Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd has come under fire after calling Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham the WNBA's "sex symbol" during an interview on his podcast.
Cunningham, 30, joined the 62 year old broadcaster on his eponymous show on Friday to discuss the rebranding of her own podcast, now titled "No Hesitation." But Cowherd steered the conversation toward a different subject.
"You are kind of viewed a little bit as the league's... ummm," Cowherd said, trailing off. Cunningham told him to just say it, adding that she did not care. "Sex symbol," Cowherd continued. "Is that fair?"
Cunningham appeared unbothered by the remark, replying: "Hey, that's way better! I thought you were going to go somewhere completely different. I'll take it."
Fans react online
While Cunningham brushed off the exchange, thousands of fans did not once a clip of the interview went viral on social media. One user on X wrote that Cowherd came off like "a creepy uncle" for the comment. Another asked what happened to discussing her actual performance on the court.
Cowherd attempted to defend his remark, saying: "You're tough. You'll fight anybody. You'll taunt anybody. But you'll make sure, coming into the arena, 'I look good, and I want you to know...'"
Backdrop of a public split
The exchange came shortly after Cunningham announced the rebrand of her podcast, months after her former co-host and ex-partner, West Wilson, publicly disagreed with her stance on the transgender athlete debate.
Cunningham, who plays guard for the Fever in the Women's National Basketball Association, has drawn both criticism and support in recent months after speaking out about what she described as protecting girls against "biological men" in sport. Her comments divided opinion nationally and led to rallies outside Fever games, with demonstrators from both sides of the debate turning out.
Wilson, her former co-host, addressed the issue himself in a TikTok video, calling transgender women's participation in sports a "borderline non-existent issue."
Podcast partnership ends
Fans had noticed that Cunningham and Wilson's joint podcast, Show Me Something, had gone quiet since July 21, raising questions about the future of their partnership. It has now been confirmed that the pair have parted ways as co-hosts, with Cunningham announcing on Thursday that her show has been rebranded as "No Hesitation."
