Mitch Schwartz's Wife Criticizes Harrison Butker's Graduation Speech: Comparisons to 'Handmaid's Tale' Stir Controversy

Mitch Schwartz and wife Brooke

Brooke Schwartz/Instagram

Brooke Schwartz criticized Harrison Butker, a former teammate of her husband from the Kansas City Chiefs, for his controversial graduation speech that gained attention online. Brooke, who is married to retired Chiefs offensive tackle Mitch Schwartz, spoke out against Butker's remarks about women being encouraged to embrace their role as "homemakers" in a series of Instagram Stories that have since disappeared.

Brooke, 30, expressed her thoughts on a recent statement made by Mitch, her former teammate. She started by stating, "I’m going to sound controversial since Mitch was teammates with him for many years. I’ve stayed quiet about a lot of things but this is absolutely so gross and backwards to me." She then quoted a line from Butker’s commencement address where he mentioned, “‘All of my success is made possible … etc … because my wife embraced the most important title of all: homemaker.'"

Following this, Brooke raised her concerns by saying, “This is what we’re telling young women graduating college? That the most important thing they can become is a homemaker??? What in the Handmaid’s Tale is this crap?”

In another Story slide, Brooke reiterated her criticism of the NFL star’s comments. She expressed disbelief at the idea of telling young women on their college graduation day that their main aspiration in life should be to become a wife. She emphasized that she values and respects a woman’s choices for her life, and firmly stated that it is never a man’s place to dictate women’s roles.

Brooke then expressed her concern for the NFL star's daughter. She concluded her thoughts by pointing out Butker's reference to Taylor Swift in his speech. Butker had referred to the outspoken feminist as his “teammate’s girlfriend,” despite the fact that Swift, 34, has been dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce since last summer.

She found it strange that he used a Taylor Swift quote in his speech. Was he not aware of her strong opinions?

Benedictine College Graduating Student Says She Booed Harrison Butker, But He Got 'Standing Ovation'

Harrison Butker was speaking to students at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas on May 11. During his commencement speech, he specifically mentioned the female audience. He emphasized that "it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you."

He then asked the audience, "How many of you are sitting here, getting ready to graduate, and already thinking about the promotions and fancy job titles you'll have in the future? While some of you will go on to have successful careers, I bet most of you are looking forward to starting a family and having children."

The Kansas City Chiefs kicker also mentioned his wife, Isabelle Butker, and shared that she believes her life truly began when she embraced her roles as a wife and a mother.

"I feel incredibly fortunate for the talents God has blessed me with. However, I must emphasize that my success would not be possible without the support of my wife, who I met in band class in middle school. She not only converted to my faith but also took on the vital role of homemaker."

Despite facing criticism from social media users, numerous celebrities across various industries were swift to denounce his speech.

Jenna Bush Hager questioned, "Who is [Harrison] to tell us?" during the May 16 episode of Today With Jenna and Hoda. Hoda Kotb chimed in, saying, "Don’t speak for us. I think that’s kind of the thing. Stop speaking for women out there."

Flavor Flav referenced a specific moment from Butker’s commencement address and added via X, "Sounds like some players ‘need to stay in their lanes’ and shouldn’t be giving commencement speeches."

The NFL also distanced itself from Butker’s comments, saying in a statement to People that “his views are not those of the NFL as an organization.”

Editor's P/S:

Brooke Schwartz's criticism of Harrison Butker's graduation speech highlights the ongoing debate about women's roles in society. Butker's comments