{"id":15452,"date":"2026-07-24T07:00:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T02:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=15452"},"modified":"2026-07-24T07:00:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T02:00:43","slug":"tomi-lahren-defends-outkicks-espn-scoop-torches-jemele-hill-backs-sophie-cunningham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=15452","title":{"rendered":"Tomi Lahren defends OutKick&#8217;s ESPN scoop, torches Jemele Hill, backs Sophie Cunningham"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div data-layout-index=\"4\" class=\"featured featured-video video-ct\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\"><!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"contain\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">  <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"info\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">\n<div class=\"caption\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">\n<h4 class=\"title\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6401931992112\" data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_featured-video_5_1\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">Sophie Cunningham STANDS UP For Women Amidst WNBA Attacks | Don&#8217;t @ Me w\/Dan Dakich<\/a><\/h4>\n<p data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">Sophie Cunningham drops unfiltered thoughts defending women\u2019s athletics, setting off a massive media firestorm. From ESPN\u2019s hot takes to the WNBA media\u2019s fierce reaction, Dan breaks down why Cunningham is quickly becoming the most talked-about face in the league\u2014and why she is completely embracing the backlash. Plus, Caitlin Clark makes waves by declining the 3-Point Contest at WNBA All-Star Weekend.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Jemele Hill came after OutKick over our scoop on ESPN host Ryan Clark&#8217;s departure.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_4021183\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TLisFearless\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tomi Lahren<\/a> answered with a blowtorch.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">On Thursday, Lahren appeared on both &#8220;<a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_4021184\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@tomilahrenisfearless\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tomi Lahren Is Fearless<\/a>&#8221; and &#8220;America Reports.&#8221; Across the two appearances, she addressed two of the week&#8217;s biggest sports stories: Jemele Hill&#8217;s outrage over OutKick&#8217;s reporting and Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham doubling down Wednesday on her support for protecting women&#8217;s sports from trans athletes after the WNBA media predictably lost (her) mind.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_4021185\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/white-house-defends-wnba-star-sophie-cunningham-speaks-support-protecting-womens-sports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS WNBA STAR SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM AFTER SHE SPEAKS OUT IN SUPPORT OF PROTECTING WOMEN&#8217;S SPORTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/343\/192\/jemele-hill-naacp-image-awards-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/686\/384\/jemele-hill-naacp-image-awards-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/672\/378\/jemele-hill-naacp-image-awards-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1344\/756\/jemele-hill-naacp-image-awards-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/931\/523\/jemele-hill-naacp-image-awards-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1862\/1046\/jemele-hill-naacp-image-awards-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/720\/405\/jemele-hill-naacp-image-awards-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1440\/810\/jemele-hill-naacp-image-awards-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1200\/675\/jemele-hill-naacp-image-awards-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Jemele Hill speaking on stage at the NAACP Image Awards Hosts Hollywood House Symposium\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Jemele Hill speaks on stage during the 56th NAACP Image Awards Hosts Hollywood House Symposium at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 19, 2025.<\/span> <span>(Monica Schipper\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Lahren started with Cunningham, praising the Fever guard for refusing to retreat from what she called a matter of common sense:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"pull-quote\">\n<p class=\"quote-text\">&#8220;Good for her because she did two things that are very important in this conversation. First, she said what should be common sense: women&#8217;s sports should be for women and girls&#8217; sports should be for girls. &#8230; But perhaps even more impressive is that she didn&#8217;t back down. She didn&#8217;t retract her statement when the woke mob came for her. &#8230; To my knowledge, she&#8217;s the only active female professional athlete willing to take the political and social risk to say something that should be so common sense.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <!----><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/sophie-cunningham-caitlin-clark-indiana-fever-fox-news_.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/sophie-cunningham-caitlin-clark-indiana-fever-fox-news_.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/sophie-cunningham-caitlin-clark-indiana-fever-fox-news_.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/sophie-cunningham-caitlin-clark-indiana-fever-fox-news_.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/931\/523\/sophie-cunningham-caitlin-clark-indiana-fever-fox-news_.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1862\/1046\/sophie-cunningham-caitlin-clark-indiana-fever-fox-news_.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/720\/405\/sophie-cunningham-caitlin-clark-indiana-fever-fox-news_.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1440\/810\/sophie-cunningham-caitlin-clark-indiana-fever-fox-news_.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/sophie-cunningham-caitlin-clark-indiana-fever-fox-news_.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark smile during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Indiana Fever superstars Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark are arguably the two most popular players in the WNBA.<\/span> <span>(NBAE via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/sophie-cunningham-ufc.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/sophie-cunningham-ufc.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/sophie-cunningham-ufc.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/sophie-cunningham-ufc.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/931\/523\/sophie-cunningham-ufc.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1862\/1046\/sophie-cunningham-ufc.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/720\/405\/sophie-cunningham-ufc.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1440\/810\/sophie-cunningham-ufc.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/sophie-cunningham-ufc.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Sophie Cunningham announces a round during a fight at T-Mobile Arena.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Sophie Cunningham announces a round during a lightweight fight at UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on July 11, 2026.<\/span> <span>(Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Jemele Hill criticized <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_4021186\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OutKick<\/a> after we broke the news of ESPN&#8217;s latest layoffs before the network publicly announced them. Journalism, we&#8217;re told, had finally gone too far.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_4021187\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/espn-part-ways-cam-newton-talent-layoffs-ryan-clark\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>EXCLUSIVE: ESPN TO PART WAYS WITH CAM NEWTON AS PART OF TALENT LAYOFFS THAT ALSO INCLUDED RYAN CLARK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Hill called for OutKick&#8217;s demise and said she&#8217;d need to be rushed to the hospital from laughter alone.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">So, Lahren unloaded on Jemele.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><strong>WATCH<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"pull-quote\">\n<p class=\"quote-text\">&#8220;Jemele is so pissed that OutKick got the scoop on ESPN&#8217;s talent lineup changes.<br \/>Well, sorry Jemele, some people break the news, OutKick, and some people break down because of the news. That&#8217;d be you.<br \/>It&#8217;s worth noting Jemele used to be an ESPN personality herself, but her race-baiting bullsh*t was even too much for them to stomach.<br \/>Jemele seems to have a real disdain for white people, but clearly doesn&#8217;t have the same aversion to blond hair.<br \/>She&#8217;s right about one thing, though.<br \/>OutKick is where woke goes to die. And unlike Jemele and much of the sports media, we cover sports and culture, the right way.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <!----><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">OutKick founder Clay Travis summed up Tomi&#8217;s response: &#8220;off the top rope!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Even <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_4021188\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/stephen-a-smith\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen A. Smith<\/a> has taken positions on women&#8217;s sports that would&#8217;ve been unthinkable at ESPN just a few years ago.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Hill is still defending a media playbook her former industry keeps throwing away.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Meanwhile, <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_4021190\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/sophie-cunningham-doubles-down-ahead-sun-game-after-espn-profile-stirs-controversy-i-said-what-i-said\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cunningham isn&#8217;t backing down<\/a>. Neither is OutKick.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_4021192\" href=\"https:\/\/www.outkick.com\/shows\/tomi-lahren-fearless\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>Tomi Lahren hosts &#8220;Tomi Lahren Is Fearless&#8221; on OutKick.com \u2014 where she delivers her signature unapologetic takes on the biggest stories in culture, sports, and politics, plus interviews with influential voices from entertainment, social media, and more.<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Send us your thoughts: <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_4021193\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/mailto:alejandro.avila@outkick.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">alejandro.avila@outkick.com<\/a> \/ Follow along on X: @<a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_4021194\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlejandroAveela\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">alejandroaveela<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Alejandro Avila is a longtime writer at OutKick, living in Southern California.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sophie Cunningham STANDS UP For Women Amidst WNBA Attacks | Don&#8217;t @ Me w\/Dan Dakich Sophie Cunningham drops unfiltered thoughts defending women\u2019s athletics, setting off a massive media firestorm. From ESPN\u2019s hot takes to the WNBA media\u2019s fierce reaction, Dan breaks down why Cunningham is quickly becoming the most talked-about face in the league\u2014and why&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/jemele-hill-naacp-image-awards-fox-news-001.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}