Dana White condemns UFC fighter Josh Hokit's false claim that Michelle Obama 'is a man' during White House event

President Donald Trump marked his 80th birthday and America's 250th anniversary with a UFC cage-fighting event on the White House South Lawn. Thousands attended as fighters competed inside a 600-ton temporary arena. The evening turned sharply political when heavyweight Josh Hokit, fresh from a knockout victory over Derrick Lewis, grabbed the microphone and shouted: "Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?"

The remark

Hokit's outburst came during a post-fight interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, broadcast live on Paramount+. The 28-year-old fighter had just presented Trump with a necklace and praised him before veering into the false claim about the former first lady. Audience members could be heard cheering and laughing; Rogan appeared flustered, saying only, "Ladies and gentlemen, Josh Hokit." At the pre-fight weigh-in, Hokit had appeared intoxicated and vomited on stage, later saying, "Maybe I drank yesterday, but who wouldn't?"

“Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”

Condemnation and White House silence

UFC CEO Dana White distanced himself from the comment, telling Time magazine: "I understand that the Obamas are public figures but I'm completely against saying nasty and false things about people's families. Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense." Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy also condemned the remark. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, asked by CNN's Jake Tapper about Hokit's words, praised the fighter's performance, saying, "He had a great win last night. He showed toughness and the ability to pressure his opponent both on his feet and on the ground," but did not address the slur.

“I understand that the Obamas are public figures but I'm completely against saying nasty and false things about people's families. Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense.”

Political and cultural fallout

Democrats seized on the controversy. Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) pointed to Paramount+'s exclusive broadcast rights, writing on X, "So is this the kind of trash we can expect from @paramountplus (and @cbs) now?" On ABC's The View, co-host Sunny Hostin linked the insult to a long history of dehumanizing Black women, saying the crowd's laughter and the president's smirk were "beneath the dignity of the office." The New York Knicks' NBA championship win earlier in the night partially overshadowed the UFC event in sports coverage.

“For a long time—and the roots are in slavery—Black women have been slurred and made to feel that they were unattractive, made to feel like they were masculine and that they didn't have the femininity that a white woman would have.”

Roots of a conspiracy theory

The false claim that Michelle Obama is not a woman has circulated in far-right online circles for years. In 2020, a birthday photo posted by Barack Obama was doctored to exaggerate masculine features. The rhetoric mirrors a similar conspiracy that French first lady Brigitte Macron is transgender; earlier this year, a French court convicted 10 people for spreading that falsehood. The incident at the White House gave the old smear a high-profile stage, on a night meant to celebrate American identity.