Taylor Swift has received a public apology from a New York radio host after comments made by the host during the NBA Finals went viral, triggering backlash from fans and drawing renewed attention to the pop superstar’s high-profile appearance at the game.
The controversy quickly spread across social media, where Swift’s supporters expressed outrage at the remarks and turned what may have been a local radio moment into a national story.
ESPN New York analyst Monica McNutt was calling the radio broadcast of NBA Finals Game 4 on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden alongside play-by-play voice Tyler Murray when Swift appeared courtside. McNutt, the lead Knicks radio analyst on 880 ESPN NY, was caught making a seemingly derisive remark on a “hot mic” — that is, when she did not know she was on the air.
“Is that Taylor Swift? She’s not a Knicks fan. Get out of here, girl,” McNutt remarked, according to Sports Illustrated‘s Kristen Wong. The hosts believed the exchange would not go out over the air. Instead, clips spread immediately across X, TikTok and Instagram, drawing accusations from Swift’s fans that McNutt had dismissed the singer as a bandwagon fan.
McNutt’s Apology to Taylor Swift
GettyMonica McNutt apologized for a derisive remark about Taylor Swift.
McNutt addressed the fallout Thursday according to a report by TMZ.
“Swifties, I appreciate your passion. I said what I said and here’s the deal, if I’m wrong — and I am wrong apparently because we’ve got an OG Amar’e Stoudemire jersey. I misspoke. I apologize,” she said, as quoted by OutKick‘s Bobby Burack.
McNutt explained that she had been covering celebrity row at MSG and knew such regulars as Ben Stiller, Spike Lee and Fat Joe, but had not seen Swift at a Knicks game all season. She added that she had recently seen Swift courtside at a Cleveland Cavaliers playoff game with her fiancé, Travis Kelce, and that Swift arrived Wednesday without any Knicks gear.
“She didn’t have on any Knicks paraphernalia, so I did not know of her Knicks loyalty. But shoutout to T-Swift. We can be united in orange and blue, like, it’s fine,” McNutt said, as quoted by OutKick.
A Georgetown University alum with a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, McNutt joined ESPN in 2019 and has built a national profile across SportsCenter, First Take, NBA Today and NBA Finals radio coverage. She has been affiliated with the Knicks organization for roughly five years.
Swift’s Knicks History Goes Back More Than a Decade
Swift’s connection to the Knicks predates the current championship run by more than a decade — a history McNutt acknowledged that she was not aware of.
In a 2014 interview with TIME, Swift traced her MSG devotion back to childhood.
“I performed at Madison Square Garden’s Kids Talent Competition at halftime when I was 12 or 13,” she said. “Ever since then I’ve had this kind of sparkly, magical opinion of Madison Square Garden and the Knicks,” as quoted by TIME. She also cited a friendship with former Knick Amar’e Stoudemire.
For Game 4, Swift attended in a blue “Stevie Knicks” shirt with two of the Haim sisters — Este and Alana — and actress Mariska Hargitay. New York rallied from 29 points down to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
This is not McNutt’s first prominent controversy. In a 2025 BBC interview, she drew scrutiny for remarks about Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark’s fan base. Last August, a First Take clip went viral when she identified a Detroit Lions Barry Sanders jersey worn by comedian Druski as belonging to “Shedeur Sanders,” then quickly corrected herself, according to OutKick.
Taylor Swift Receives Apology After Viral NBA Finals Insult