Reporter apologises after hot mic caught her ‘dissing’ Taylor Swift at basketball game
Topics: Taylor Swift, Celebrity, Sport
Greg Harris
Featured Image Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images
Topics: Taylor Swift, Celebrity, Sport
The reporter who was headed criticising Taylor swift at a recent NBA game has issued an apology.
The 36-year-old singer attended Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. It was a major game for fans of the team as they are now one game away from their first NBA championship since 1973.
Swift was one of many famous famous sitting courtside but while Swifties were excited to see the star, her appearance sparked a social media debate after New York Knicks lead radio analyst Monica McNutt was caught on a hot mic making a very pointed remark.
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During the broadcast, the radio team appeared to be trying to confirm whether Swift was inside the arena. As they scanned the crowd, someone could be heard asking: "Is that Taylor Swift down there?"
Once Swift was located, McNutt quickly responded: "She's not a Knicks fan, get out of here, girl."
The comment quickly spread online, prompting strong reactions from fans and media personalities alike.
In the past, she's been pictured with her arm around former Knicks player Jerome Williams, and also photographed attending 2014 games with super-fan Ben Stiller and Amanda Seyfried and a 2015 game with Jimmy Fallon.
Fans rushed to defend Swift, emphasising that she has been a Knicks fan for many years.
McNutt responded to fans, saying: “Swifties, I appreciate your passion. I said what I said. And here’s the deal, if I’m wrong—I am wrong, apparently, because she’s got an OG Amar’e Stoudemire jersey… I misspoke. I did not know, but here’s the deal,” she told TMZ.
“Context: I literally just did a piece on celebrity row. I’ve been with the organisation for five years. I know these folks. Ben Stiller. His wife, Christine. Spike Lee. All of them. Fat Joe. I had not seen her here this year or last year, and we just saw her in Cleveland with her fiancé.”
She continued: “Obviously, Travis supports the Cavs. She didn’t have on any Knicks paraphernalia, so I did not know of her Knicks loyalty. But shoutout to T-Swift. We can be united in orange and blue, like, it’s fine.”
Swift was spotted in May with Kelce at Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on 23 May as the Cavaliers hosted the Knicks.
At the recent game, Swift wore 'Stevie Knicks' shirt and was joined by the Haim sisters and Mariska Hargitay, with the Law & Order: SVU star sporting the same T-shirt.
Fans will have to wait and see if the 'Blank Space' star returns to the court for the highly anticipated final game later this month.