‘Tasteless’: Cam Newton blasts UFC fighter over Michelle Obama remark at White House event
TheGrio...
The former NFL player is one of the more vocal former athletes to back the former First Lady in the aftermath of Josh Hokit’s infamous remarks on June 14.
One of the more notable Black athletes in the public eye is joining a growing list of individuals and organizations backing Michelle Obama.
During a pre-Juneteenth episode of his “4th And 1” podcast, former NFL star Cam Newton took out his frustrations on Josh Hokit, the UFC fighter who made more headlines for his remarks about former First Lady Michelle Obama at the UFC’s Freedom 250 event on June 14.
“In our culture, we don’t play about certain individuals,” Newton began. “Certain people are untouchable, or what they will call it in another culture, a made man or in this case a made woman. If you utter anything disrespectful about an Obama, it don’t matter if it’s the daughters, it don’t matter if it’s the wife. It doggone don’t matter if it’s the president. If you talk about their dogs, it is in question. They’re some good people, they served this country well and they’re innocent bystanders.”
Newton added, “You could have said any Michelle. But Josh, we don’t play about that one.”
Hokit, who is undefeated in MMA, used his moment after defeating Derrick Lewis at UFC White House to tell the audience that Michelle Obama was “a man.” The comment didn’t land with many people, including UFC CEO Dana White and UFC commentator and MMA Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier.
Hokit’s remarks at the White House weren’t the first time he’s drawn ire and attention for things said not connected to his work inside the Octagon, and it wasn’t even the first time he’s referred to Mrs. Obama as a “man,” doing so at a smaller MMA organization in 2025. In January, he told a UFC crowd, “P.S. Brittney Griner is a man.” The video was later removed from the UFC Asia X account.
“Bro, that was tasteless. He doing way too much,” Newton said of Hokit. “Granted, you can be a proud American, but when you start attacking women and children? That’s low, brother. Why in the world do you think it was right or necessary to mention somebody who probably wasn’t even watching the fight? Think about what you’re saying. That was stupid.”
He continued, “There are multiple ways to get notoriety. But what expense are you going viral? Cause saying stuff like that is going to make it unsafe for you.”
UFC fighters in recent years have used gimmicks and other post-fight antics in order to get over with the crowd and become more famous. Hokit’s remarks are no different from a few fighters who lean heavily into pro-America xenophobia and other remarks. As Hokit continues to move up the UFC ranks, he will become more visible. The question is, will people solely remember him for his antics, or his achievements in MMA?