Monica McNutt Reacts to Taylor Swift Racism Claims

New York Knicks radio analyst Monica McNutt defended herself from claims of racism after her hot mic criticism of Taylor Swift went viral. 

“Even if you call out race being super peace of mind, I’m just making an observation of what is happening,” McNutt, 36, said on the Friday, June 12, broadcast of The Breakfast Club morning show. “Quickly people were like, ‘Oh, you’re racist.’ No, I’m kind of stating a fact. But we have had to live in the fact and it makes everybody else uncomfortable.”

McNutt was caught on a hot mic before Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, June 10, calling out Swift, 36, as she was entering Madison Square Garden. 

“She’s not a Knicks fan. Get out of here, girl,” McNutt said, which spread like wildfire on social media. 

“I didn’t even remember saying it, y’all,” McNutt said on Friday. “It was just like, ‘Oh girl, get out of here. I ain’t seen you all year.’ But words are powerful, the way the story gets told. All of these things come into play.”

The Breakfast Club cohost Loren LoRosa argued that while critics of McNutt “aren’t pointing” to race being a factor, it’s “there.”

“It’s implied,” McNutt agreed. “Because if I was in a different body, it would be nothing.”

The rest of The Breakfast Club crew had McNutt’s back, with cohost Jess Hilarious saying, “If it was a Black woman, it wouldn’t have even been a story.”

“There was no way for them to make that Taylor Swift moment a Black or white thing,” host Charlamagne Tha God added. “I heard a person who is a basketball analyst — and just a basketball fan — [saying], ‘Girl, when did she become a Knicks fan? Girl, get out of here.’ It’s just regular sports conversation.”

McNutt broke her silence about the controversy during an interview with TMZ Sports on Thursday, June 11. 

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“I misspoke. I did not know,” McNutt said, referencing Swift’s years-long fandom of the Knicks. 

McNutt, who works for ESPN and covers the Knicks for the MSG Network, explained that she’s close with the regular celebrities who attend games, which led to her confusion.

“I literally just did a piece on Celebrity Row,” McNutt told TMZ. “I’ve been with this organization for five years. I know these folks. Ben Stiller [and] his wife, Christine [Taylor], Spike Lee, Fat Joe. I had not seen her here this year or last year.”