Britt McHenry, a former US State Department press advisor, has detailed a confrontation she experienced at a Washington Wizards vs. Milwaukee Bucks game on October 21, asserting that she was defending both model Winnie Harlow and herself.
McHenry recounted in an Instagram video that the incident began when a man seated in front of her at the Capital One Arena started making derogatory remarks towards Harlow, who is engaged to Bucks player Kyle Kuzma. McHenry stated that the man was specifically targeting Harlow's appearance and her vitiligo, an autoimmune condition causing skin depigmentation.
"It starts with a man in front of us — that looks like a knockoff Patagonia vest — yelling horrible things," McHenry alleged. "It was loud and quite frankly not the type of behavior I have seen in the multitude of games I’ve covered as a journalist or been there as a fan."
McHenry admitted to making a "snarky comment" in response, saying, "I then made a snarky comment... [I] just said, ‘Oh, I’m sure your girlfriend is really beautiful right?'"
According to McHenry, another man in the same row then directed abusive language at her. She stated, "‘Why don’t you shut the f–k up, you dumb bitch.’ To which I say to him, ‘I wasn’t even talking to you. Who are you?’ And that’s where it escalates."
McHenry and her friend then moved away from their seats, and an arena employee offered to relocate them. However, McHenry expressed reluctance to leave her seats over the behavior of others.
When McHenry returned to her seat, she alleged that drinks and other items were thrown at her, her friend, and the employee assisting them. She stated that the primary instigator made a "truly vile" comment to her, which led her to throw her remaining beer in his direction.
Following this, McHenry and her friend decided to leave the area. She claimed that the men continued to throw beverages and objects at them as they departed.
"They ejected the main agitator guy, they threw him out," McHenry said, concluding her explanation by stating, "I was sticking up for Winnie Harlow, a woman that I admire and many girls and women look up to, and I was sticking up for myself."
Sources previously informed Page Six that McHenry resigned from her role as the US State Department press advisor covering Europe and Africa the day after the incident, despite reportedly being promoted the same day the altercation occurred.