Serena Williams delivеred a sharp rebuke to Harrison Butker during the ESPYs on Thursday evening, with Butker seated just a few feet away from her.
The 42-year-old tennis icon, hosting the event at the Dolby Theater, highlighted the meteoric rise of womеn’s sports throughout the night, celebrating achievements such as the increased popularity of the WNBA. Butker, who had previously sparked controversy with a commencement speech about womеn’s roles as ‘homemakers’, attended the ESPYs exactly two months after making those remarks to female university students in Kansas.
During a segment focused on womеn’s sports featuring Serena, her sister Venus, and comedian Quinta Brunson, Venus emphasized the significance of womеn’s sports, stating, “So go ahead and enjoy womеn’s sports like you would any other sports, because they are sports.” Serena followed up with a pointed comment directed at Butker: “Except you, Harrison Butker. We don’t need you.”
Adding to the statement, Brunson quipped, “At all. Like, ever.”
While the camera did not show Butker’s reaction in the audience, he had been spotted alone on the red carpet earlier and was confirmed to be present at the ceremony in Los Angeles.
In the same segment, hosts also addressed Pat McAfee over controversial remarks he made about Caitlin Clark on his ESPN show. Serena, Venus, and Quinta emphasized respecting female athletes by using terms like “athletes, competitors, champions, and dumba**,” with Serena concluding, “Call them whatever you want… just don’t call them the b-word. You know who you are.”
Butker, a highly accomplished NFL kicker with three Supеr Bowl titles and the second-highest career field goal percentage in NFL history (89.1%), faced backlash following his May speech at Benedictine College, where he discussed traditional gender roles and his Christian beliefs.
Despite the criticism, Butker expressed no regrets about his statements, affirming his commitment to his faith and values at subsequent public appearances, including one at the White House with the Kansas City Chiefs to celebrate their 2022 Supеr Bowl victory.
