Patrick Mahomes Sparks Controversy After Talking About 'Nappy' Hair During Interview

NFL star Patrick Mahomes has caused strong reactions across social media after describing his hair as "nappy" during a new interview.

According to several users, Patrick Mahomes' use of the word "nappy" sounds "anti-Black." However, other users seemed to disagree and suggested that people were giving the Super Bowl champion a hard time because of his wife, Brittany Mahomes, and her assumed Republican political affiliation.

Ahead of NFL players beginning their training for the upcoming season, Mahomes, who's likely still recovering from a disappointing Super Bowl loss in 2025, stopped to speak with a local Kansas City news station. While on the call, the quarterback also debuted a new look.

For those who may be unfamiliar, Mahomes has worn a longer-style mohawk for the last few seasons. During his interview with KCTV, he said he'd wanted to change things up for a while but couldn't because he and his team kept winning.

“I’ve wanted to do it for a while, but it was kind of one of those superstitions, I kept winning the Super Bowl, which is a good thing, but I didn’t want to cut the hair while I was doing it,” detailed Mahomes.

However, he knew that after leading his team to the Super Bowl again in February, he was doing the big chop.

“I told everybody during the season that win or lose, if we win three in a row or if we lose, I’m getting a haircut like that’s enough," he continued.

"I’m very excited. I’ve looked at some videos from last year, and I can’t believe all you guys let me keep that nappy hair for so long, like, I look way better now with the short hair. So, I’ll be keeping this going forward," he finished.

Although Mahomes likely didn't think twice about his comment, it certainly got people going online, and the comments have been unforgiving.

As users heard Mahomes' quote from a post on X, they began replying and slammed the NFL player for making an "anti-Black" comment.

"Coming from him with a MAGA (Make America Great Again) wife, it sounds anti-Black," a user wrote.

Someone else shared a similar statement, writing, "His MAGA mom probably called his hair nappy growing up."

"I don't expect less from a white man who voted MAGA," a third user wrote.

Others also chimed in, informing the 29-year-old that his hair wasn't nappy, but rather dry.

"His hair was NOT nappy, it was dry asf," someone posted. "I guess no one taught him that he needed to actually have a hair care routine, and those natural curls would've been popping."

But the comments weren't all bad. On Instagram, the reaction was the complete opposite, and many netizens defended the champion amid the criticism.

When @TheNeighborhoodTalk posted the clip on Instagram, their followers had a completely different reaction to the outrage.

"Can y'all go outside [and] touch GRASS," someone wrote. "Lmfao, it's his hair."

"D-mn, this new world is weird AF," another posted.

"Whewwwww the sensitivity. He's literally talking about himself," a third shared.

"Hypersensitive culture needs to be canceled," a fourth follower commented. "Y’all find anything to be outraged about just to throw insults."

Mahomes' comment isn't the first time he or members of his family have faced scrutiny for sharing an unpopular opinion.

In 2024, Mahomes' wife, Brittany, also faced heat after she was caught allegedly liking and unliking a post in support of President Donald J. Trump.

She spoke out about the backlash on Instagram, calling the "haters" on her social media out for worrying about her life.

"I mean honestly, to be a hater as an adult, you have to have some deep-rooted issues you refuse to heal from childhood," she wrote. "There’s no reason your brain is fully developed, and you hate to see others doing well."

In a separate interview, Patrick spoke briefly about politics and said he preferred to keep his opinion to himself.

“I don’t want to pressure anyone to vote for a certain president,” the quarterback said. “I want people to use their voice, whoever they believe in. I want them to do the research.”