ESPN anchor Elle Duncan isn't here to play nice. And she certainly isn't here to apologize. Duncan has built a reputation for mixing sports coverage with sharp commentary and stirred things up during the WNBA All-Star Game last weekend with a joke that, let's just say, wasn't exactly Disney-approved.
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As Team Collier ran up the score in a no-defense shootout over Team Clark, Duncan leaned into the moment with a line that immediately got eyebrows raised and tongues wagging.
"We hope it gets a little bit more competitive. Because like a girls' trip to Cancun, right now, there's no D," Duncan cracked on the broadcast.
Her co-hosts tried to laugh it off, tossing out a quick "timeout" joke before the show went to commercial. But the internet did what it does — dissected, debated, and for some, demanded a reaction.
Well, Duncan gave them one.
Speaking on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, Duncan didn't back down. In fact, she leaned in even harder.
"My thing with the Cancun joke is, I feel like whenever I say something, it's like sometimes a reintroduction for some people who clearly don't know me or my work over the last 10 years," Duncan said. "I'm like, 'Bro, I said on air one time that if you celebrate too early, it's called 'premature-I'm-jacked-elation.' Like, I can't actually imagine this is worse than that."
She's not wrong.
"I feel like I constantly have to remind people, I have been saying things like this for the 10 years I have been at ESPN," Duncan continued. "So I thought it was silly. I thought it was funny. Some people disagree. Some people definitely agree. But it is what it is. Like, yes, girls say crude jokes too."
The "premature-I'm-jacked-elation" quip wasn't just some forgotten throwaway line, either. It aired on SportsCenter earlier this year, and it barely made a ripple. This time? Different story. Critics jumped in with takes about double standards — arguing a male anchor would've been lit up for making the same "no D" joke Duncan did. Honestly, they probably have a point.
But Duncan's not sweating it.
Her brand has always been about toeing that line, adding personality where so many others play it safe. And if you think she's about to start reeling it in now, well, you haven't been paying attention.
Oh, and if her name's been buzzing more lately, it's not just because of the joke. Duncan also made waves earlier this month after clapping back at ESPN colleague Kirk Herbstreit for calling her out on air.
So yeah. Duncan's had herself a July. And from the sound of it, she's just getting warmed up.
