ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt was caught off guard on New Year. Pelt went viral after an unforgettable incident happened on live TV. During ESPNs SportsCenter broadcast, a live shot showed the same‑sex couple kissing and Pelt’s reaction went viral on social media.
Sadly, his reaction went viral for all the wrong reasons. Several NBA fans held nothing back as they took it all out on Pelt for his reaction.
“Yeah… Live makeouts on SportsCenter. Get into it. Ohhhhhhhh! What are we… “What have we got? We got love in the air,” Scott said.
While he certainly looked surprised, NBA fans were not happy as they lashed out on the Sportscaster. Here are some reactions from X.
“People don’t have a problem with those who are gay. They’re tired of every show they watch they need to add a gay scene or a coming out scene. They’re keeping it a big deal. They wanna be treated like everyone else so stop treating them like they’re special and need coddled and given constant attention simply over what private parts they wanna touch. It’s not the same as it was coming out in the 80s or 90s People are just annoyed with it all now,” one fan wrote.
People don’t have a problem with those who are gay.
They’re tired of every show they watch they need to add a gay scene or a coming out scene. They’re keeping it a big deal.
They wanna be treated like everyone else so stop treating them like they’re special and need coddled…
— Thrilla the Gorilla (@ThrillaRilla369) January 1, 2026
“He was rightfully disgusted, but soon realized his next words might get him fired,” one fan replied.
“There will be calls for Van Pelt to be fired,” another fan chimed in.
NBA Fans Continued To Slam Scott Van Pelt For His Reaction
While a few fans did support Pelt stating that it was a genuine reaction, many called him out. Pelt is one of the most reputed Sportscasters, but fans were not happy with his take.
“This easily could’ve been avoided, wokeness needs to stop in 2026,” one fan commented.
“He was about to say “What are we DOING?!” but caught himself,” another fan chimed in.
“When the woke Disney employees slip up. He’ll he fired tomorrow,” one fan chipped in.
Scott Van Pelt has witnessed a lot in his career with ESPN, but this was certainly something he saw for the first time. NBA fans often speak their mind and they ensured to hold nothing back on Pelt.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
