Among the many moments that didn't go over well during comedian Jo Koy's monologue at Sunday's Golden Globes was a jab he took at Taylor Swift for attending her boyfriend Travis Kelce's Kansas City Chiefs NFL games.
The joke was an easy low-hanging swipe, given how much controversy Swift's attendance has drummed up. She's been called a bad luck charm even though the Chiefs have won six of the nine games she's attended.
It seems the Golden Globes audience, and Swift herself, are not the only people annoyed by the implication that she's doing too much when it comes to her Chiefs games attendance.
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith used a portion of a recent broadcast to mount a passionate defense of the pop star's attendance that has left fans cheering.
\xf0\x9f\x93\xb9| @stephenasmith defends @taylorswift13 against the criticisms of her attending Chiefs games.\n\n"I have to take a moment to come to the defense of Taylor Swift. Everybody's sitting up there and acting like she's some kind of impediment and, excuse me, she did her job! That Eras\xe2\x80\xa6— (@)
Smith told his cohosts:
"I have to take a moment to come to the defense of Taylor Swift. Everybody's sitting up there and acting like she's some kind of impediment and, excuse me, she did her job! That Eras Tour? Off the chain. Generated billions."
He defended Swift's frequent attendance at NFL games, saying it's a normal thing for a girlfriend to do for her boyfriend.
"She's going to support her dude. To show up at a football game and the cameras are on her - that ain't her fault!"
He criticized the notion that Swift has been attending games for publicity and that her presence is somehow undermining Kelce's performance.
"She went to the games after the concerts. It's not like she used the games to bump up the concerts. Oh no! Those kids were going to her concerts whether the NFL was promoting her or not! Taylor Swift is that girl. Let's show some respect."
"She probably is gonna have a positive impact on Travis Kelce's performance, okay? I'm not trying to disrespect Taylor Swift."
Swift's fans cheered Smith's hot take.
@swifferupdates @stephenasmith @taylorswift13 I loved listening to his story of taking his daughter to an eras tour concert. He truly appreciated Taylor\xe2\x80\x99s talent.— (@)
The Chiefs next play the Miami Dolphins at home in Kansas City. Swift is expected to attend.