Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has not released a new episode of her podcast, Show Me Something, since July 21 following a public disagreement with her co-host over comments regarding transgender athletes.
The show has remained completely silent since Cunningham expressed a desire to "protect young girls" in women's sports during an interview with ESPN, the American sports broadcaster, in July.
The podcast is produced by The Volume, a sports digital media network founded by sports broadcaster Colin Cowherd. Cunningham has regularly used the platform to weigh in on issues across the Women's National Basketball Association, defend her Indiana Fever teammate Caitlin Clark, and dispute officiating decisions and foul calls made by the league.
Clark joined the Indiana Fever after a record-setting collegiate career at the University of Iowa, bringing unprecedented media attention and rising viewership to both the Fever and the 12-team WNBA league.
The hiatus on the show began after co-host West Wilson publicly contradicted Cunningham's views in a video posted on TikTok, the popular video-sharing platform owned by ByteDance. Wilson claimed that transgender women's participation in sports is a "borderline non-existent issue" that is amplified primarily by right-wing influencers.
In his video post, Wilson accused the intense political discourse surrounding the topic of distracting the public from "actual harmful s***."
Background of the co-hosts
Wilson and Cunningham share long-standing personal ties, having grown up together in the Midwestern state of Missouri. While Cunningham pursued a professional sports career in basketball, Wilson transitioned into entertainment as a reality television personality.
Wilson gained television fame appearing on Summer House, a reality series broadcast on the Bravo television network that follows a group of friends sharing a summer home. He recently became embroiled in separate public drama after confirming his romantic relationship with co-star Amanda Batula.
Batula was previously married to fellow Summer House cast member Kyle Cooke, while Wilson had earlier dated Batula's close friend and fellow cast mate Ciara Miller.
While her podcast has ceased updating, Cunningham has continued to address the controversy head-on during team media sessions. The Indiana Fever guard has spoken to reporters on multiple occasions following her ESPN interview, choosing to double down on her initial statements regarding gender policies in sports.
Cunningham defends her stance
Speaking to reporters in the days following her television interview, Cunningham stood firmly behind her original remarks. "I said what I said, I think it's common sense," Cunningham said. "I think I'll always believe in that, it's really important to protect children. And that's little girls, who are also involved in that category. I stand by what I said and I'll always believe that."
She emphasized that her opinion was not intended to express hostility toward anyone. "I extend love, I don't dislike anyone, I think there's room for absolutely everyone here," she said. "I think there's room to love everyone. … But I'm also there to love biological women, and I think there are rights that need to be protected."
Cunningham also rejected attempts by observers to categorize her political views based on her comments. "I'm very much in the middle," she told reporters. "I agree with things on both sides, disagree with things on both sides. And that's all I've ever said about my political beliefs."
