Someone play "The Man" or "You Need to Calm Down" by Taylor Swift for Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, please.
Social media users deemed the 28-year-old athlete "one of the most hated men in North America" after he delivered a controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, on Saturday, May 11.
During his speech, Butker singled out the female graduates sitting in the audience before essentially telling them to focus less on the degree they just spent roughly four years earning and more on marrying a man and becoming a stay-at-home mom — which inevitably ticked off those who spent decades fighting for women's rights.
"For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you," the Georgia native declared.
Butker continued: "How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world."
At one point, Butker referenced lyrics from Swift's 2022 song "Bejeweled" — which is quite shocking considering the 14-time Grammy winner has openly advocated for the equality of women in the workplace and in everyday life.
"As my teammate’s girlfriend says, 'familiarity breeds contempt,'" he said, referring to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce — who started dating Swift last summer.
Butker went on to shout out his wife, Isabelle, whom he tied the knot with in 2018, claiming she'd be the "first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother."
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The NFL kicker said his wife is the reason he's "the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation."
"I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith and become my wife and embrace one of the most important titles of all — homemaker," Butker added.
To no surprise, the questionable speech was torn apart by social media users.
"Harrison Butker, a dude I had never heard of until today, did a bang-up job of becoming one of the most hated men in North America in the space of one 20-minute speech full of bigotry and misogyny. F--- this guy. This is insane," one person snubbed, as another added: "I was perfectly happy not knowing Harrison Butker exists."
"Harrison Butker telling women at their COLLEGE GRADUATION that they’ve been lied to & they’ll be more fulfilled as homemakers is……. something. The ACTUAL audacity some of y'all have is truly insane," a third user declared, while a fourth suggested, "maybe the bigoted, misogynistic, homophobic @Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker just needs to listen [to] more music from Travis Kelce's girlfriend."
"I dare Harrison Butker to tell Taylor Swift she has no value unless she is a wife, mother, and homemaker," a fifth critic stated.
