Britt McHenry, a press adviser at the U.S. State Department, has been forced to resign over a viral video showing her throwing a drink at a fan at the Washington Wizards' season-opening game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, October 21.
Page Six first reported Thursday that McHenry was out, with a source saying: "She was forced to resign over the incident. She was promoted and fired within 24 hours." McHenry confirmed to Front Office Sports on Friday that she signed a resignation letter. A State Department spokesperson said the agency does not comment on internal personnel matters.
The resignation came less than 24 hours after McHenry's promotion. She had been elevated Wednesday to lead External Affairs and Press for the team of Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg. She joined the State Department last month as a press adviser covering Europe and Africa.
The incident occurred Wednesday night at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Video showed McHenry throwing a beverage toward a male fan in the crowd during the Wizards' 128-116 win over the Bucks. As she left the arena amid boos and thrown rally towels, she blew kisses to the crowd and was later filmed asking a security guard, "What did I do?"
What started the confrontation is disputed. Sources close to McHenry told TMZ that fans seated behind her had spent the game heckling Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma — a former Wizard — with inappropriate comments about his fiancée, model Winnie Harlow. A Page Six source said McHenry turned around and told the group to "ease up," after which the men aimed misogynistic comments at her and one of them threw a drink at her first. TMZ, which obtained the video, said its own sourcing could not establish exactly what prompted McHenry to throw the drink. Another witness claimed McHenry threw a burger at a fan before spectators began recording.
McHenry, 40, was an NFL reporter for ESPN from 2014 to 2017 and a commentator for Fox News and Fox Nation from 2018 until 2022. In 2015, ESPN suspended her for a week after a viral video showed her berating a towing company attendant in the Washington area.