John Mellencamp Criticizes Pat McAfee for Sparking Hostility Toward Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller

ESPN's Pat McAfee taunted New York Knicks fans Ben Stiller and Timothee Chalamet at Game 4 of the East Finals.

John Mellencamp Criticizes Pat McAfee for Sparking Hostility Toward Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller

John Mellencamp slams Pat McAfee for 'insulting' Ben Stiller and Timothee Chalamet (Image via FirstSportz)

Pat McAfee would generally find his name being attached to anything concerning the NFL if he were talking about it on his show. Of late, the former NFL punter has seen his name dominate basketball-oriented headlines.

His name had been going viral amongst basketball fans when LeBron James appeared on the Pat McAfee Show and ended up breaking the internet with his revelations, trolls, and clapbacks. This time, it has nothing to do with James, the Lakers, his crew, or ESPN.

This time, it is solely about the 38-year-old Indianapolis Colts great. He hyped the Indiana Pacers crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and taunted celebrities and New York Knicks fans, Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller, who were present for Game 4.

Clips of this incident caught fire, and his WWE-style hype message has resonated across Pacers fans. But another Pacers fan, or rather hardcore Indiana basketball fan, rock legend John Mellencamp, did not appreciate what happened. He took to X to write a message targeting McAfee and his antics.

‘Hoosier Hospitality’ …I was embarrassed when somebody, under whose direction I don’t know, called out some of the people who had made the trip from New York to support their team – and in turn, support our team. The audience booed these people. I’d say that was not Hoosier Hospitality. One could only say it’s poor, poor sportsmanship.

John Mellencamp wrote on X

The Grammy Award-winning musician also apologized to anyone who was hurt by those antics. He believes the Indiana Pacers had nothing to do with it, rather, it was someone who thought it right to insult an opposing team’s fans. Mellencamp believes it was unsportsmanlike, similar to how basketball fans felt about New Yorkers harassing a Pacers fan.

Pat McAfee responds to John Mellencamp’s criticism

Throughout that lengthy message, John Mellencamp did not refer to Pat McAfee by name. It seems the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer did not know who the person was who tried to insult New York celebrities Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller. The ESPN host decided to raise his hand.

I am “somebody”.

Pat McAfee replied to John Mellencamp

The former NFL punter decided not to just raise his hand to reiterate it to the rock legend who was behind that mic, but it was also a punch line as he quoted ‘somebody’ to imply he is someone big enough to have the courage to say those things at the game.

It seems both Mellencamp tried to put down McAfee by not taking his name, and the 38-year-old was not having it. He wanted to make sure the Grammy Award-winner understood well and clear that he was not going to sit behind a curtain and avoid any controversy. His response suggested he preferred that Mellencamp address him by his name.

Ben Stiller does not seem to be put off by Pat McAfee’s taunts

Pat McAfee revealed that the moment he stood up with the mic, Timothee Chalamet smiled, suggesting he knew what could be coming. Ben Stiller did not know who McAfee was and threw down the gauntlet, asking the NFL punter to visit Game 5 at Madison Square Garden. McAfee, however, declined, which drew this response from the Zoolander actor.

Ben Stiller and Timothee Chalamet at Madison Square Garden for Game 5
Ben Stiller and Timothee Chalamet at Madison Square Garden for Game 5 (Image via NBA/X)

Next time – always welcome Pat — we can do a courtside together!! Hoping we bring it back to Indy xxx Respect xx.

Ben Stiller wrote

With this reply, it seems that the Hollywood star is not put off by Pat McAfee’s antics. However, it raises the question as to why John Mellencamp felt differently if both individuals who were targeted were fine with those taunts.

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