ESPN personality Monica McNutt offered a mea culpa to Taylor Swift after questioning her fandom of the New York Knicks during Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals.
“I misspoke. I did not know,” McNutt, 36, told TMZ Sports on Thursday, June 11, referencing old pictures of Swift, 36, wearing Knicks gear throughout the years, which she was shown after the game.
McNutt was caught on a hot mic reacting to Swift’s entrance at Madison Square Garden before Game 4 on Wednesday, June 10, while broadcasting the game on the Knicks home radio network.
“She’s not a Knicks fan. Get out of here, girl,” McNutt was heard saying in a clip that went viral.
In her chat with TMZ, McNutt referenced one picture in particular that showed Swift wearing an Amar’e Stoudemire Knicks jersey in 2014, proving that the pop star was “in the trenches” as a Knicks fan.
“Swifties, I appreciate your passion,” McNutt said about the singer’s fans bringing it to her attention.
Still, McNutt argued that Swift hasn’t exactly proven her Knicks loyalty in recent seasons.
“I literally just did a piece on Celebrity Row,” McNutt said. “I’ve been with this organization for five years. I know these folks. Ben Stiller [and] his wife, Christine [Taylor], Spike Lee, Fat Joe. I had not seen her here this year or last year.”
McNutt added that Swift wasn’t rocking any Knicks gear when she attended Game 3 of the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers with her fiancé, Travis Kelce, last month.
“Obviously, Travis supports the Cavs,” she said. “She didn’t have on any Knicks paraphernalia. So I did not know of her Knicks loyalty.”
McNutt added, “But shout-out to T. Swift. We can be united in orange and blue.”
As for the controversy surrounding her comments, McNutt was aware that she was a hot topic — but she had other things to worry about.
“I knew it was a big deal on the internet, but I was too busy enjoying the actual game,” she boasted. “Because I got it like that.”
The Breakfast Club voiced their support for McNutt on Tuesday, similarly questioning why Swift was sitting courtside.
“Why is Taylor Swift a New York Knicks fan?” host Charlamagne Tha God asked. “How did this happen?”
Cohost DJ Envy added, “You’re from Reading, Pennsylvania. Stay down there with the [Philadelphia] 76ers.”
Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals shifts to San Antonio on Saturday, June, 13, with the Knicks one win away from capturing their first NBA title since 1973.
