Skip to main content

Pat McAfee delivers monologue at ESPYs, takes jab at Brett Favre

Nick Profile Picby:Nick Geddes07/12/23

NickGeddesNews

Pat McAfee
(Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

Pat McAfee stepped up to the plate Wednesday night, delivering the opening monologue at the 2023 ESPYS in Los Angeles.

McAfee was thrust into action after the ongoing writers strike resulted in the unnamed, scheduled host being unable to make it. During his monologue, “The Pat McAfee Show” host and soon-to-be ESPN‘er took some jabs, including one at Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. Favre previously issued a defamation of character lawsuit against McAfee and Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe over allegations made about his involvement in the Mississippi state welfare scandal.

“We apologize, the sports world obviously isn’t perfect,” McAfee said. “Sue us. Don’t actually. Shout out, Brett Favre. That was for me. That was for me. And Shannon Sharpe. Shout out. Skip [Bayless] that one was for you, too.”

Pat McAfee flames Skip Bayless during ESPYs monologue

Earlier in his monologue, McAfee took aim at Fox Sports on-air personality Skip Bayless. Bayless received criticism for a tweet, which McAfee reminded the audience is still up on Twitter, in the immediate aftermath of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffering a cardiac arrest during a “Monday Night Football” game on Jan. 2.

“No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game – but how?” Bayless tweeted. “This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular-season outcome … which suddenly seems so irrelevant.”

McAfee made sure to point out Bayless’ tweet with Hamlin in attendance.

“We all watched the situation unfolding on “Monday Night Football” as Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were trying to navigate the waters, and we all at home feared for the absolute worst,” McAfee said. “And Skip Bayless was like ‘Get that dead body off the field, we got playoff implications on the line.’ He said it. The tweet’s still up — hashtag delete the tweet, Skip.”