Britt McHenry, the former ESPN reporter who had been working as a U.S. State Department press adviser in President Donald Trump’s administration, is out of that job after a heated confrontation with a fan during an NBA game Wednesday night. Video of the incident shows a drink thrown during the exchange.
The confrontation happened at Capital One Arena in Washington during the Wizards’ home opener, a 128-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, according to Page Six and TMZ. McHenry has since resigned, ABC News reported. A Page Six source said she was forced out, just hours after she’d been promoted.
McHenry, 40, attended the game with a male friend, YouTuber Andrew Fenichel, and was seated in front of a group of men, according to a source who spoke to Page Six.
What The Video And Witnesses Describe
Video obtained by TMZ shows McHenry tossing a beverage at someone in the crowd, and fans booed as she made her way out of the stands. A Page Six source gave a different sequence, saying a man behind McHenry threw a drink on her first.
Both outlets trace the flare-up to comments about Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma and his fiancée, model Winnie Harlow. Sources close to McHenry told TMZ that the group behind her and her guest made inappropriate remarks about Harlow and that items were thrown at McHenry, too. A Page Six source said the men were heckling Kuzma, quoting them this way: “They were saying he plays terribly because his girlfriend’s ugly.” The same source said McHenry turned around and told the hecklers to “ease up,” at which point the men turned their attention to her before the drink was thrown.
Kuzma, who’s engaged to Harlow, played for the Wizards before joining the Bucks.
Fenichel later addressed the incident in a video on X. He confirmed that misogynistic comments were made and that things escalated from there. He also said he tried to vouch for a fan who was removed from the stands during the altercation, but arena security wouldn’t let that fan return.
What It Means For McHenry
The accounts split on how McHenry left her seat. Page Six reported she was escorted out of the arena, and TMZ’s video appears to show security walking her from the stands. Sources close to McHenry told TMZ, however, that she wasn’t kicked out and left on her own for the bar. Fenichel said she left the game while he finished watching from another section. TMZ reported the two met up afterward.
TMZ also reported that McHenry was caught on camera arguing with a security guard who was directing her out of the building. The crowd’s reaction didn’t seem to rattle her: she waved and blew kisses on the way out, even as boos rang out and fans tossed rally towels in her direction.
A Page Six source said McHenry had been drinking throughout the evening.
The fallout was swift. McHenry had joined the State Department in September and, according to Page Six, was promoted the same day as the game. She resigned days later. A State Department official declined to comment on her exit, calling it an internal personnel matter, according to ABC News.
Background On McHenry
McHenry built her media career as an ESPN reporter from 2014 to 2018 and later worked as a Fox Nation commentator before joining the State Department, where Page Six reported she covered Europe and Africa. This isn’t her first viral moment. ESPN suspended her for a week in 2015 after video surfaced of her berating a towing company clerk.
What’s Next
McHenry hasn’t publicly addressed the incident or her resignation, and ABC News said it couldn’t reach her for comment. The Wizards, the Bucks and Capital One Arena haven’t commented, and there’s been no indication she’s been banned from future games.
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