The backlash from Harrison Butker's misogynistic and sexist comments at a college commencement speech continues to pour in.
Eddie Vedder, the lead singer of Pearl Jam, paused during a concert in Las Vegas to share his thoughts on the Chiefs' kicker. First, he noted that two of the band's female members "must not have believed that ‘diabolical lie’ that women should take pride in taking a back seat to their man," which was a direct reference to a phrase from Butker's speech.
Then, Vedder added that “there should be pride in homemaking if you’re a man or a woman … it’s one of the hardest jobs and you should definitely take pride in it, but you’re going to benefit by giving up your dreams?”
The kicker, though — yes, that pun was intended — was when Vedder called out the hypocrisy of Butker's statement juxtaposed with the Chiefs players' position on the field. He called out Butker's job and concluded with an expletive-laden assessment of Butker as a man.
Pearl Jam singer goes on expletive-laden rant against Chiefs' Harrison Butker
Vedder joked that since Butker is a kicker he doesn't see much physical action on the field — unlike a lot of his teammates. Vedder continued that Butker still acted tough despite his actual job.
“The irony was that the football player — well, kicker … You see the kicker doesn’t have the pads because he doesn’t tackle anybody or get tackled — but he started telling men, ‘Don’t forget to puff up your chest and be more masculine. Don’t lose your masculinity,'" Vedder said. "The irony was that when he was saying that, he looked like such a f---ing p---."
Here is a shortened version of the video, but you can watch the full diatribe on YouTube (NSFW):
Eddie Vedder just called out Harrison Butker and called him the ‘P’ word here in Vegas
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) May 19, 2024
‘There’s nothing more masculine than a strong man supporting a strong woman,’ he said.@PearlJam pic.twitter.com/8ABLNW3ON0
Vedder isn't the first to call out Butker, and he likely won't be the last.
The NFL already issued a statement denouncing Butker's views, as did the nuns of the college Butker spoke at. Journalist Maria Shriver also clapped back at Butker for his speech.
It's unclear if Butker will be reprimanded by the Chiefs for his views, and unlikely that he will lose his job for it. But at the very least, there is a lot of negative publicity around the Chiefs' kicker as KC looks to win its third consecutive Super Bowl.
