not be relatable, but his flying habits appear to be.
This isn’t the first time Orlovsky’s flight preferences have been a topic on First Take. Back in 2023, Smith was stunned to learn the former NFL quarterback splurged for first class tickets when flying with his wife to Germany. Smith, however, was much less impressed when he later found out Orlovsky nabbed the tickets by bidding for an upgrade. Stunned to learn his bid won, Orlvosky said he end up spending about $400 for a $12,000 ticket. What Smith calls cheap, others call smart.
Orlovsky has four kids. Smith wants him to shell out first class money on seven tickets? Or maybe he expected Orlovsky to only splurge on first class tickets for him and his wife, while sending his children and mother-in-law back to coach.
Either way, that’s a lot of money for someone who recently alluded to an uncertain future at ESPN, as Orlovsky did a few weeks ago. Orlovsky is in the middle of negotiating a new contract with ESPN. And while his expected return will undoubtedly be for a healthy a paycheck, it won’t come close to the $20 million per year contract Smith is reportedly nearing with the network.