Pat McAfee then thanked Mary Kate’s father, Mr. Cornett, for the opportunity to apologize to him, since he, too, is a girl-dad, as he likely felt an attachment to the situation in hindsight. “Our program, played in his daughter, Mary Kate’s, pain,” he explained, before revealing that it took him as long as it did to address his comments. “As you might imagine, there was a lot going on behind the scenes since this all happened. The most important element on the timing is that I, personally, it was a decision I made, wanted to talk to the family first before addressing it publicly.”

McAfee further described the Cornetts as wonderful people and expressed how thankful he was to meet them, again emphasizing how regretful he is about not just the controversy but also about his show’s role in it all. “I hated watching what our show was a part of, in her interviews and reading about it. And my hope is that this can be something that we all learn from going forward. I know we certainly have,” he claimed. “Our goal at this show is to make the world a happier place, a better place. To celebrate life and sports and unify folks. I, and we, don’t always get it right. But we’ll never stop trying.” (Per NYPost).