Featured Image Credit: Al Bello / Staff / Getty
We imagine some awkward conversations are going on right now, after a reporter at an NBA game appeared to diss Taylor Swift while chatting courtside.
NBA games are known to have plenty of A-list guests, with the legendary Jack Nicholson being a famous Los Angeles Lakers fan, Barack Obama supporting the Chicago Bulls, and Beyoncé flying her colors for the Brooklyn Nets.
The Knicks have their own Celebrity Row, where you might spot the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, and Jerry Seinfeld, but strict rules must be abided by.
Taylor Swift took her seat among a galaxy of stars during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, but an awkward hot mic moment with New York Knicks lead radio analyst Monica McNutt suggests her appearance came as a surprise.
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As Mark Zuckerberg will tell you after his own White House hot mic, these moments tend to be a toe-curling experience for more than just those involved, so strap in for five of the most iconic hot mic moments in pop culture history.
The Knicks' radio group was discussing a possible sighting of Taylor Swift, with McNutt adding: "She's not a Knicks fan, get out of here, girl." Swift was quickly defended by Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy, who took to X to say: "Damn. Hate to see [Monica McNutt] hating on Taylor Swift. Lots of new faces in the crowd. Don’t see her singling them out. Knicks are falling apart at the seams."
Others jumped in with their own anecdotes about Swift's vocal support of the Knicks, and at the time of writing, McNutt hasn't responded.
The 44th President of the United States made his feelings on Kanye West clear during a CNBC chat in 2009. The hot mic moment happened when he was discussing the MTV Music Awards and the viral moment that West interrupted Taylor Swift. Obama referred to him as a 'jackas*' and quickly clarified the comment should've been off the record. The former POTUS returned to the idea in 2012, clarifying: "He is a jackass, but he's talented." We wonder if Obama's opinion has changed, especially given West's more recent views.
Taylor Swift is again in the conversation, this time over Billie Eilish's headlining slot at Coachella 2022. As the "Bad Guy" singer tore up the stage, a hot mic moment picked up someone apparently saying: "We're getting sued by Taylor Swift tonight." Although it's never been confirmed who the culprit was, it's widely considered that the mic picked up Eilish's own brother, Finneas. It's thought that the comment came after Eilish brought musician Damon Albarn, who made comments about Swift's songwriting abilities shortly before the festival.
Learning that your partner is filing for divorce must be tough enough as it is, let alone when the rest of the world learns via a hot mic moment. Ahead of The Real Housewives of Miami's fifth season in 2022, it was confirmed that Dr. Lenny Hochstein and Lisa Hochstein had split. We weren't quite prepared for how that played out, with Lenny caught chatting to a friend during his wife's "Good Vibes" party. The vibes soon changed when Hochstein told one of his friends: “In a couple months, I might be single too." The plastic surgeon continued: "Same stuff it’s always been, you know, ‘I do anything I want, whenever I want, and you stay home and go to work and come back'." When asked if he was still wearing a mic, Hochstein concluded: "Why do you think I’m whispering?"
The Jeffrey Epstein scandal continues to grip the world, and while we could sit here all day going over who called out his behavior over the years and who's been accused of remaining friends with him after details emerged, few compare to Amy Robach. In 2019, the ABC News anchor was caught calling out the network during a Good Morning America commercial break. In a clip, Robach complained that an interview with an alleged victim of Epstein and Prince Andrew was 'quashed': "The Palace found out and threatened us a million different ways."
ABC News said there was "zero truth" to the claim, while Buckingham Palace reiterated that "this is a matter for ABC."
Compared to some of the above, we'd say McNutt's hot mic isn't too bad in comparison.
