Recently, NHL players and media members seem to have a particular knack for garnering negative attention for the way they discuss people who are different than them. ESPN’s P.K. Subban is the latest hockey-related media professional to find himself in hot water following a joke he made at the expense of singer Lizzo.
During ESPN’s studio coverage of Tuesday night’s Florida Panthers-Toronto Maple Leafs game, the 33-year-old hockey analyst decided to take a shot at the plus-sized singer while providing analysis.
While discussing the Leafs’ perceived lack of energy on the ice, co-host John Buccigross said that Toronto should “pack a lunch” in order to improve their play.
“Maybe they need to pack a Lizzo-sized lunch,” Subban replied. “They weren’t prepared, in my opinion.”
PK Subban randomly dissing Lizzo was NOT on my bingo card for tonight😭😭 pic.twitter.com/Gvc8rq7HB6
— DaCaniac (@CaniacDaBaby) May 3, 2023
The comment sparked backlash on social media as Subban was accused of fat-shaming and being fatphobic.
It's getting harder & harder to enjoy PK Subban. And before the "I thought you wanted hockey players to show more personality!" brigade comes through, nobody ever said we want them to be casually cruel or bigoted. We're not so starved for personalities that we'll embrace garbage.
— Melissa Geschwind (@MGeschwind) May 3, 2023
PK Subban fat-shamed Lizzo. Typical Subban clown move. He's just horrible on ESPN.
— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) May 3, 2023
“Lizzo sized lunch”.
Gross comment by PK Subban @espn
— Allison (@AlleyDalley) May 3, 2023
Sis Pk Subban really just say “Lizzo sized lunch?” That’s… not acceptable. That’s fatphobic.
— Maya 🌸 (@OstrowskiMaya) May 3, 2023
PK Subban randomly dissing Lizzo was NOT on my bingo card for tonight😭😭 pic.twitter.com/Gvc8rq7HB6
— DaCaniac (@CaniacDaBaby) May 3, 2023
Subban kinda-sorta addressed the moment afterward on Tuesday, though he did so by zeroing in on the slang definition of “packing a lunch” while side-stepped the Lizzo reference.
“Pack a lunch… lock in!” wrote Subban. “Be ready to compete! Bring work boots! Expect that they are going to try and outwork you in hard areas!”
Pack a lunch… lock in! Be ready to compete! Bring work boots! Expect that they are going to try and outwork you in hard areas! https://t.co/ontSKg0pfR pic.twitter.com/ArVioCqc2c
— P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) May 3, 2023
It’s the latest in a series of gaffes involving NHL media and body-shaming commentary. In January, Boston Bruins announcer Jack Edwards apologized after body-shaming Tampa Bay Lightning player Pat Maroon. Earlier this month, Lightning radio analyst Phil Esposito chastised a fan by referring to her as “a fat woman who’s yapping like crazy here.”
Subban, who joined ESPN in 2022 on a three-year deal and debuted his ESPN+ show P.K.’s Places on Wednesday, has been no stranger to controversy in recent weeks. He caught flak in March for saying NHL players shouldn’t be made to wear uniforms or logos that show support for the LGBTQ+ community at a time when many players were opting out of doing so.
“We cannot push everyone to be an activist, we need to be very careful,” Subban told Reuters in March. “I feel people pick and choose what they want to talk about and I don’t like it when we put the onus on athletes to be activists.
So far, neither Subban nor ESPN has commented directly on Tuesday’s appearance.
