Pat McAfee has everything, you just name it. Charisma of a talk show host. Energy of a WWE announcer. Aim of a Punter. And of course, the passion of a football fan. But what if I tell you there’s something he doesn’t have. I mean, from a distance, he looks like a perfect man in the world of sports. However, looking beyond sports, McAfee’s talents are limited. Apparently, his knowledge bandwidth isn’t far spread like his sports media empire.
On the latest episode of his Pat McAfee show, the former NFL punter couldn’t remember a name. Not just a name, actually. McAfee simply embarrassed himself when he couldn’t recall who sang the 2005 massive banger, “Since U Been Gone.” I mean, how could he? At that time, this song was everywhere from the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time to the Billboard Hot 100. It even topped the US Pop 100 list for six consecutive weeks as Kelly Clarkson took away multiple awards. Best Female Video, Best Pop Video, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammys, it shattered every record.
However, McAfee won’t get a single award for remembering Clarkson’s name. Actually awards aren’t even in consideration. McAfee instead got called out for fumbling one of the greatest names in the pop music industry. One of his followers appreciated and bashed him within a single tweet, “I know you’ve been busy building a sports media empire, but not knowing who sings one of the greatest pop songs of all time is unacceptable.” Seeing himself called out, McAfee didn’t even dare defend his actions. As he replied, “.” Translation? McAfee didn’t know what to say after kind of disrespecting Kelly Clarkson.
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 13, 2025
As for Clarkson, this was the last track she sang for Breakaway. At that time, she even revealed that this song didn’t even convince her to sing like she did later: “It didn’t have any lyrics, and the melody really wasn’t finalized. The track was done on a computer. There was no band on it.” But then she improvised from her end to make it one of the greatest pop songs of all time—by adding a bit of drums and guitars. And just like that, a song that tried to portray a relationship turned sour soon wreaked havoc on musical charts for decades.
“You’re dedicated, you took the time. Wasn’t long till I called you mine. Yeah, Yeah. Since you been gone…” You know how it goes after that. And don’t ask why I didn’t write all the lyrics. Because I don’t want to think about my failed relationships—clearly not my cup of tea. Moving on, it seems McAfee is taking another huge leap in his career. As he dropped a massive announcement a few days ago.
Pat McAfee set to unveil something gargantuan
Everything was going great for McAfee, he had it all. Like two years ago, he had just signed a mammoth 5-year, $85M contract with ESPN. But it seems he isn’t exactly happy even after pocketing so much cash. Why? Because money isn’t everything for him. It’s the respect that isn’t there which has somewhat taken a toll on McAfee. When fans kept on asking whether he would cover the 2025 NFL draft in Green Bay, McAfee didn’t just say no.
He painted a bleak picture of his future in ESPN, “It is not just the insufficient respect..It is basically the overall relationship. People do not know, I have paid the NFL millions and millions of dollars for years, so that I can get rights for highlights and plays for our show.” But it seems the same cannot be said about ESPN or the NFL. Although there has been no punishment from the network, looks like McAfee is already thinking about moving on.
His latest venture comes in the form of another show named, “Big Night AHT with Pat McAfee and friends.” And apparently it won’t be just another talk show, instead he teased, “Millions and millions of dollars will be given away that evening.” Hmmm!! More money. It’s something he has planned for a long time—and it’s finally coming all together. So, obviously, he is pumped up for this. And you should be too. Because who doesn’t want to be a millionaire. Don’t you know about you lot? I obviously want to be a millionaire by winning some free money McAfee is offering.
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