Former ESPN personality, conservative pundit and human Twitter ratio Britt McHenry is no stranger to picking fights. It’s why she’s perhaps best known for berating a DMV worker back in 2015, leading to a suspension by the network for getting caught on camera telling the attendant to “lose some weight” and calling out their intelligence among other nasty comments. McHenry is back, and this time her opponent is the entire city of Cleveland.
On Twitter, McHenry responded to a message about LeBron leaving Cleveland, suggesting “the Metropolitan at the 9” and the people were nice, “other than that I got nothing.”
https://twitter.com/BrittMcHenry/status/1016895572509372416
When a local meteorologist pointed out some the nice areas and attractions, McHenry responded with this sarcastic remark.
Wow. Cleveland looks so beautiful. Need to schedule a vacation in the summer there stat! https://t.co/gJ3SIOTl3v
— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) July 11, 2018
After getting challenged by a local radio host, McHenry propped up her Northwestern University education while continuing to diss Cleveland. Apparently, McHenry got her geography wrong saying Chicago was “across the lake,” from Cleveland (the tweet has been deleted). McHenry denied the error.
Well, I did learn a few things from Northwestern University @adamthebullfan, you know the top university on a lake west of you that doesn’t bear the nickname “Mistake By the Lake.” Never thought that was nice to Cleveland. Visited plenty but like LeBron, I left. https://t.co/AcSS338thJ
— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) July 11, 2018
Acting like her shit doesn’t stink and choosing big targets to keep her name out there is sadly nothing new for McHenry.
McHenry has desperately tried to stay relevant with borderline nonsensical, anger-inducing takes since getting let go from ESPN.
Since departing the mothership, she said if mistreated Redskins cheerleaders “don’t want to be treated like a ‘sex object,’ perhaps don’t be one for $.” She called out Craig Sager Jr. for being the “same kid whose only connection to media is his famous dad,” near the anniversary of his father’s death. She’s also called former San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick’s $1 million donation a “tax write off” to “play you.” McHenry also insinuated she was demoted from ESPN (in a since-deleted Tweet) because “I was white and made too much money.” She also said “she wouldn’t make the claim without proof,” and suggested she was writing a book about it (she deleted that tweet too.)
McHenry’s post-ESPN career has been a mixed bag. Transitioning to politics and doing work for The Federalist and appearing on Fox News has helped solidify her among some Conservative viewers. But, McHenry isn’t insightful enough to continually get in this many beefs or to take seriously – regardless of political affiliation. Heck, I feel duped writing this piece.
Is Cleveland a perfect city? No. Is it worthy of some criticism? Sure. But there are ways of making those claims without coming off this petty. As Deadspin insightfully wrote, McHenry is awful at this. She makes big claims, can’t back them up and then deletes the evidence. Cleveland is doing just fine.
