Stephen Curry’s marriage has turned into podcast content after his wife, Ayesha, starred in the Roku rom-com Second Chance Holiday. Her on-screen kiss with Matthew Daddario had former NBA players and podcasters crossing the line with their comments. After Steph broke his silence to support Ayesha, an outside voice has stepped in to defend her.
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Fox Sports Radio host Kelvin Washington couldn’t hold back his scathing response after hearing former athletes like Gilbert Arenas, Nick Young, and Emmanuel Acho criticize Ayesha. He stated that even guys on the streets know better, defending Ayesha’s right to have a career.
“Dudes in the streets have more honor than ex-athletes when it comes to not bringing up women, wives, girlfriends, children,” Washington said on The Odd Couple podcast.
“I would say I’m shocked, but that’s where we are.”
Washington couldn’t believe that so many former athletes would break the unwritten code of keeping the family out of it.
Furthermore, he is stunned by the hypocrisy of how, when Ayesha wants to act, it suddenly becomes a huge issue.
“So, the woman kissed somebody in a movie. First of all, I’m sure they like Viola Davis; she’s a wife. Angela Bassett’s a wife. People act, that’s a literal career.”
Washington added that billions of dollars are spent to watch television and movies, and people love them.
He argues that Ayesha pursuing an acting career shouldn’t be a reason for people to judge her marriage or character. This is far from the first time Ayesha has faced criticism related to her marriage to Steph.
When she went on the Call Her Daddy podcast last year and talked about her life, she faced immense backlash after stating that she didn’t want to get married initially or have kids.
“I didn’t want kids. I didn’t want to get married. I thought I was gonna be a career girl and that’s it, and then it happened so early in my life.”
Even at the time, she was just stating how she expected to be a career girl and not get married so early. However, it led to significant negative feedback.
The current incident initially gained traction after Arenas and Young discussed Ayesha’s kissing scene on their podcast, We Said What We Said. Arenas said, “The only blemish in the family is the wife, in a sense.” He argued that she did not behave like the wives of other NBA superstars.
Acho, a former NFL player, also questioned her decision to accept the role. LeSean McCoy chose to weigh in on the discussion separately.
However, with criticism building up, Steph had seen enough of the conversation and decided to address it directly. He called out Arenas, Young, and Acho by name, while slamming all commenters’ ignorance about how the acting industry works.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of noise, and usually the noise doesn’t bother me, doesn’t bother Ayesha, but this one in particular, when you try to step on the accomplishments of my wife,” Curry said in an Instagram video.
He then accused them of giving opinions about someone else’s wife without understanding the situation.
The Warriors superstar also made it clear that the issue went beyond a movie scene. He believes the criticism reflected a larger problem with how women are viewed.
“Something that kind of speaks to a bigger conversation on how you view women in this world and what they’re allowed and what they’re not allowed to do, even the ignorance behind how acting works,” he added.
Curry also suggested that the podcasters should have celebrated Ayesha’s professional achievement instead of turning it into controversy. He even sarcastically thanked them for giving Second Chance Holiday free publicity. Steph went on to suggest that their apology should be as loud as their criticism.
In the aftermath of the incident, Young apologized, saying he did not want his comments to damage his friendship with his former teammate. Arenas offered a more conditional response and continued to defend his remarks.
Washington’s criticism adds another voice to the growing pushback against these former athletes’ comments. His argument comes from a similar place to Curry’s: being a wife doesn’t make acting off limits.
Ultimately, Stephen did not need to defend Ayesha’s acting career or explain why she was allowed to perform a scripted kiss. That is precisely what makes Washington’s comments so significant.
Ayesha is an actress pursuing her profession, not someone who needs permission to build a career outside her husband’s basketball success. If former athletes can discuss her work, they should also understand where professional criticism ends and disrespect for someone’s family begins.