Yes, Eddie Vedder called Harrison Butker a ‘p***y’ – and no, he didn’t lose $14m for saying it
Social media accounts have falsely claimed that Pearl Jam gigs in Kansas City have been cancelled after Eddie Vedder called Chiefs player Harrison Butker a ‘p***y’ over his recent misogynistic comments (Getty)
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder made headlines this week after calling “cancelled” Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker a “f**king p***y” for the latter’s recent misogynistic and anti-LGBTQ+ statements.
Harrison Butker has been widely slammed for a controversial and inflammatory commencement speech that he gave at Benedictine College on 11 May.
The 20-minute speech saw the 28-year-old Chiefs kicker take aim at, amongst many other things, abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. He also made it very clear that he believes a woman’s place is in the home.
He told the female graduates at the Catholic private college in Kansas: “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers… but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.
“[My wife] Isabelle’s dream of having a career might not have come true but if you ask her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud without hesitation and say: ‘Heck no’.”
Butker has since been criticised by fellow NFL players, the nuns at Benedictine College, and has faced a petition calling for him to be axed by the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, he can add Eddie Vedder to the list.
What did Eddie Vedder say about Harrison Butker?
Speaking at Pearl Jam’s 16 May Las Vegas concert, Vedder first praised Jessica Dabon and Patti King – two members of the band Deep Sea Diver who opened for the veteran rock band at MGM Grand Arena.
“The singer, Jessica, and the keyboard player, Patti, they must not have believed that ‘diabolical lie’ that women should take pride in taking a back seat to their man,” Vedder told the sold-out crowd. The exchange was filmed by fans and uploaded to YouTube.
“There should be pride in homemaking whether you’re a man or a woman… it’s one of the hardest jobs… but you shouldn’t not follow a dream because you think you’ll benefit from giving up those dreams,” he continued, referencing Harrison Butker’s address.
“The irony of it was that this football player… he started telling men not to forget to puff up your chests and be more masculine. Don’t lose your masculinity. The irony is that when he was saying that he looked like such a f**king p***y. There’s nothing more masculine than a strong man supporting a strong woman.
“People of quality do not fear equality.”
He finished by saying: “That woman, Jessica, she’s not fronting a band playing in Las Vegas because she decided to just take a back seat and support a man.”
No, Kansas City did not cancel three Pearl Jam shows in defence of Harrison Butker
In the wake of Eddie Vedder’s comments, “satirical” social media accounts spread the rumour that Pearl Jam’s upcoming shows in Kansas City had been cancelled by the alleged venue, Arrowhead Stadium.
A spokesperson for Arrowhead Stadium supposedly said: “We stand with Harrison and his admirable moral values” when announcing the cancellation. Arrowhead Stadium also hosts Kansas Chiefs games.
The false information originated on May 21, 2024, when X user @justice_Tyr22 posted a meme displaying photos of Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker with the words: “Kansas City Cancels Three Pearl Jam Shows at Arrowhead Stadium: ‘We Stand with Harrison Butker.'”
The user also falsely claimed that “the move will cost the band around $14 million”. A community note was quickly added to the tweet that simply clarified: “Pearl Jam had no concerts scheduled at Arrowhead Stadium or in Kansas City.”
However, that didn’t stop several other users on Facebook and X sharing the same meme and text. One user posted the meme with the caption, “GO WOKE GO BROKE”, according to Snopes.com.
Harrison Butker speech transcript
In the wake of the Pearl Jam Kansas City cancelled gig rumours, many people wanted to read the full text of Harrison Butker’s speech. You can read a full transcript on the National Catholic Register website, or watch the full video above. We also have an article listing seven key takeaways from the controversial speech here.
