The Pat McAfee Show

The Pat McAfee Show
Created byPat McAfee
Presented byPat McAfee
A. J. Hawk
Connor "Boston Connor" Campbell
Anthony "Tone Digz" DiGuilio
Ty Schmit
Darius Butler
Kyle "Gump" Cathcart
Evan "Foxy" Fox
Frank "Nick" Maraldo
Zito Perez
Theme music composerdef rebel (WWE Music Group)
Opening theme"The Anomaly" by def rebel (WWE Music Group)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerTy Schmit
Production locationsDraftKings Thunderdome, Lawrence, Indiana
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time120–300 minutes
Production companyPat McAfee Inc.
Original release
NetworkDAZN (2019–2020)
Westwood One radio stations (2019–2020)
CBS Sports Radio (2020)
YouTube (2020–present)
ESPN/ESPN+ (2023–present)
ReleaseSeptember 9, 2019 (2019-09-09) –
present
The Pat McAfee Show
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2017–present
GenreSports talk
Subscribers2.9 million
Views2.5 billion
Last updated: June 10, 2026

The Pat McAfee Show is a daily sports talk show hosted by sports commentator and former National Football League (NFL) punter Pat McAfee. The show broadcasts live from the DraftKings Thunderdome in Lawrence, Indiana. Airing from 12:00 p.m. to roughly 3:00 p.m. ET, the show features a rotation of guests and analysts from varying sports, typically centering around the NFL and college football.

Premiering on September 9, 2019, the program was originally distributed by DAZN and via Westwood One radio. The show currently airs on ESPN, ESPN+, and McAfee's YouTube channel. Only the first two hours air on ESPN; the final hour airs exclusively on ESPN+ and YouTube.

History

The Pat McAfee Show podcast (2017–2018)

Before hosting the program now known as The Pat McAfee Show, McAfee launched an audio and video podcast of the same name on February 17, 2017, in a partnership with Barstool Sports. Episodes were broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube during this partnership.[1][2][3][4][5] The original co-hosts of the program were Anthony DiGuilio, Todd McComas, Jason McAfee and Nick Maraldo.[6][7][8] The program was known for its "r-rated" form of comedy, which was unusual for high profile sports podcasts at the time.[9] The podcast was eventually broadcast on the SiriusXM station Barstool Power 85 weekdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. until the show ended following McAfee's split with Barstool in 2018.[10]

The Pat McAfee Show (2018–present)

Following the split with Barstool Sports, Pat McAfee launched a podcast network called Pat McAfee Inc., which included several programs such as The Pat McAfee Show 2.0, That's Hockey Talk, Heartland Radio 2.0, and Good Bettor Bets. The Pat McAfee Show 2.0, also known as "PMS 2.0", was a new podcast that featured the same co-hosts and served as a continuation of the original podcast, but was produced independently at the start. He continued to net high-profile guests such as Aaron Rodgers on the new program,[11][12] and made his television commentating debut on New Year's Eve of 2018.[13][14]

The Pat McAfee Show, a new program with the same name as Pat McAfee's prior podcast, premiered on September 9, 2019, as part of a multi-year deal between McAfee, DAZN, and Westwood One. DAZN would distribute the channel via its subscription sports streaming service, while Westwood One would syndicate an audio simulcast, with clearances in 40 markets at launch. The only major format change from the podcast to the radio and television program would be that Pat McAfee would need to use explicit language less frequently in order to comply with FCC regulations.[15] As part of the agreement, McAfee would also produce on-site broadcasts from the locations of boxing and mixed martial arts events being broadcast by DAZN, and also contribute NFL content for DAZN in markets (such as Canada and Germany) where it held streaming rights to the league.[16][17] It was reported that McAfee was being courted by ESPN as a home for the show (having recently joined ESPN's Get Up! and college football coverage as a contributor), but that DAZN offered him more flexibility.[16]

In January 2020, the radio simulcast moved to the national lineup of CBS Sports Radio.[18] In May 2020, the program's contract with DAZN ended, with its video version moving to YouTube.[19] On September 8, 2020, The Pat McAfee Show moved to SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio. It also moved from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. ET to a 12–3 p.m. time slot. The show continued to be broadcast live on YouTube.[20] On December 9, 2021, McAfee announced a four-year, $120 million deal with FanDuel, making them the sole odds provider for the Pat McAfee Show.[21] The deal also included the creation of a new studio space in Lawrence, Indiana, known as the "Thunderdome", or the "FanDuel Igloo".[22] In August 2022, the show left SiriusXM after the company did not make an offer for a contract extension. However, the program continued broadcasting on YouTube and as an audio podcast, effectively replacing PMS 2.0 (although the audio version of the program continues to brand the episodes as "PMS 2.0").[23]

On September 7, 2023, The Pat McAfee Show moved to ESPN as part of a deal with the network; it was reported to be valued at $85 million over five years. The new program simulcasts the podcast for the first two hours on ESPN, while ESPN+ streams the entirety of the podcast. The broadcast on ESPN is carried on a slight broadcast delay in order to allow some of its profane language to be censored.[24] It was also announced that the program would occasionally broadcast Friday editions from the site of that week's edition of College GameDay—which McAfee joined as a panelist in 2022.[25]—during college football season.[26][27] The show had already been involved in altcasts for selected ESPN College Football games with Omaha Productions, including CFB Primetime with The Pat McAfee Show (which aired from his studio during selected Saturday prime time games), and Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show during the College Football Playoff.[28][29][30]

In March 2024, the show similarly traveled to Iowa City for the first round of the 2024 NCAA women's basketball tournament, following the Iowa Hawkeyes and star player Caitlin Clark.[31]

On June 1, 2026, the show announced a multi-year partnership with DraftKings. As part of the deal, the "Thunderdome" was renamed to the "DraftKings Thunderdome".[32]

Hosts and guests

Hosts

Recurring guests

NFL

College football

NBA

NHL

MLB

Specials

  • The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular features coverage of the first two days of the NFL draft, complementing ESPN's coverage of the draft. Peter Schrager and Dan Orlovsky join the show to provide pick-by-pick analysis, and Ty Schmit appears as "Mad Mel Kiper", a parody of ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
  • Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show is an altcast of ESPN's coverage of College Football Playoff games. At select playoff games (including the National Championship), the hosts broadcast live commentary on the field during the game. A similar altcast was broadcast for Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals, featuring Kendrick Perkins as an analyst.
  • Free Agency Frenzy takes place at the beginning of NFL free agency. Adam Schefter and Peter Schrager join the show to provide reporting and analysis of signings.

Controversies

Brett Favre lawsuit

In February 2023, Brett Favre sued Pat McAfee after McAfee called Favre a "thief" who was "stealing from poor people in Mississippi" on the show. McAfee made the comments after Favre was accused of taking money from Mississippi's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds to enrich himself.[33] The lawsuit was later withdrawn.[34]

Move to ESPN

Following the announcement that the show would move to ESPN in 2023, some fans accused McAfee of being a "sellout".[35]

In 2021, the show was criticized by commentators for allowing frequent guest Aaron Rodgers to question the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and the NFL's COVID-19-related policies.[36][37]

Rodgers appeared on the January 2, 2024, edition of the show, on which he discussed plans to release the Epstein files. Rodgers stated that "if that list comes out, I will definitely be popping some sort of bottle...a lot of people including Jimmy Kimmel are hoping it doesn't come out."[38] Kimmel denied any connection to Epstein and threatened to sue Rodgers over his accusations. An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment on Rodgers' role in the episode. McAfee, however, issued a public apology to Kimmel the following day, stating that Rodgers was "just trying to talk shit".[39][40]

Mary Kate Cornett controversy

The show generated controversy in 2025 after McAfee mentioned a then-viral internet rumor that Mary Kate Cornett, a student at the University of Mississippi, had been sleeping with her boyfriend's father. McAfee later apologized to Cornett's family and issued a public apology on the show.[41][42]

Awards

On December 19, 2022, the show won Sports Business Journal's inaugural Best Sports Audio award.[43]

Notes

  1. ↑ Hawk appears on the show from his home from 1:00 p.m. until the end of the show. On days that McAfee is out of the studio, Hawk typically hosts the show in its entirety from the studio.
  2. ↑ Butler typically only appears on the show for two or three days per week.

References

  1. ↑ 17K views · 350 reactions | The first Pat McAfee Show podcast since being a retired man launches on Thursday.. here's a short clip of an interview I did with ESPN color commentator... | By Pat McAfee Show | Facebook. Retrieved January 13, 2025 – via www.facebook.com.
  2. ↑ The Pat McAfee Show (November 27, 2017). The Pat McAfee Show Simulcast Ep.94- Pat and Michele Morrow Discuss Gaming Culture and More 11-14-17. Retrieved January 13, 2025 – via YouTube.
  3. ↑ Barstool Sports (February 2, 2017). Colts Punter Pat McAfee Announces His Retirement Live On The Barstool Rundown On Comedy Central. Retrieved January 13, 2025 – via YouTube.
  4. ↑ "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on December 16, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  5. ↑ Kmarko. "Emergency Press Conference - Pat McAfee Joins Barstool Sports". www.barstoolsports.com. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  6. ↑ 18K views · 323 reactions | Guys.. episode 2 of The Pat McAfee Show presented by Barstool Sports launches tomorrow morning at 6am.. BIG show gang.. Super Agent Drew Rosenhaus chats... | By Pat McAfee Show | Facebook. Retrieved January 13, 2025 – via www.facebook.com.
  7. ↑ "PMS 001 - Glenn Robinson III, Matt Hasselbeck and Dan Dakich by The Pat McAfee Show". Podchaser. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  8. ↑ "The First Episode Of The Pat McAfee Show Is Live". amp.barstoolsports.com. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  9. ↑ Rehagen, Tony (January 28, 2018). "Can Pat McAfee Clean Up Sports Talk?". Indianapolis Monthly. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Pat McAfee Says Bye To Barstool, A 'Free Agent Again'". Indianapolis, IN Patch. August 31, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  11. ↑ The Pat McAfee Show (September 4, 2018). PMS 2.0 Ep. 1: Rebirth. Retrieved January 13, 2025 – via YouTube.
  12. ↑ McAfee, Pat (August 23, 2018). "Aaron Rodgers On The Pat McAfee Show!".
  13. ↑ "Best of Pat McAfee's calls during Lions vs. Packers | Week 17". NFL.com. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  14. ↑ Glaspie, Akeem. "Former Colts punter Pat McAfee will make NFL broadcasting debut during Packers-Lions game". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  15. ↑ DAZN Boxing (September 9, 2019). Pat McAfee On DAZN | Debut Episode. Retrieved January 13, 2025 – via YouTube.
  16. 1 2 Guthrie, Marisa (August 7, 2019). "Former NFL Star Pat McAfee Lands Daily Show on DAZN and Westwood One (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  17. ↑ Ourand, John (September 16, 2019). "Party time: How DAZN, Westwood One got McAfee". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  18. ↑ "'DA' Takes Mornings At CBS Sports Radio, Pat McAfee Added To Middays". Insideradio.com. January 2, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Pat McAfee Show Leaves DAZN". barrettsportsmedia.com. May 8, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Pat McAfee Show Moving To SiriusXM September 8th; Bill Reiter Takes His Place At CBS Sports Radio". all access.com. August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  21. ↑ Huff, Cole (December 9, 2021). "Pat McAfee is about to make so much more money than he made in the NFL". For The Win. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  22. ↑ Koster, Kyle (December 9, 2021). "Pat McAfee, FanDuel Agree to Massive Deal". The Big Lead. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  23. ↑ Staszewski, Joseph; Marchand, Andrew (August 29, 2022). "'The Pat McAfee Show,' SiriusXM parting ways: 'Never made an offer'". New York Post. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  24. ↑ Staff Reports (September 6, 2023). "Pat McAfee Show Set to Premiere on ESPN with Censored Broadcast". WV News. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  25. ↑ Deitsch, Richard (September 10, 2022). "How ESPN landed Pat McAfee for 'College GameDay' and made the best college football hire of 2022". The Athletic. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  26. ↑ Lucia, Joe (August 17, 2023). "'The Pat McAfee Show' premieres September 7 on ESPN". Awful Announcing. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  27. ↑ McDaniel, Mike (May 31, 2023). "Report: Contract Details for Pat McAfee's Lucrative New ESPN Deal Are Out". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  28. ↑ Lucia, Joe (September 27, 2022). "'CFB Primetime with The Pat McAfee Show' premieres Saturday for NC State-Clemson". Awful Announcing. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  29. ↑ Contes, Brandon (August 4, 2022). "Peyton Manning, Pat McAfee creating ESPN2 college football simulcast". Awful Announcing. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  30. ↑ Staff, S. V. G. (January 6, 2023). "ESPN's CFP National Championship MegaCast To Feature Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show". Sports Video Group. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  31. ↑ "The Pat McAfee Show and WWE champion Roman Reigns are heading to Iowa City on March 22". Iowa City Press-Citizen. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  32. ↑ Mamola, John (June 1, 2026). "The Pat McAfee Show Signs Multi-Year Partnership With DraftKings". Barrett Media. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  33. ↑ Barr, John; Olivieri, Anthony (February 9, 2023). "Brett Favre sues Shannon Sharpe, Pat McAfee, auditor for defamation". ESPN. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  34. ↑ Riess, Rebekah (May 12, 2023). "Brett Favre withdraws defamation lawsuit against sports commentator Pat McAfee". CNN. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  35. ↑ Cohen, Bethany (May 18, 2023). "Pat McAfee lashes out at fans calling him a sellout after ESPN deal – "Ya'll motherfu**ers have no idea"". sportskeeda.com. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  36. ↑ Wood, Ryan (November 5, 2021). "Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers blasts woke mob over COVID-19 news on Pat McAfee show, rips NFL's 'draconian' protocols". packersnews.com. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  37. ↑ Keely, Sean (December 29, 2021). "The Pat McAfee Show is Aaron Rodgers' safe space". Awful Announcing. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  38. ↑ DeMeyer, Tess (January 3, 2024). "Jimmy Kimmel threatens 'court' action over Aaron Rodgers' Epstein allegation". The Athletic. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  39. ↑ Florio, Mike (January 3, 2024). "ESPN declines comment on whether it's examining Aaron Rodgers's role on Pat McAfee's show". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  40. ↑ Moreau, Jordan (January 3, 2024). "Pat McAfee Apologizes After Aaron Rodgers Accused Jimmy Kimmel of Having Epstein Connections on His Show: 'Aaron Was Just Trying to Talk S—'". Variety. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  41. ↑ Llamas, Tom; Silva, Daniella; Torres, Ignacio (April 2, 2025). "College student who became subject of viral rumor says incident has 'ruined' her life". NBC News. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  42. ↑ Madani, Doha; Llamas, Tom (July 23, 2025). "Pat McAfee publicly apologizes to college student months after sharing false story that 'ruined' her life". NBC News. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  43. ↑ Fischer, Ben (December 19, 2022). "Year-End Awards: Best Sports Audio". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
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