Hell hath no fury like the women scorned by Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker’s commencement speech
Butker's controversial graduation commencement speech has women and the rest of the internet angry. Now, they're speaking out, creating memes and response videos, and signing petitions against him.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s controversial graduation commencement speech, in which he expressed misogynistic and homophobic views, has women and the rest of the internet angry. Now, they’re speaking out, creating memes and response videos, and signing petitions against him.
During his speech last weekend at Benedictine College, a Catholic liberal arts school in Kansas, Butker went on for 20 minutes about his personal feelings about the world, railing against the COVID-19 lockdown, his views against abortion, and Pride month.
At one point, he addressed the women graduates in the room, telling them that he assumes they’re more excited about their lives as homemakers than their diplomas or careers. He called this role the “most important” title women can hold, and said women shouldn’t use birth control.
Predictably, it hasn’t gone over well.
As clips of the speech circulate on social media, people — especially women — are responding to Butker’s rant with a combination of memes, clapbacks, and action items.
On Instagram, the Chiefs’ recent posts have been spammed with comments about the incident.
“Unfortunately I’m not married or with child so I won’t be able to watch this year because I must prepare for my duties at home,” one of the top comments said. “Hope I can see the TV from my vocation in the kitchen!” quipped another. Others took a more serious tone: “Your silence is telling. What an example to the new girl fans that the Chiefs acquired this year.”
Reports quickly uncovered that Butker’s own mother, Elizabeth Butker, is a clinical medical physicist.
During his speech, Butker also referenced Taylor Swift. He quoted her lyrics, but only referred to the global pop star and billionaire as “my teammate’s girlfriend.” Swift has spoken in support of abortion rights and Pride month.
Ironically, she’s probably also responsible for part of Butker and his team’s higher profile, with reports showing her engagement with the Chiefs this season made the NFL as much as $331.5 million. Swifties are now responding to Butker with another Swift lyric, calling him “the smallest man who ever lived.”
Content creators continue to respond to Butker’s comments on TikTok and other platforms.
“I’ve been a full-time stay-at-home-mom at times and the main bread winner at others,” said content creator Noell Jett, who runs @JettSetFarmhouse on Instagram and TikTok. “Having the choice is the whole point.”
@jettsetfarmhouse I’ve been a full-time SAHM at times & the main bread winner at others, having the choice is the whole point. Reducing a womans value solely to her role as a wife and mother is the diabolical lie that I was told my entire childhood in Christian fundamentalism. #harrisonbutker ♬ original sound - Noell-Mom of the Jett Set
On X (formerly Twitter), Lisa Guerrero — a former Monday Night Football sideline reporter who also worked for the NFL — directed a tweet at the NFL saying, “if you want to continue to grow your female fan base and any other marginalized group (straight white men are already watching your product), come get your boy.”
Stefanie Hills, a former Chiefs cheerleader who said she cheered for Butker for six seasons, also criticized the kicker in a viral TikTok with nearly 2 million views.
“The best part of your speech was when you said ‘Stay in your lane’ 10-plus times,” Hills said. “Bruh, take your own advice. Kick some balls around.”
A spokesperson for the NFL said Wednesday that Butker’s speech was in his “personal capacity,” and his views don’t reflect the organization’s.
“The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger,” the organization said. Benedictine College and the Chiefs have not commented as of publication time. But other teams have.
As part of its game schedule release video, the Los Angeles Chargers put a Sims player resembling Butker and dressed in his jersey number in the kitchen making food.
Some celebrities have also spoken out against Butker’s comments, including actor Bradley Whitford, author and journalist Maria Shriver, and noted Swiftie Flavor Flav.
“Sounds like some players ‘need to stay in their lanes’ and shouldn’t be giving commencement speeches,” Flav wrote on X.
The speech has also been lauded by members of the religious right. Butker identifies as a devout Catholic and speaks openly about his faith and conservative politics.
Since his speech has circulated, a Change.org petition demanding the NFL dismiss Butker has collected nearly 100,000 signatures.
“How offensive to imply women are put here on this planet to help a man reach his full potential. We should be empowering women to achieve greatness however that looks for them,” one of the signers wrote. “Having children or being a mother isn’t the currency we must pay to be treated as equal members of this society.”