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Pat McAfee responds to John Mellencamp call out from Pacers vs. Knicks game

Nick Profile Picby: Nick Geddes05/30/25NickGeddesNews
Pat McAfee
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Pat McAfee has responded to John Mellencamp after the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer indirectly called him out for the way he conducted himself during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Indiana Pacers on New York Knicks on Tuesday. Mellencamp penned a short note and posted it on X on Thursday afternoon, referring to McAfee as “somebody” and saying he was “embarrassed” by McAfee’s actions.

Friday, McAfee fired back on his show. McAfee told Mellencamp to “shut the f*ck up.”

“Mr. Coug Mellencamp, I don’t know what he thought he was doing with that particular quote tweet,” McAfee said. “I respect and appreciate the fact that he said, ‘You know what, I’ve made a pretty good living over the last few years grandstanding higher than everybody else on everything. This feels like a good time to do that right now.’ He puts out this horrendous quote tweet, this horrendous graphic. John, I can’t tell you how bad everything you did here was. The graphic, the quote, the timing — you’re two days late, John.

“He puts this thing out there and doesn’t even say my name. John, the shut the f*ck up. They put this out, calls me a ‘somebody.’ I am the somebody, and I normally don’t want people to just get slaughtered because I know we have a very active following and I appreciate the hell out of those people. … I don’t think you or anyone on your team knows there might be people on my side, John. You could’ve taken the angle of like, ‘Hey, there’s some people attacking Pat for what he did, I’m actually on Pat’s side because we represent this state of Indiana. We’re lucky and thankful to represent this state of Indiana. We don’t have a lot of people pulling for us, but you know what, I see a young buck that’s doing it and I appreciate him doing it.’

“You could have easily done that, John. But instead, you thought you were gonna bury me? I don’t think so, John. Hey, Coug, suck it, buddy. Hope I get to see you soon. Probably gonna be in the same place soon. I don’t want any of your bullsh*t. I don’t like you, I know your name and I don’t like you.”

John Mellencamp calls out Pat McAfee over roast of New York celebrities at Pacers-Knicks game

McAfee, a Pacers fan, had the microphone at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. With Knicks fans Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet in the building, McAfee cut a WWE-style promo.

“Indianapolis, Indiana, we got some bigwigs from the big city in the building,” McAfee said. “Spike Lee is here. Ben Stiller is here. Timothée Chalamet is here.”

He paused after each name, allowing the crowd to boo thoroughly. Then he drove home the spear.

“Let’s send these sons of b*tches back to New York with their ears bleeding!” McAfee roared. The fans responded in kind.

Most of the fans in the building enjoyed it. Mellencamp, an Indiana native, however, did not.

“‘Hoosier Hospitality’ … I was embarrassed when somebody, under whose direction I don’t know, called out some of the people who had made the trip to New York to support their team — and in turn, support our team,” Mellencamp wrote. “The audience booed these people. I’d say that was not Hoosier Hospitality. One could only say it’s poor, poor sportsmanship. I was not proud to be a Hoosier, and I’ve lived here my entire life.

“On behalf of most Hoosiers, I would like to apologize for our poor behavior. I’m sure the Pacers had nothing to do with this smackdown.”