John Oliver, comedian and host of the show Last Week Tonight, has recently made headlines for his comment on the inclusion of males in women’s sports. In the episode aired on April 6, 2025, Oliver, as usual, presented the recent events in a satirical light.
One of these discussed topics was the inclusion of males in women’s sports. He stated that the emphasis was disproportionate and not rooted in genuine concerns about fairness or safety. To further substantiate his stand, he mentioned Payton McNabb, a former high school athlete who has advocated the restriction of transgender individuals in women’s sports. He explained the incident to the audience, detailing the injuries McNabb suffered. He also shared that she told her story to the North Carolina State Legislature before they implemented their ban and was also in attendance at Trump’s address to Congress. Further on, she released a video about the incident, produced by an activist group.
He went on to show some clips of McNabb’s video and then explained how, even after the incident, she continued to play softball, as noted by a local paper, which pointed out that she led her team to a 5-0 start. “I am not saying she wasn’t injured, or that it didn’t have some impact on her performance but a lot of the groups heavily pushing this story seem to be overselling it including choosing to title that video, ‘Kill Shot’ which is not a good title for a teenage girl who is very much alive and talking to a camera,” said Oliver during his segment.
The host has received various condemnations for his comments on social media. But what happened with Payton McNabb?
Payton McNabb’s real story
As per her story published on IW FEATURES, with the title ‘Kill Shot: How Payton McNabb turned tragedy into triumph’, McNabb was 17 years old when she survived a devastating head and neck injury during a volleyball game as the result of a spike by a male athlete who identified as a transgender person.
“Neither I nor anyone else on the team agreed with it [the transgender athlete being allowed to play] and were against it from the beginning. We were all just so confused by how it could be allowed, and I guess we just had no idea what to do,” said the former athlete to the publication.
The spike left McNabb unconscious for 30 seconds, where her body had twisted into a ‘fencing position’ which is indicative of extreme trauma to the brain. “The boy who hit me and the girls on his team were standing on the other side of the net laughing at me,” she said.
A medical evaluation later revealed the seriousness of the injuries suffered by McNabb, who was diagnosed with neurological impairments such as a concussion, vision problems, partial paralysis to the right side of her body and various “blank spaces” that she’ll never remember, as per her statement. She also lost the ability to drive for several months and needed help with schoolwork as she couldn’t retain information like before.
A year later, McNabb testified at the North Carolina General Assembly in favour of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which passed in August 2023 and prohibited male athletes from competing on most girls’ sports teams at the K-12 and collegiate levels.
Social media reaction
Image credits: X/@VictoriaRColey
Firstly, people have been mocking Oliver’s interpretation of the title ‘Kill Shot’ which he said did in fact not kill McNabb. Victoria Coley, who was a part of the project, enlightened Oliver about the meaning of Kill Shot, which means a decisive smashing or punching of a ball with the hand or racquet that is virtually unreturnable, as in volleyball, handball or badminton.
Author of the popular book series ‘Harry Potter’ J.K. Rowling also condemned Oliver in an X post, writing, “I understand why men like Oliver, who’ve consistently mocked anti-science people on the right, sold out initially.” Rowling said. “But it’s time to read the f**king room,” she added.
“The men who put on lipstick and compete against women are the most degenerate creatures on earth. Close behind are those who support and condone their narcissistic, selfish, self-centered behavior. To hell with “live and let live,” these people must be defeated and shamed out of existence,” wrote an X user.
