Even Eddie Vedder Is Dunking on Harrison Butker and His Sexist Graduation Speech

Jon Blistein
·2 min read
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Eddie Vedder performing in Portland, Oregon in May 2024. - Credit: Getty Images
Eddie Vedder performing in Portland, Oregon in May 2024. - Credit: Getty Images

Rarely has a person made themselves as ripe for ridicule as Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who used his commencement speech at Benedictine University as a platform to tell women they should embrace their roles as wives and homemakers (among a whole lot of other things). The speech was so bonkers that not even Eddie Vedder could resist taking a few shots at Butker at his concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas over the weekend.

Vedder did his dunking after thanking his opener, Deep Sea Diver, quipping that singer Jessica Dobson and keyboardist/percussionist Patti King “must not have believed that ‘diabolical’ lie that women should take pride in taking a backseat to their man.” (In his speech, Butker, addressing the women graduates, said they had been fed the “most diabolical lies” when it came to choosing a career or becoming a homemaker.)

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The musician said there was reason to take “pride in homemaking” whether you’re a man or a woman, calling it “one of the hardest jobs.” But, he continued, “You shouldn’t not follow a dream because you think that you’re gonna benefit by giving up your dreams. I couldn’t understand the logic. So I’m questioning it in public right now.”

Vedder continued: “The irony was that the football player — kicker … You see, the kicker doesn’t have the pads because he doesn’t tackle anybody or get tackled. But he was telling men, ‘Don’t forget to puff up your chest and be more masculine. Don’t lose your masculinity.’ The irony was that when he was saying that, he looked like such a pussy.”

Delivering one last blow, Vedder declared, “There’s nothing more masculine than a strong man supporting a strong woman.”

Along with his comments about women, Butker’s controversial commencement speech drew criticism for the way the athlete characterized LGBTQ+ people and pushed antisemitic misinformation regarding Jewish people and the death of Jesus. Butker’s speech has since received wide condemnation and pushback, including from the NFL and the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica.

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