Joe Scarborough suggested on MSNBC, now branded by some as MSNOW, that voters heading to the polls could be ready to reject Pat McAfee and the so-called manosphere.
During an Election Day morning segment, the “Morning Joe” host complained that McAfee was ruining “College GameDay.” Scarborough then floated the idea that the election might serve as a referendum on McAfee and a more macho strain of online culture.
“I’ve just had enough of Pat McAfee ruining ‘College GameDay,’” Scarborough said, adding that he enjoys watching the show on Saturday mornings. He went on to suggest that the political influence of the manosphere, which he associated with the 2024 election, could be fading. He also criticized what he described as an overreaction to two University of Utah students putting up signs or saying something potentially offensive.
Scarborough’s remarks referred to McAfee saying he felt unsafe during a recent ESPN visit to the University of Utah. McAfee has also said the FBI advised him to wear a bulletproof vest after Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
“Do you know what Nick Saban calls that? Tuesday!” Scarborough said, before accusing McAfee of melting down.
Scarborough has previously been criticized for his comments about Joe Biden. In March 2024, he described Biden as being at his “best Biden ever” level and said he was sharp and spoke like someone who had been dealing with world leaders for decades.
Now Scarborough is suggesting voters may be turning against McAfee and backing progressive candidates as a kind of rebuke to the “College GameDay” host. It’s a striking theory, given that recent Gallup polling found voters more concerned about issues including the economy, health care, war, income, gas prices, immigration, abortion, the Middle East, crime, data centers and climate change.
Pat McAfee and the manosphere did not appear among the leading concerns in that poll. And, as far as is known, no political candidate has used McAfee in an attack ad.
