Andy Cohen, the talk show host best known as the face of Bravo TV’s “Watch What Happens Live,” got into a social media debate over trans inclusion in women’s sports with Meghan McCain and former volleyball player Payton McNabb, who suffered brain damage when she was injured by a transgender opponent years ago.
Cohen started the debate when he responded a McCain post. She praised the 19-year-old McNabb as “incredibly smart, strong and brave,” as Cohen suggested the teen was “villifying” transgender people.
“Surprised you’re buying into the vilification of the trans community given the real problems happening in this country, your previous ally-ship of the lgbtq community, and the fact that this non issue affects about four people in this country,” Cohen wrote in a post.
McNabb then responded to Cohen’s attack on McCain, calling his comments “factually wrong.”
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“Andy, calling the protection of women’s sports a ‘non-issue’ that affects ‘four people’ is not just dismissive—it’s factually wrong. Hundreds of female athletes have lost podium spots, scholarships, and opportunities. My own injury was life-changing. And even if it were just one girl, that’s one too many. This is about fairness and safety, not ‘vilification,'” McNabb wrote.
Cohen then responded to McNabb, admitting that his original response was based on just one piece of data that was provided by NCAA president Charlie Baker in December.
“The NCAA President testified under oath that of over 500,000 student athletes, he is aware of fewer than 10 trans members. that’s where I got my information,” Cohen wrote, referencing Baker’s statistic that was provided at a congressional hearing on Dec. 17.
Cohen did not account for the athletes impacted at the high school level, or in other levels of competition. Cohen has not responded since that last post at the time of publication.
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Meghan McCain and Cindy McCain attend the 2023 TIME100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 26, 2023 in New York City. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for TIME)
His exchange with McCain and McNabb quickly went viral on Tuesday evening, as many lined up to harshly criticize the Bravo personality for his criticisms on a post that was meant to celebrate the 19-year-old.
McCain responded, inviting Cohen for a more in-depth conversation on the issue while giving the host more clarity about McNabb’s situation.
“Surprised you’re okay with violence against female athletes. Peyton suffered serious brain damage – just one story. You have my cell, always happy to talk privately or publicly on either of our shows because these conversations are reductive to hash out on social media,” McCain wrote.
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Payton McNabb was severely injured after being struck in the head and neck by a spike from a transgender-identifying male on the opposing volleyball team,. (Courtesy of IW Features and Payton McNabb)
McNabb suffered significant and long-term physical and mental injuries in 2022 when she was spiked in the face by a transgender athlete who was able to compete on a girls’ team because of a policy put in place by North Carolina’s high school athletic association.
McNabb was then unable to compete in her final volleyball season, and claimed her performance in softball was significantly hampered by her injuries.
McNabb will attend President Donald Trump’s joint address on Tuesday night, just one day after Senate Democrats blocked a bill that would have prohibited trans athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports nationwide.
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