'Everybody Loves Raymond' star jumps to Harrison Butker's rescue over commencement speech outrage: "He's not a monster"
Kansas City Chiefs star Harrison Butker went viral with his commencement speech. There was immediate backlash to his words about women and the LGBTQ+ community, though a few people jumped in to defend the NFL kicker.
In a recent Instagram post, 'Everybody Loves Raymond' star Patricia Heaton spoke for Butker, stating that he had all the right to express his views while at Benedictine College in Kansas.
"I don't understand why everybody's knickers are in the twist. He gave a commencement speech. The audience applauded twice during the speech and gave him a standing ovation in the end. So clearly they enjoyed what he said," Patricia Heaton said.
Speaking on Butker's opinion, Heaton stated that he was definitely not a monster for saying what he did.
"So what? It’s his opinion. He can have one,” Heaton said. “He’s not a monster for stating what he believes. He went after bishops much more than he went after women, or what women’s choices are, or what he thinks they should be — so, I don’t understand".
The comments were upset with the actress' opinion, asking why she doesn't understand Butker's words were disrespectful and should have focused on the commencement itself.
Before Heaton's speech, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt's wife Tavis and daughter Gracie have also commented on the matter.
Chiefs owner's wife Tavia Hunt posted a statement after Harrison Butker's commencement speech
A few hours after Harrison Butker's speech, Tavia Hunt took to Instagram to share her views.
In the lengthy post, Tavia revealed that she always urges her daughters to make their own choices, while highlighting women who are educated and still devote their lives to their children.
“Countless highly educated women devote their lives to nurturing and guiding their children. Someone disagreeing with you doesn’t make them hateful; it simply means they have a different opinion. Let’s celebrate families, motherhood and fatherhood," Tavia Hunt wrote.
Along with Tavia Hunt, Missouri Attorney General, Andrew Bailey, was among those who spoke up after Harrison Butker's speech.
The attorney general was unhappy that Butker was 'doxxed' for expressing his religious views, even enforcing the Missouri Human Rights Act in the process.