Everyone is talking about Harrison Butker.
He’s the Kansas City Chiefs kicker who pissed off your mom, your sister, and every Taylor Swift fan breathing with this controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College.
Yet, there are still some who are defending his words. No, not the NFL. Not his teammate, Travis Kelce. It turns out, Whoopi Goldberg is fighting for Harrison’s right to say all these deplorable things.
And maybe she has a point?
Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs speaks to the media during Kansas City Chiefs media availability ahead of Super Bowl LVIII at Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa on February 08, 2024 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
What Did Harrison Butker Say?
Before we get into the rebuttal, let’s recap the word vomit Harrison spewed during his speech.
The Kansas City Chiefs player made headlines after he shared his sexist and anti-LGBTQIA+ beliefs with a room full of college graduates. Yes, he was speaking at a Catholic school, and yes, he did get an overwhelming positive reaction from the people actually in the room where it happened. Reportedly, he got a standing ovation.
However, the global audience who caught his act had a much different reaction, especially the working women.
“I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” Harrison said, before lavishing on about how great the Tradwife life is.
“How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
As you can image, his remarks did not sit well with most people, which is why it was a topic on The View.
Whoopi Goldberg attends the 2023 Bring Change To Mind Gala at City Winery on October 09, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Whoopi Goldberg Defends Harrison Butker’s Controversial Speech
“Listen, I like when people say what they need to say. He’s at a Catholic college, he’s a staunch Catholic, these are his beliefs, and he’s welcome to them,” Whoopi Goldberg began as the panel of The View talked about Harrison’s speech.
She was quick to clarify that people do “not have to believe” or “accept” his beliefs, before heeding the warning that they should “respect” them.
“We wanna give respect to people whose ideas are different from ours,” she explained.
“I’m OK with him saying whatever he says, and the women who were sitting there, if they take his advice, good for them, they’ll be happy. If they don’t, good for them, they’ll be happy in a different way. That’s my attitude,” she said.
But Whoopi was quite alone in this feeling, especially when she compared Harrison’s speech to Colin Kaepernick’s activism.
Alyssa Farah Griffin had a “huge issue” with him praising the role of a “homemaker” when he also “ignores half of the Bible” which encourages women to be “leaders in the community.” Meanwhile. Joy Behar simply added that the guy needed “a therapist.”
Several Other Celebrities Slam His Speech: Don’t Speak For Us!
While Whoopi was ready to play devil’s advocate and defend Harrison Butker, other female celebrities pounced on him for his remarks.
“Who is [Butker] to tell us?” Jenna Bush Hager quipped when the topic came up on Today. Hoda Kotb agreed, adding, “Don’t speak for us. I think that’s kind of the thing. Stop speaking for women out there.”
Maria Shriver went in hard on Harrison, demanding he learn some “dignity and respect”
“As a woman who has leaned into my vocation of living a meaningful life inside and outside the home to not only raise good humans but also raise up our country in various ways, I think it’s demeaning to women to imply that their choices outside of wife and motherhood pale in comparison to that of a homemaker,” Maria said in her lengthy statement shared on X.
But it was perhaps Maren Morris who put it best on Instagram. For weeks, women have been weighing in on a viral question: Would you rather be alone in the woods with a man or with a bear?
After listening to listening to this guy’s bigoted nonsense, Maren took to her social media to share her answer. “I choose the bear,” she wrote.
Same, Maren. SAME.
Whoopi Defends Harrison Butker’s Sexist Speech, Everyone Else Slams His Every Word was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.