ESPN's Sarah Spain Doubles Down on Criticism of VP Vance

Spain faces backlash after making controversial comments about the vice president.

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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ESPN personality Sarah Spain has faced significant backlash after making disparaging comments about U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance on her podcast. Rather than backing down, Spain has doubled down on her criticism, going so far as to accuse Vance of being a "pedophile-protector" without providing any evidence. This has led to an influx of negative comments directed at Spain, which she has attempted to reframe as her being the victim of harassment.

Why it matters

Spain's comments and subsequent actions highlight the increasingly partisan and divisive nature of political discourse in the United States. Her willingness to make unsubstantiated allegations against a senior government official, as well as her attempts to portray herself as the victim, raise concerns about the erosion of civil political dialogue.

The details

On her podcast, Spain referred to Vice President Vance as having an "eyeliner face" and said her "body felt like... something could go wrong here, or maybe I should get out of here. Something's dangerous, or this doesn't feel right." Rather than apologizing or walking back these comments, Spain took to the social media platform Bluesky to double down, accusing Vance of being a "pedophile-protector" without providing any evidence to support this claim. This led to an influx of negative comments directed at Spain, which she then attempted to reframe as her being the victim of harassment.

  • Spain made the initial comments about Vice President Vance on her podcast in early February 2026.
  • Spain posted her follow-up comments on Bluesky shortly after the initial backlash.

The players

Sarah Spain

An ESPN personality who has faced significant backlash for her disparaging comments about Vice President J.D. Vance.

J.D. Vance

The current Vice President of the United States, who Spain has accused of being a "pedophile-protector" without providing any evidence.

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What they’re saying

“When I see J.D. Vance's eyeliner face, I literally feel ill. I feel like I just looked at a demon, like the devil, and I don't even believe in that, but like my body felt like... something could go wrong here, or maybe I should get out of here. Something's dangerous, or this doesn't feel right. That's what my body felt like, and I was in no way prepared to see him.”

— Sarah Spain, ESPN Personality (OutKick)

“Just wanted to give you a heads-up that if you see some weird comments on my Instagram that I haven't had the chance to delete yet, it's because I got called out for criticizing a pedophile-protecting, American-who-was-executed-by-ICE-slandering person.”

— Sarah Spain, ESPN Personality (Bluesky)

The takeaway

Spain's actions highlight the growing partisan divide and erosion of civil political discourse in the United States, as well as the tendency for some public figures to reframe criticism as harassment in order to portray themselves as victims.