Britt McHenry, the former ESPN reporter who was dismissed from her role as a press adviser at the US State Department just 24 hours after her promotion, has given her account of the confrontation at an NBA game in Washington that led to her departure.
In a video posted on Instagram on Wednesday evening, McHenry claimed she threw her drink at a spectator after he allegedly said she should be gang-raped outside the arena.
The incident took place during the October 21 game between the Washington Wizards and the Milwaukee Bucks, just a day after McHenry had taken up her new position.
McHenry says confrontation began when she defended Winnie Harlow
According to McHenry, the altercation began when a man started verbally harassing supermodel Winnie Harlow, who is engaged to Milwaukee Bucks star Kyle Kuzma.
The former ESPN reporter alleged that the unidentified man insulted Harlow’s appearance and made remarks about her vitiligo, an autoimmune skin condition that causes a loss of pigmentation in certain areas of the skin.
McHenry said she responded with a sarcastic remark, acknowledging that she probably should not have done so. “I just said, ‘Oh, I’m sure your girlfriend is really pretty, isn’t she?'” she recalled.
She claimed that another man sitting in the same row then turned towards her and said: “Why don’t you shut the fuck up, you stupid bitch?”
McHenry said she replied: “I wasn’t even talking to you. Who are you?” She added that the confrontation then escalated.
‘I wish we had just left’
McHenry said she and her friend subsequently got up from their seats and headed towards the concession area, where an employee offered to move them elsewhere in the arena.
However, she felt they should not have to give up their seats because of the men who had been harassing them. “In hindsight, I wish we had just left,” she admitted.
When McHenry returned to her seat, she claimed the men began throwing drinks and other objects at her, her friend and the employee who was trying to assist them.
She alleged that one of the men then made a particularly disturbing remark about what should happen to her. “The main instigator said something really disgusting about what should happen to me,” McHenry explained, alleging that he said she should be gang-raped outside the arena.
“That’s when I threw the rest of my beer in their direction,” she said.
McHenry and her friend then decided to leave, although she claimed the men continued throwing drinks and other objects towards them as they departed. “I stood up for Winnie Harlow, a woman I admire and who is a role model for so many girls and women, and I stood up for myself,” McHenry concluded in her video.
Promoted and fired within 24 hours
McHenry had been appointed as a State Department press adviser with responsibility for Europe and Africa.
According to Page Six, her duties also included handling communications relating to controversial text messages involving Kimberly Guilfoyle, the American diplomat with close ties to the Trump family.
McHenry had been serving as head of Foreign Affairs and Press in the office of Under Secretary of State Jacob Helberg when the incident occurred.
Page Six reported that her involvement in the altercation led to her departure from the State Department, with a source familiar with the matter describing the extraordinary speed of her appointment and dismissal.
“She was promoted and fired within 24 hours,” the source said.
The US State Department declined to comment on the reasons for her departure, saying it does not publicly discuss internal personnel matters.
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