On Thursday, ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today seethed with disgust at Christians and anyone who values being a parent over their careers (or any other accomplishment or trait) in light of the Benedictine College commencement address by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, which they deemed “controversial” and worthy of “backlash” and “growing outrage” for going “too far” by stressing the inherent importance of parenting.
“Commencement controversy. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker under fire for his message to women during a graduation speech...Inside the growing uproar he sparked,” scoffed Today co-host Hoda Kotb in a tease in between a clip of Butker saying he’d “guess...the majority of” female graduates before him are “most excited about” marriage and parenting than “successful careers” they might lead.
Kotb — who’s had a long, public journey to parenthood and adoption — apparently was incensed by Butker’s remarks.
In a second tease, co-host (and best-selling Christian author) Savannah Guthrie boasted of “growing outrage” against Butker for the “controversial graduation speech” and correspondent Kaylee Hartung whined the kicker’s “remarks have stunned many”.
Early in her full report on the faux controversy, Hartung bragged that “many” saw his support for Catholicism and strong families as having gone “too far”.
Check out how Hartung was enraged by the notion that someone would argue being a parent is a high calling (click “expand”):
HARTUNG: In a controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College over the weekend, three-time Super Bowl champion Harrison Butker railing against everything from President Biden to Pride Month to IVF and speaking directly to the women in the audience.
BUTKER [on 05/14/24]: Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring.
HARTUNG: Invoking his own family —
BUTKER [on 05/14/24]: My beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as mother. [SCREEN WIPE] That all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school — [CRIES] would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all, homemaker.
HARTUNG: — Butker also criticizing gay rights when telling the students to take pride in their school —
BUTKER [on 05/14/24]: Not the deadly sin sort of pride that has the entire month dedicated to it.
HARTUNG: — and had a message for the men.
BUTKER [on 05/14/24]: Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men
HARTUNG: The NFL responding saying “Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity” and “his views are not those of the league”.
Hartung snidely added that “[w]hile outrage builds online...some pointing out the Georgia native’s own mother is a physicist in the Department of Oncology at Emory.”
Of course, Butker said nothing of the sort about women being barred/discouraged from the workforce. Follow this link to read his full speech.
After melting down about Butker throwing in a Taylor Swift reference, she attempted to claim “some students” were “left hurt by the experience” based on a single TikTok video and lamented “Butker hasn’t responded to the firestorm” he “ignited.”
Hartung even seemed to voice support for this mob rule by gushing “the court of public opinion is in session.”
Co-host Craig Melvin reacted to this by kissing up to longtime liberal NBC journalist Maria Shriver: “I would encourage folks to check out the Maria Shriver rebuttal posted online.”
Kotb concurred: “[T]hat may be the — the best takedown if you’re looking for that.”
Irony alert: Melvin released a children’s book two weeks ago that focused on — yes — the joy of having children.
ABC’s Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts made her intentions clear in a tease: “Kansas City chiefs kicker facing backlash for his commencement speech remarks on gay rights, abortion and women’s role in society.”
With the chyrons “Chiefs Kicker Under Fire for Commencement Speech” and “Faces Backlash for Comments on Abortion, Gay Rights & Women”, correspondent Stephanie Ramos kvetched that he made “headlines for remarks off the field” and “sound[ed] off about working women” and “referr[ed] to Pride Month, which celebrates the LGBTQ community, as a deadly sin.”
Ramos even brought in Kate Ellis, the CEO and president of GLAAD — the far-left organization that believes biological men can be women if they feel like it — to denounce Butker for voicing “such an outdated antiquated view on LGBTQ women and women and using religion in a way.”
Ramos also pointed to the supposed outrage from Taylor Swift fans, but had the decency to concede Butker “did receive a standing ovation from the graduates — from many graduates and some attendees there.”
The almost always self-centered Roberts then had the gall to complain “usually, the commencement address is about the graduates, not about your personal views”.
That’s interesting since Roberts talked about herself in 2015 when giving the Emerson College commencement address. Or that, later in the show, the team approved of Jennifer Coolidge talking about her career journey at the Washington State University commencement.
Since the joy and significance of parenthood should be at least downgraded behind, say, one’s career, then why did they have subsequent segments about Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner co-parenting despite no longer being together, Olivia Munn discussing freezing her eggs before a hysterectomy in the face of a breast cancer diagnosis, and gushing over David Beckham talking about how much his wife and children mean to him?
To see the relevant transcripts from May 16, click here (for ABC) and here (for NBC).
