Monica McNutt Questions How Hot Mic Moment Criticizing Taylor Swift Spread Online

Monica McNutt Questions How Hot Mic Moment Criticizing Taylor Swift Spread Online

Monica McNutt; Taylor SwiftCredit: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty; Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Knicks broadcaster Monica McNutt is questioning how her hot mic comments about Taylor Swift during Game 4 of the NBA Finals were made public

McNutt called the moment when she questioned Swift’s Knicks fandom as the “epitome of a hot mic situation”

“I’m still mystified and would love someone to explain how that got to the masses, but we’ll leave that there,” she said

Knicks broadcaster Monica McNutt wants someone to explain how her hot mic comments about Taylor Swift were made public.

McNutt, 37, described the backlash she got from the hot mic moment — in which she questioned Swift’s Knicks fandom as the singer, 36, attended Game 4 of the NBA Finals in June — as an “occupational hazard” on the Sunday, Oct. 25 episode of The Pivot, and questioned how the soundbite even circulated.

“Epitome of a hot mic situation,” McNutt said. “I’m still mystified and would love someone to explain how that got to the masses, but we’ll leave that there,” she continued.

Este Haim, Taylor Swift, and Mariska Hargitay attend Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 10, 2026 in New York City.Credit: Al Bello/Getty

During the June 10 game, McNutt and her co-broadcaster on the Knicks’ radio broadcast thought they were off-air as they talked about spotting Swift in courtside seats.

“She’s not a Knicks fan, get out of here, girl,” McNutt was caught saying.

McNutt explained on The Pivot that learned she was “going viral” later that game, just after OG Anunoby’s game-winning tip-in, and claimed at the time she did “not care” about the backlash.

“Dude, I don’t care. Did you just see that?! Like, I do not care,” McNutt recalled saying.

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Speaking about it now, the ESPN reporter called it a “throwaway comment” and said viewers “gotta be able to read a little colloquialism,” explaining that her telling Swift to “get out of here” did not mean “literally get out of here.”

Regarding any tension with Swift, 36, McNutt said, “Like, please, congratulations, you built the empire, you have an incredible fan base, I do not care,” before adding, “Although the next day was funny.”

McNutt said she was “able to have fun with it” and learned from the experience that social media is “not real.” McNutt added, “No one said anything about me to my face about that.”

Following the backlash for her comments about Swift, McNutt apologized and addressed the singer’s very loyal fanbase. “Swifties, I appreciate your passion. I said what I said and here’s the deal, if I’m wrong — and I am wrong apparently because we’ve got an OG Amar’e Stoudemire jersey,” she told TMZ, referring to an old photo of Swift posing with former Knicks players Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony while wearing Stoudemire’s jersey.

McNutt said she “misspoke” and “did not know” Swift has been a Knicks fan for years. “I had not seen her here, this year or last year, and we just saw her with her fiancé,” McNutt continued, referring to Swift joining then-fiancé Travis Kelce at a Cleveland Cavaliers game last month.

“Obviously, Travis supports the Cavs, but she didn’t have on any Knicks paraphernalia, so I did not know her Knicks loyalty, but shout out to T-Swift.”

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Source: Sports