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Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder criticized Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s remarks about women at a May 2024 commencement speech, saying women should not have to set aside their ambitions for men. Vedder made the comments at a Pearl Jam concert in Las Vegas on May 18, a week after Butker spoke at Benedictine College. He also said homemaking is difficult and worthy of pride.
What Harrison Butker said at Benedictine College
On May 11, 2024, Butker addressed graduates at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Speaking to the women in the graduating class, he said that while some might pursue successful careers, he guessed most were most excited about marriage and children. He also described homemaker as one of the most important titles held by his wife, Isabelle. FactCheck.org’s account of the address provides excerpts and context.
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The speech covered additional political and religious topics, including abortion, Pride Month and what Butker called cultural disorder. The remarks about women’s ambitions and homemaking became the focus of Vedder’s response.
How Eddie Vedder responded
At Pearl Jam’s May 18, 2024 concert in Las Vegas, Vedder praised women musicians in opening act Deep Sea Diver and pushed back on the idea that women should take a back seat to men. He said homemaking was among the hardest jobs and worthy of pride, but questioned why a woman should give up her dreams. TheWrap reported Vedder’s remarks, including his statement: “There’s nothing more masculine than a strong man supporting a strong woman and people of quality do not fear equality.”
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Vedder’s point was not that homemaking is lesser work. He affirmed its difficulty while objecting to treating it as the expected role for women at the expense of their own ambitions.
What the NFL said—and what it did not say
On May 16, before Vedder’s concert comments, the NFL responded to Butker’s speech. Jonathan Beane, then the league’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, said: “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.” CBS News reported the statement.
The league’s statement was an institutional distinction: it said Butker spoke for himself, not for the NFL. Vedder’s remarks were a separate public criticism at a concert, not a statement on behalf of the league.
Did Kansas City cancel Pearl Jam shows at Arrowhead?
No. A social media claim that Arrowhead Stadium had canceled three Pearl Jam shows in response to Vedder’s remarks was false. Pearl Jam had not been scheduled to perform at the stadium that year, according to a Chiefs spokesperson cited by FactCheck.org. PolitiFact also rated the cancellation claim false.
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Butker’s later response
In comments reported on August 7, 2024, Butker said he had considered his words carefully and stood by them, while also saying he felt some remarks had been misinterpreted. “I prayed about it, and I thought about it, and I was very intentional with what I said, and I stand behind what I said,” he said. NFL.com’s Associated Press report covered his comments.
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