Ben Shapiro defends himself after Rapinoe comments: ‘Every word I say here is true’

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro on Thursday said he stands by his remarks asserting that U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe is receiving more endorsement deals because she is a “very outspoken lesbian” in addition to being a “very good soccer player,” saying “every word I say here is true.”

The defensive comments come after Shapiro received blowback from a number of left-leaning commentators and publications for saying Rapinoe was like former NFL quarterback-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick, but “with actual talent.”

“We’re talking about Megan Rapinoe getting million dollar contracts specifically because of her sexuality, and because she’s a very, very good soccer player,” Shapiro said Wednesday on his podcast and nationally syndicated radio show.

“But let’s not make any mistake, if she was a very good soccer player and she were not a very outspoken lesbian, she would be getting fewer contracts because she’s seen as a political figure. She’s sort of Colin Kaepernick but with actual talent at her sport.”

Shapiro defended the comments on Thursday and lashed out at the left-leaning online publication Media Matters, saying it intentionally misrepresented his comments. 

“Every word I say here is true,” Shapiro wrote to his 2.2 million followers. “I say that she is getting contracts and publicity because of her politics AND because of her great talent. Which is why she is being discussed on MSNBC rather than ESPN alone, and cutting political ads for Nike.”

Every word I say here is true. I say that she is getting contracts and publicity because of her politics AND because of her great talent. Which is why she is being discussed on MSNBC rather than ESPN alone, and cutting political ads for Nike. https://t.co/NnmzloUtPn

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 11, 2019

Instead of reading Media Matters’ idiotic one-line wildly and deliberately misleading synopses of my statements, perhaps you should actually just listen to the statements.

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 11, 2019

I say IN THIS CLIP that she is Colin Kaepernick with actual talent. Which is accurate.

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 11, 2019

Rapinoe has been an outspoken critic of President Trump and has done several interviews with cable news outlets since the U.S. team captured the World Cup on Sunday in France.

She appeared on CNN on Tuesday and on MSNBC on Wednesday. She also gave a speech after the women’s national team won the Team of the Year award at ESPN’s annual ESPYs event on Wednesday. 

Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since 2016 after being the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem to protest social injustice in the country.