A Fox Sports Radio host tried to make a point about ESPN’s speech norms Friday by pointing to the only things he believed in “completely”: “The First Amendment and boobs.”
Clay Travis was invited on CNN to discuss the White House suggesting that ESPN should fire Jemele Hill because she called President Donald Trump a white supremacist.
He compared the story to when ESPN fired Curt Schilling for posting an offensive meme about transgender people on his Facebook page in April.
“I think that’s a bad move,” Travis said of Schilling’s case. “I’m a First Amendment absolutist. I believe in only two things completely: The First Amendment and boobs. And so once they made the decision that they were not going to allow– “
CNN’s Brooke Baldwin interjected.
“I just want to make sure I heard you correctly as a woman anchoring the show,” she said. “What did you just say? You believe in the First Amendment and b-double-o-b-s?”
“Boobs,” Travis confirmed. He had come on television to make a point, and he repeated it about four times before the interview ended. “Two things that have only never let me down in this entire country’s history, the First Amendment and boobs. So those are the only two things I believe in, absolutely, in the country.”
Keith Reed, a former ESPN senior editor who had previously worked with Hill, pointed out that Travis’ double-minded focus was reflective of a broader pattern in sports commentary of devaluing women’s opinions in favor of their bodies.
“One of the things that Jemele’s had to deal with her entire career,” he said, “is sexism, blatant sexism, comments about her appearance, comments about her racially, comments about her inability — or perceived inability — to be able to comment on sports because of her gender.”
“It’s astonishing,” he added.
Baldwin again attempted to get Travis to clarify what he said.
Boobs, Travis repeated. He believed in boobs. And the First Amendment.
“Why would you even say that live on national television and with a female host? Why would you even go there?” Baldwin asked.
“I say it live on the radio all the time because it’s true and that’s what I do,” Travis said. “Because I like boobs and the First Amendment, which is exactly what I said.”
Reed jumped in, trying to steer the conversation back on track.
“I’m done. I’m sorry. I’m done. This is conversation over,” Baldwin said, as Reed and Travis’ faces dissolved off-air.
“Forgive me, that it took me a second,” she told the viewer, rattled. “It’s like, live television happens, and you think you hear something but you’re not entirely sure, and then you realize it happened.”
“So I apologize for him, and that,” she said.
Travis played up the moment for all it was worth. He began broadcasting a celebratory live video shortly after the CNN segment ended — “What do people want me to do, tip-toe up to my opinion?” — and announced a solicitation for “I love the First Amendment and boobs” t-shirt designs on Twitter. “All proceeds to breast cancer awareness for rest of year,” he wrote. He also claimed CNN had invited him back on air.
“He has not been invited back on,” wrote Pamela Gomez, a CNN communications manager, to TPM in an email Friday afternoon.
A CNN spokesperson later said that, prior to his appearance with Baldwin, Travis had been tentatively scheduled to appear Monday on HLN, but that the appearance had been canceled.
Watch below via CNN:
This post has been updated.
