NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Fox News host Jesse Watters recently spoke with the young Chiefs fan Holden Armenta and his father, Bubba on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime’ after the 9-year-old was accused of wearing ‘racist blackface’ during a game.
This came after Carron (Karen) J Phillips, a Deadspin writer, attempted to portray a nine-year-old white Chiefs fan as the face of racism.
Phillips posted a deceptive photo showing only one side of young Holden Armenta's face, the side painted black in support of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The writer omitted a complete photo of Holden's face, conveniently excluding the side painted red and half black.
Holden also wore an Indian headdress, a detail Carron Phillips used to reinforce his assertion that the boy embodied what he perceived as the roots of racist values, diverging from liberal principles.
Following this news, Watters took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his conversation with Holden and his father Bubba and how the two reacted to the incident.
Moreover, several X users supported the young Chiefs fan and praised him in Watters’ comment section.
Chiefs young fan Holden Armenta joins Jesse Watters after being accused of wearing ‘blackface’
Fox News host Jesse Watters took to X and wrote, “EXCLUSIVE: The 9-year-old Chiefs fan, who was falsely smeared as a racist for supporting his team, speaks out on Primetime. Holden Armenta says this whole thing has been scary and overwhelming. His father, Bubba, says it's too late for an apology- the damage is already done.”
Watters’ tweet featured his conversation with Holden Armenta and his father, Bubba.
In his response, Bubba condemned Carron Phillips for targeting Holden with his article titled, "The NFL needs to speak out against the Kansas City Chiefs fan in Black face, Native headdress."
Bubba also conveyed the overwhelming reactions that poured in following Phillips' Deadspin piece and detailed the Armenta family's experiences since attending Sunday's game against the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
He told Watters, “It’s been a pretty crazy couple of days. I was mad, upset, upset for [Holden]. I’m mad that he’s upset. He’s pretty devastated…”
He continued, “It was his dream to get on the Jumbotron. And I’ve had family and friends call and say, ‘Oh, we saw you on Sunday Night Football.’ So he’s excited. But then everything else came up and it’s been a little bit of a spiral.”
Holden chimed in adding, “It’s okay because a lot of kids at school are getting excited. But it’s starting to get me a little nervous because if they go a little bit overboard, it’s a little scary.”
Further details emerged, debunking Phillips' baseless accusation against Holden, as it was revealed that the nine-year-old does have connections to Native Americans.
Contrary to Phillips' claim, Holden's grandfather, Raul, serves on the board of the Chumash Tribe in Santa Ynez, California.
Bubba shared that Native American tribes have expressed support.
Regarding potential litigation, Bubba mentioned that the family is no longer anticipating an apology from Phillips.
He said, “I don’t even know what to think about [apologizing]. It’s kind of a little too late for that. The damage is already done.”
“It’s worldwide. Now, there’s comments all over. There’s, you know, disrespect towards Native Americans and towards my family. We never in any way, shape or form meant to disrespect any Native Americans or any tribes,” he added.
Bubba further added, “The tribe we’re from doesn’t even wear that type of headdress.”
“It’s a costume piece. That’s exactly what we had purchased it for and wore it for. Not in any disrespect towards any Native Americans at all. It’s just it’s been a whirlwind of comments coming from other tribes or members. Some think it’s okay. Some think it’s not okay,” Bubba said.
“It’s a nine-year-old boy supporting his team,” said Holden’s father.
Internet supports to 9-year-old accused of ‘Blackface’ at Chiefs game
After Jesse Watters shared his conversation with Holden Armenta and his father, Bubba, several X users shared their love and support for the 9-year-old Chiefs fan.
One person wrote, “I stand with you Bubba and your family,” and another had a similar opinion, “We stand with Holden!”
An X user praised Holden adding, “Little man is going to be okay. So proud of this Dad and young man for handling the torrent of lies. Don't worry after all the comments and reposts I have seen I expect this company to go the direction of Bud Light.”
One more X user expressed support for Holden, “How cool! Love this little boy and his dad is awesome. He wants to paint his face before they go live on Jesse. Jesse is good with him.”
Another added, “God Bless Him!!! Just Being a Fan, and a Kid.... The BEST of America!! ❤️,” and one more wrote, “holden is kicking ass and is a beautiful all-american boy.”
