Pat McAfee apologized on Wednesday for spreading a rumor about a woman named Mary Kate Cornett.
In February, a rumor spread online about Cornett, who was an 18-year-old freshman at Ole Miss at the time. The rumor said that Cornett had a sexual relationship with the father of her boyfriend. The rumor was a trending topic on the social media website X, and became a topic of discussion on some pop culture shows, as well as “The Pat McAfee Show.”
The rumor led to harassment of Cornett, who switched to online classes. Cornett, her family and her boyfriend all refuted the allegations. Cornett then pursued legal action against McAfee for discussing the rumor on his show. The matter has since been settled, which likely led to McAfee’s apology on Wednesday’s show.
“As a Girl Dad, I was very thankful for the opportunity to let Mr. Cornett know that I was wildly regretful for the part that our show played in his daughter, Mary Kate’s, pain,” McAfee said Wednesday. “I’m very thankful that [the Cornett family] gave me the opportunity to tell them how sorry I was that this all happened and that our progrum was a part of this. I deeply regret the pain that was caused. I hated watching what our show was a part of in her interviews.
“My hope is that this can be something that we all learn from going forward. I know we certainly have… Thank you to the Cornetts for allowing me to introduce myself… and let you know I am so sorry that we were part of this portion, in story, in chapter, of your family’s life.”
McAfee’s show is known for pushing boundaries. Talking about the Cornett situation on his show is probably an area where he wishes he didn’t push the envelope.
