Harrison Butker Responds to Backlash Over His Controversial Speech

Harrison Butker is talking out about his controversial graduation speech, saying he’s “saddened” by some reactions to his Could 2024 feedback about ladies being stay-at-home mothers.

“I’m positively saddened [some people] took it in a poor method,” the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs kicker, 29, mentioned on Fox Information’ The Ingraham Angle on Thursday, October 10. “I used to be speaking to a selected crowd that I believe was capable of perceive what I used to be attempting to say.”

He continued: “However I used to be attempting to talk life for therefore many ladies which have devoted their life to being the homemaker, being the one which raises the youngsters. And it’s a lovely position, however it’s not a task that must be diminished.”

Throughout his speech at Benedictine Faculty’s commencement in Atchison, Kansas in Could, Butker notably went after LGBTQIA+ rights, slammed IVF as a household planning technique, and asserted that there are “diabolical lies instructed to ladies” about working outdoors of the house.

Butker, who appeared on Fox Information alongside Republican senator Josh Hawley, instructed host Laura Ingraham that it was, maybe, “countercultural to talk these values,” however he wished to make clear the sacrifices his mom, Elizabeth Butker, and spouse, Isabelle Butker, made for his household.

“There’s nothing shameful in case you are a lady and also you need to spend time with your loved ones and lift your kids, so it’s not placing down anybody who possibly desires to go get an important schooling and have a profession,” he mentioned. “But it surely’s extra speaking about how lovely it’s for ladies to possibly simply step apart and prioritize their household and spend time with their kids and lift their household. And that’s what I used to be simply attempting to talk love about.”

Harrison and Isabelle, 28, share three kids — son James, 5, and two different children whose names and ages have but to be disclosed.

In his speech, Butker praised Isabelle for permitting him to be an NFL participant, saying, “It can’t be overstated that every one of my success is made doable as a result of a woman I met in band class again in center faculty would convert to the [Catholic] religion and turn into my spouse and embrace one of the crucial vital titles of all — homemaker.”

The three-time Tremendous Bowl champion additionally spoke on to feminine graduates on the time, telling them: “A few of you might go on to steer profitable careers on the planet, however I might enterprise to guess that almost all of you might be most enthusiastic about your marriage and the youngsters you’ll carry into this world.”

Butker’s feedback obtained criticism from the likes of Maria Shriver, Serena Williams, Hoda Kotb and Flava Flav. His Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce — whose girlfriend, Taylor Swift, is the richest feminine musician on the planet with an estimated web price of $1.6 billion — mentioned he doesn’t agree with Butker’s stance on womanhood however nonetheless helps him as a buddy.

“I can’t say I agree with the vast majority of it or simply about any of it outdoors of simply him loving his household and his children and I don’t suppose that I ought to choose him by his views, particularly his non secular views, of how you can go about life. That’s simply not who I’m,” he mentioned on his “New Heights” podcast in Could.

Travis’ brother Jason Kelce agreed, including, “There’s all the time going to be opinions that everyone shares that you just’re going to disagree with. And make no mistake about it, quite a lot of the issues he mentioned in his graduation speech are usually not issues that I align myself with. However, he’s giving a graduation speech at a Catholic college, and, shocker, it ended up being a really non secular and Catholic speech.”