3 minSociety
Britt McHenry resigns from State Department after Wizards game incident
Former ESPN reporter Britt McHenry has left her post as a State Department press adviser days after video of her throwing a drink at a fan during a Washington Wizards game went viral.
Former ESPN reporter Britt McHenry is no longer working as a press adviser at the State Department, a departure that followed a viral video of a confrontation at a Washington Wizards game. Multiple outlets reported that she resigned on Friday, one day after the incident drew widespread attention.
The episode took place on Wednesday at Capital One Arena during the Wizards' home opener against the Milwaukee Bucks, a 128-116 Wizards win. Video obtained by TMZ shows McHenry tossing the remains of a drink toward a person she appears to be arguing with. Elsewhere in the footage, an arena usher is seen asking her to leave, and rally towels and other items are thrown at her as she exits with a male companion. Video also shows her arguing with a security guard before she leaves, and she is seen blowing kisses to the crowd as she goes.
Sources close to McHenry told TMZ that the confrontation began after fans seated behind her made disparaging comments about model Winnie Harlow, the fiancée of Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma, a former Wizards player. Those sources also said the group directed misogynistic remarks at McHenry to provoke her. TMZ's account has not been independently verified, and the video does not establish what happened immediately before the drink was thrown.
Page Six first reported that McHenry was forced to resign on Thursday, citing a source familiar with the situation. That source said she had been promoted and fired within 24 hours, since McHenry had been elevated on Wednesday to lead external affairs and press for Under Secretary Jacob Helberg. McHenry told Front Office Sports that she signed a resignation letter. A State Department spokesperson said the agency does not comment on internal personnel matters, and a department official declined to comment on her exit.
McHenry joined the State Department as a press adviser last month, initially covering Europe and Africa, and reportedly also handled press matters related to the response to Kimberly Guilfoyle's recent cash-for-access scandal. Before entering government, she worked as an NFL reporter for ESPN from 2014 to 2017 and as a commentator for Fox News from 2018 to 2022.
This is not the first time a viral moment has affected McHenry's career. In 2015, ESPN suspended her for one week after edited footage surfaced showing her berating a towing company employee. Her exit from the State Department comes after a brief tenure in the administration and a return to public attention that began with the arena incident.
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