Eddie Vedder has criticized Harrison Butker at a recent Pearl Jam concert in Las Vegas, calling the Chiefs kicker a “f***ing p***y” for his controversial speech earlier this month.
In response to the NFL player’s comments about female graduates who may be more excited about getting married and having children instead of pursuing their own careers at Benedictine College in Kansas on May 11, Vedder praised Jessica Dabon and Patti King, members of the band Deep Sea Driver, who were the opening act for Saturday’s concert at the MGM Grand Arena.
“The singer Jessica and the keyboardist Patti must not have believed that ‘diabolical lie’ that women should be proud to take a back seat to their husbands,” Vedder told the sold-out crowd in the captured footage . and posted by fans on YouTube.
“There should be pride in housework, whether you are a man or a woman,” the American singer continued. ‘It is perhaps one of the most difficult jobs, and you can certainly be proud of it. But you shouldn’t follow a dream because you think you will benefit from giving up on your dreams.
‘[…] You know, the irony was that this football player… started saying to men, ‘Don’t forget to puff up your chest and be more masculine.’ Don’t lose your masculinity. The irony was that when he said that, he looked so damned.”
Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder condemned Harrison Butker at a Pearl Jam concert in Las Vegas on Saturday, nearly a fortnight since the Chiefs’ comments on women and motherhood
Butker is facing backlash for his speech at Benedictine College on May 11
Vedder, who is pro-choice and a supporter of former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), concluded his preset remarks with a reflective final line for fans, as he said, “There’s nothing more manly than a strong man supporting a strong woman. People of quality are not afraid of equality.’
Appears as the commencement speaker for the Class of 2024 at Benedictine College – a private Catholic liberal arts school in Atchinson, Kansas, – 10 days ago Butker said women pursuing degrees should not be ashamed of focusing on motherhood if it is considered a priority rather than career advancement.
The three-time Super Bowl champion also said some Catholic leaders were “pushing dangerous gender ideologies on America’s youth” and called out Joe Biden for being of faith but also pro-choice.
Butker – a three-time Super Bowl champion – has expressed his conservative Catholic beliefs in the past
His roughly 20-minute speech received a standing ovation from graduates and other attendees, but some were also shocked by the speech.
Butker, who has made his conservative Catholic beliefs known, also attacked Pride month – a particularly important time for the LGBTQ+ rights movement – calling the annual celebration a “deadly sin.”
The 2017 seventh-round pick out of Georgia Tech has become one of the NFL’s best kickers in recent seasons, breaking the Chiefs’ franchise record with a 62-yard field goal in 2022.
Butker helped them win their first Super Bowl in 50 years in 2020, added a second Lombardi Trophy in 2023, and he kicked the field goal that forced overtime in a Super Bowl win over San Francisco in February.