Subscribe
Follow Us
John Mellencamp seemingly pointed out Pat McAfee's previous post about New York celebrities attending the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers Eastern Conference Finals. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and Indiana native was “embarrassed” by McAfee's behavior at Game 4.
“The Knicks/Pacers games have been very entertaining for anyone who likes basketball or sports. I attended Game 4 in Indianapolis,” Mellencamp wrote on social media.
“‘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 from New York to support their team — and in turn, support our team. 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,” he continued.
The Rock & Roll Hall and Songwriter Hall of Famer concluded his message: “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.”
— John Mellencamp (@johnmellencamp) May 29, 2025
Mellencamp's apology to fellow Indiana natives and Pacers fan follows McAfee's message during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals which took place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana.
“Indianapolis, Indiana, we’ve got some bigwigs from the big city in the building,” McAfee said when he took the mic and began calling out celebrities.
“Spike Lee is here. Ben Stiller is here. Timothée Chalamet is here,” he continued as fans began booing the Knicks superfans. “Let’s send these sons of b*****s back to New York with their ears ringing. Let’s turn this s**t up!”
Pat McAfee Responds To Game 4 Backlash
McAfee who films his show in Indiana, said he was called out on the spot to take the mic and his role was to keep the Pacers fans entertained.
“The emcee in there who I do know comes over with the microphone and ears thing and he's standing next to me, and I go, ‘Are you interviewing me?' And he goes, ‘No, I'm giving you the microphone.” And I'm like, ‘Oh, I'm cutting a promo here,'” McAfee said on his show on Wednesday. “It was very clear what the assignment was.”
Stiller spoke out about the viral moment during Game 4 in an interview on SNY’s The Putback.
“I did know that Timothée had been on his show. And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s your boy. That’s your guy.’ So when that happened, I was a little bit like, ‘Whoa.’ But the WWE aspect of it, I get it. It’s just not the way it happens in New York. He should come to the Garden for Game 5,” Stiller said Wednesday, May 28.
“They’ll put him up on the screen and they’ll show him punting the ball and everybody will give him a nice cheer,” Stiller continued. “That’s how we do it in New York. But I get it, it was fun. He was just trying to get the crowd riled up. It was a little bit out of the blue. It’s also like, are we really doing the narrative of ‘Hicks versus Knicks’? Like the bigwigs from New York? It just seems a little cartoonish. But then again, it goes with the WWE.”
The Pacers won the game 130-121 and have the series lead with 3-1. They will take on the Knicks for Game 5 in Madison Square Garden tonight May 29 at 8 p.m. The winner of the Eastern Conference Finals will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals.
