Katy Perry and Harrison Butker
Katy Perry and Harrison Butker (Photo: Shutterstock/Public Domain)

Football player Harrison Butker’s commencement day speech last month prompted a wave of criticism.

Delivered at Benedictine College in Kansas on May 11, the Kansas City Chiefs kicker called Pride Month a “deadly sin” and said that a woman’s accomplishments in the home are more valuable than any academic or professional goals, among other things.

He told students to take pride in biblical teachings, “Not the deadly sins sort of Pride that has an entire month dedicated to it, but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the holy ghost to glorify him.”

It turns out that one person outraged by the speech was Katy “I Kissed A Girl” Perry. Although raised in a devout Christian household when younger, she clearly disagrees with Butker on many points. 

She posted a re-edited version of his speech to her Instagram on Saturday, the first day of Pride Month. He voices the same words but the order has been changed and heavily edited. 

In an accompanying caption, Perry said, “Fixed this for my girls, my graduates, and my gays — you can do anything, congratulations and happy pride 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ 🧡”

“Happy Pride Month to all of you”

In Perry’s version of the video, Butker, 28, now says, “For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives.”

“How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you’re going to get in your career? I would venture to guess the women here today are going to lead successful careers in the world.

“I say all of this to you because I have seen it firsthand, how much happier someone can be supporting women and not saying that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world,” he continued in the edited video. 

“The road ahead is bright, things are changing, society is shifting and people young and old are embracing diversity equity and inclusion.

“With that said, I want to say happy Pride Month to all of you. And congratulations Class of 2024.”

Watch below. 

Perry’s edited video has had over 180,000 likes. She limited the comments so that most people could not respond. However, many had plenty to say when news outlets began to reshare it online. 

 

Butker widely slammed over his comments

Butker’s comments prompted criticism from across the political spectrum. Even the nuns at Benedictine College, where he delivered the speech, were critical.

“Our community has taught young women and men not just how to be ‘homemakers’ in a limited sense, but rather how to make a Gospel-centered, compassionate home within themselves where they can welcome others as Christ, empowering them to be the best versions of themselves. We reject a narrow definition of what it means to be Catholic,” they said in a statement.

Travis Kelce, who plays alongside Butker on the Kansas City Chiefs, said he “cherishes” the kicker as a teammate. However, Kelce added that he “doesn’t agree with the majority” of Butker’s views.

Katy Perry’s last album was Smile in 2020. However, fans are hopeful new material is on the way. A couple of weeks ago, Perry changed her profile photo. She deleted an image of her face and replaced it with the letters KP against a red background. 

Last summer, appearing on stage during her Las Vegas residency, she also hinted that new music was coming. She told fans, “If you can’t love me at my ‘Witness’ or ‘Smile’ era, then you can’t love me in my KP6 era.”

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