At this point, ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky is just as well known for his peculiar habits, particularly his food preferences, and life-hack hot takes as he is for his football takes.
All the way back in May 2022, Orlovsky exposed that he will only tolerate birthday cake if it’s “ice cream cake because normal cake is gross,” much to the disgust of his NFL Live cohorts.
Then, in April 2023, Orlovsky appeared on The Dan Le Batard Show and flaunted his love for plain chicken. “For me, I’m just like, yo, just give me chicken, and I’m fine,” he said. “I routinely just eat plain, grilled chicken. Not seasoned. Just give me a piece of chicken, grill it, cook it, and I’ll just cube that up and eat it.”
This all came back around on Monday’s NFL Live episode, as host Laura Rutledge presented Orlovsky with bland chicken breasts with a birthday candle stuck in the middle. Orlovsky turns 43 on Tuesday.
A cake only @danorlovsky7 can appreciate 😅 pic.twitter.com/64SBaAW87e
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 17, 2026
“I don’t understand the gripe with grilled chicken,” Orlovsky said. “I’m actually gonna eat it.”
Rutledge asked him to make a wish, predicting he would “wish for every quarterback to be under center at all times.”
Orlovsky confirmed that he wished for “more under center, more play action, more using of the tight ends.”
Orlovsky blew out the candle before taking a bite with no condiments or sauces, much less icing, in sight. “It’s cold. It’s good!” he said while eating. “That’s actually pretty good. I don’t understand why people hate.”
Mina Kimes alternated between laughing and staring in silence from her remote box. “Happy birthday, buddy,” she said.
Orlovsky may welcome playful backlash to his chicken birthday cake after enduring the past week of ruthless criticism for loving Pat McAfee’s new album and publishing his controversial quarterback rankings.
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Since first getting published as a student by the Kansas City Star in 2013, Megan Armstrong has gone wherever curiosity and stories have taken her, specializing in sports, media, music, and culture coverage. She also has an extensive background in interviewing and profiling public figures. Her work has appeared in Billboard, Boardroom, Bleacher Report, Esquire, GQ, GRAMMY.com, NYLON, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter, UPROXX, and elsewhere.