ESPN’s First Take program just got a whole lot better.
That’s according to fans who went wild at Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson’s guest appearance on ESPN’s flagship show alongside Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A Smith.
The former NFL star, who was inside the studio located in Manhattan, New York, got off to a hilarious start when discussing top NFL prospect Travis Hunter‘s comments.
The future NFL draftee claimed that playing both sides in the NFL is harder than MLB star Shohei Othani hitting and pitching, to which Ochocinco was quick to shut down.
“The two most difficult things in life are hitting a baseball and keeping a woman happy long term,” Ochocinco joked.
Overall, Ochocinco had a strong debut on the show with fans quick to praise his performance.
A flurry of comments on social media called for him to become a First Take regular.
“Shannon bringing the heat with a side of Chad and a sprinkle of Stephen’s vibes,” one fan posted on X.
“Now that’s how you step out @ochocinco! He popped out and showed,” another fan added.
“He looked great, sounded even better,” another fan wrote on X.
“Sign him up on the show forever,” one fan added, wanting Ochocinco to become permanent on the show.
Ochocinco’s appearances online are currently dominated by his podcast show Nightcap with Sharpe.
Since Sharpe regularly appears on First Take, the potential for Ochocinco to also appear on the ESPN program doesn’t appear beyond the realms of possibility.
First Take is highly successful and is rated as the number one morning sports show in the US.
The weekday show averaged 451,000 viewers in June last year compared to 56,000 for Skip Bayless’ rival Undisputed on FS1.
Sharpe, who is now on First Take, left the Fox Sports show rather acrimoniously in June 2023
First Take posted its most-watched year ever in 2023, averaging 496,000 viewers.
Last year, First Take accumulated 250 million views on YouTube and in December alone, it had 25 million views.
With Sharpe and Smith, ESPN have found a successful duo and the addition of Ochocinco could elevate the program even further.
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