Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Barstool’s Dave Portnoy keeps his cool as student yells antisemitic abuse at him during pizza taste test

The media mogul says he now faces antisemitic harassment ‘every single day’

Josh Marcus
in San Francisco
Wednesday 12 November 2025 00:49 GMT
Comments
Barstool’s Dave Portnoy Confronts Man Over Antisemitic Slur During Filming In Mississippi

A 20-year-old student allegedly made antisemitic remarks and threw coins at Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy as he was filming a pizza review video in Mississippi.

During the review, which was recorded on Friday, a young man can be heard saying “F*** the Jews” from nearby as Portnoy speaks into the camera.

A crowd around the media mogul responded angrily to the attacks, while Portnoy himself casually called out to the man to come on camera.

As members of the public apologized to the commentator, Portnoy responded, “That’s alright. There’s a**holes everywhere you go.”

Police in Starkville, home of Mississippi State University, arrested Patrick McClintock, 20, on Monday morning over the incident on a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy faced antisemitic abuse over the weekend while he was filming a pizza review in Mississippi
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy faced antisemitic abuse over the weekend while he was filming a pizza review in Mississippi (Club Shay Shay/ YouTube)

“Every person has the right to feel safe and respected in our community,” the Starkville Police Department told the Reflector student newspaper. “Offensive words alone are protected, but when behavior disrupts a public event or risks violence, the Starkville Police Department will take steps to help maintain safety and security.”

McClintock, who was released on a $2,500 bond, withdrew from MSU on Monday afternoon, a university spokesperson told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger newspaper.

The Independent has contacted McClintock for comment.

Patrick McClintock, 20, was arrested Monday on charges of disturbing the peac
Patrick McClintock, 20, was arrested Monday on charges of disturbing the peac (Starkville Police Department)

When the full video of the review was posted on Monday, Portnoy elaborated on his reaction to the incident.

“I don’t want sympathy or apologies,” he said. “I want outrage and I had it. And that actually makes me feel pretty f***ng good that people were like, ‘This is f***ing crazy.’”

In an interview about the incident on CBS Sunday Morning, Portnoy said he’s personally seen a spike in antisemitism, with attacks against him “every day now.”

Portnoy, who says he faces regular antisemitic abuse, offered earlier this year to send a pair of customers accused of harassment to the former Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp for an educational tour
Portnoy, who says he faces regular antisemitic abuse, offered earlier this year to send a pair of customers accused of harassment to the former Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp for an educational tour (Getty Images for The Cantor Fitz)

"For me, being a Jewish person, like, you got to step up," he said. "You're kind of someone people look up to in the Jewish community. You have to be, like, 'All right, this is not normal ha-ha with the guys. People are coming up with real hate.'"

Earlier this year, Portnoy offered to send customers accused of antisemitic actions at a Barstool-branded pub in Philadelphia on an educational tour of Auschwitz, the former Nazi concentration camp in Poland.

Hate crimes nearly matched their record high last year, with Jews the second-most targeted group in the US
Hate crimes nearly matched their record high last year, with Jews the second-most targeted group in the US

Last year, hate crimes were just shy of their 2023 record, according to FBI data. Jewish Americans were the second-most targeted group after Black Americans, despite making up less than two percent of the U.S. population.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in