ESPN’s P.K. Subban ripped after body-shaming joke about Lizzo
Ex-NHL player Subban sparks backlash after suggesting that hockey players 'pack a Lizzo-sized lunch'
Former NHL player and current ESPN analyst P.K. Subban is catching heat for making a tasteless joke about Lizzo’s weight.
Earlier this week, Subban joined ESPN co-analyst John Buccigross to discuss the Toronto Maple Leaf’s first-game loss against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup playoffs. While discussing how the Maple Leafs could improve for Game 2, Subban suggested the team “pack a Lizzo-sized lunch,” People reported.
The comment sparked outrage on social media with many users blasting Subban for being “fatphobic” and others calling for ESPN to fire him. Subban joined ESPN as a commentator after retiring from professional hockey last year.
Sports analyst Mark Madden called Subban’s comment a “typical Subban clown move.”
“[Did] Pk Subban really just say ‘Lizzo sized lunch?’ That’s… not acceptable. That’s fatphobic,” said one Twitter user. Another added, “PK Subban being fatphobic and the worst panelist I’ve ever seen in my life… pick a struggle.”
“I can’t believe that they have him on TV. He’s embarrassing,” one person tweeted.
Another commenter noted, “Lizzo boasts that her plus-sized frame is the beauty standard. Why would anyone be upset about that comment?”
While the Grammy Award-winning singer is known for using her voice to call out transphobia, racism and fatphobia, Lizzo has yet to respond to Subban’s remarks.
Late last year when the artist formally known as Kanye West (now “Ye”) commented on Lizzo’s weight, she seemingly responded during a live performance in Toronto, theGrio reported. Lizzo told fans, “I’m minding my fat, Black, beautiful business. Can I stay here? Who can I marry for that dual citizenship.”
The global superstar gets candid about body positivity and self-love in the HBO Max documentary “Love, Lizzo,” which is now streaming on the platform.
In related news, on Monday night, Lizzo and fellow flutist Sir James Galway performed a duet at the Met Gala in New York, BBC reports. She praised Sir James in an Instagram post on Wednesday, writing, “I wouldn’t be the musician I am today without his influence.”
Last month, Lizzo posted an unfiltered video posted to Instagram in which she called herself “the beauty standard.”
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