Former ESPN host Britt McHenry has sparked uproar after being seen throwing a drink on a fan and getting booed out of an NBA game on Wednesday evening.
McHenry, who joined the Trump administration as the US State Department press advisor last month, was in attendance for the Washington Wizards’ season-opener against the Milwaukee Bucks when the shocking confrontation occurred.
In a video obtained by TMZ, McHenry was seen standing up and throwing the drink on a fan sat beside her, before quickly making her way out of the Capital One Arena.
President Trump’s press advisor appeared to be targeted by projectiles from other fans sat near her as she exited the arena.
According to the outlet, however, there was more to the story. Sources claim that McHenry had intervened after fans, who were sat behind her, made disparaging remarks about Bucks star Kyle Kuzma’s fiancee, Winnie Harlow, who has vitiligo.
Another source told Page Six: ‘They were saying he plays terribly because his girlfriend’s ugly’ along with other ‘terrible’ remarks.
Former ESPN host Britt McHenry sparked uproar after viral footage showed her throwing a drink on a fan while attending a Washington Wizards game on Wednesday evening
McHenry recently joined the Trump administration as the US State Department press advisor
Page Six’s source claims that McHenry asked the heckling fan to ‘ease up’, which led to them turning their attention to the former ESPN host.
The source adds that the male fan allegedly shouted ‘misogynistic’ insults towards McHenry before throwing their drink at her, leading to the 40-year-old retaliating.
In TMZ’s video, she was seen throwing the drink at the fan before leaving her seat. As she left, a number of objects were hurled in her direction.
Despite other fans throwing items at her, McHenry appeared unfazed as she blew kisses to the crowd and waved upon exiting.
That seemed to change once she entered the arena’s concourse, however, where she was seen in a heated dispute with a staffer who was directing her to leave.
However, a TMZ source close to McHenry claimed that she was not kicked out and, rather, left on her own accord to head to the bar.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the US State Department for comment.
The ordeal comes just over a month after McHenry revealed she had accepted an appointment to serve as a press advisor to the diplomatic agency, working under Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
McHenry announced the move by sharing a picture of herself by the official seal in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington.
‘It is true,’ McHenry wrote on X. ‘I am honored to serve as a newly appointed press advisor to the State Department, our country’s highest diplomatic institution. Proud to serve for and work alongside some truly incredible people.’
A source claime that McHenry intervened after overhearing fans making disparaging remarks about Winnie Harlow – fiancee of Bucks star Kyle Kuzma – who has vitiligo
The source claimed that McHenry was not kicked out but, rather, left on her own accord
Writing in a separate post on LinkedIn, McHenry added: ‘I am beyond excited to start this new chapter today and am thankful to every person who helped me in pursuing and achieving this opportunity.
‘For 17 years, I have worked on camera covering the news. Now, I get to take that experience and apply it to our country’s highest diplomatic agency.
‘As a fellow Floridian, I have followed and admired Secretary Marco Rubio’s political career from its inception to the outstanding leadership he shows today in the Administration,’ McHenry wrote.
‘He has appointed an exceptional staff, and I look forward to serving them and our nation.’
The appointment marks the latest chapter in a turbulent media career that has seen McHenry frequently entangled in high-profile workplace scandals and legal battles.
She spent three years as a Washington DC-based reporter for ESPN before being fired in 2017 during a sweeping round of company layoffs.
During her tenure at ESPN, McHenry made headlines in 2015 when she was suspended after security footage caught her berating a towing company clerk.
She later issued an apology, admitting that she ‘allowed my emotions to get the best of me’ during an intense moment.
Following her ESPN exit, McHenry transitioned toward right-wing political commentary, making appearances on Fox News Media and Fox 5 DC.
McHenry, a former ESPN host of Arlington, Virginia, alleged that for months in 2018 that Tyrus sent her sexually explicit text messages as they both worked on their show Un-PC
In 2019, she filed an explosive sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News and co-host George ‘Tyrus’ Murdoch, accusing him of sending sexually explicit text messages and claiming the network retaliated against her after she complained.
In her lawsuit, filed in New York district court, McHenry claimed she ‘suffered humiliation, emotional anguish, derailment of her career and significant loss of economic opportunities’ after she raised concerns about Tyrus, a former WWE wrestler whose real name is George Murdoch.
McHenry had alleged that for months, in 2018, Tyrus sent her sexually explicit text messages as they both worked on their show Un-PC. She said when she complained, Fox Nation executive Jennifer Rauchet, who was also named in the lawsuit, told her she was ‘replaceable.’ Tyrus had denied the allegations.
The lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed by both parties in 2021 after reaching a confidential settlement.
