On Wednesday morning, Pat McAfee announced that he’s releasing a country album titled “The Diary of a Polarizing Figure” on Aug. 14.
McAfee said it took him 20 years to write the album, and his announcement immediately generated strong reactions online due to its timing, just one day after ESPN laid off a ton of staff, including notable names like Cam Newton, Ryan Clark, Bart Scott, Karl Ravech, Tom Pelissero, and Stephania Bell among others.
Pat McAfee’s Album Announcement Labeled ‘Tone Deaf’ Amid ESPN Layoffs
ESPN let go of a wave of on-air personalities on Tuesday afternoon in the network’s first major round of cuts since 2023.
McAfee, who is reportedly closing a contract extension worth $60 million to $65 million a year, was already receiving blame for the ESPN layoffs due to his massive salary.
“For as long as I can remember my mere existence has made people hate my guts.. I’ve been writing songs about it for 20yrs & it’s time to let them aht.. A LOT of headlines & narratives.. if I was to die, I’d like my kids to know exactly who their dad is. 🗣🗣 AUGUST 14TH, 2026,” McAfee announced.
For as long as I can remember my mere existence has made people hate my guts..
I’ve been writing songs about it for 20yrs & it’s time to let them aht.. A LOT of headlines & narratives.. if I was to die, I’d like my kids to know exactly who their dad is.
🗣🗣 AUGUST 14TH, 2026 pic.twitter.com/AqiEVOw1Xh
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 22, 2026
McAfee’s announcement rubbed some people the wrong way given the layoffs.
“Tone deaf in every sense,” said radio host Kent Weyrauch on X.
“No no you don’t understand, we simply have to fire Tom Pelissero and Stephania Bell in order to produce the Pat McAfee album,” added one fantasy influencer.
No no you don’t understand, we simply have to fire Tom Pelissero and Stephania Bell in order to produce the Pat McAfee album https://t.co/K6obKW0ZME
— Akash (@YZR_Fantasy) July 22, 2026
Podcaster Stephie Smalls summed up her thoughts with one word: “bozo”
This isn’t the first time McAfee has been blamed for layoffs at ESPN. When the network made deep cuts in 2023, shortly after he signed a $30 million-a-year deal, fans pointed at him then, too. He addressed the connection on his show this week, saying he could understand why people link his contract to the layoffs, “but I mean there’s billions and billions of dollars in these companies, and hard decisions have to get made, and we don’t like any of them.”
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Others were critical of his decision to release an album for reasons unrelated to ESPN’s cuts.
“What a warped ego. No one gave a d**n who you were 20 years ago,” said one user.
Others called out his album cover, accusing him of using AI to create it. (McAfee fired back and claimed that it was designed by a graphic designer named Derek Murphy).
“how do you have a graphic designer on your payroll and still use a shi**y ai image?” one user wrote.
“$60 million a year and still using AI slop graphics,” wrote a satire account.
Some didn’t understand all of the hate and came to McAfee’s defense.
“Can someone explain to me what all this Mcafee hate in the comments is? Dude literally just grinds and smashes everything he does with a smile (while staying loyal to his OG crew) and the whole f**kin world all of a sudden hates him? Cause he cashed a huge deal at espn? Idiots,” one influencer wrote.
Can someone explain to me what all this Mcafee hate in the comments is? Dude literally just grinds and smashes everything he does with a smile (while staying loyal to his OG crew) and the whole fuckin world all of a sudden hates him? Cause he cashed a huge deal at espn? Idiots https://t.co/mVfPxOIgVB
— Tommy G (@TommygWinsAgain) July 22, 2026
“I fear this man is about to become the Taylor Swift for dudes that wear white Oakleys,” one influencer joked.
McAfee probably isn’t shocked by the reaction. As he alluded to in his announcement, he’s used to be hated for “his mere existence.”
And as his album title states, McAfee has built a nine-figure brand on being “a polarizing figure.”
