Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. recently hosted boxing star Ryan Garcia on his Curious Mike podcast, where the two spoke candidly about cancel culture and the pressures of public life.
Garcia addressed the challenges of speaking his mind publicly, noting that cancel culture can stifle free expression. “There’s times where people shouldn’t say some certain [ __ ] but they should be called out for it, but it shouldn’t be a culture of, hey, you can’t say nothing about this or you can’t disagree,” Garcia said.
Porter Jr. engaged with Garcia on the topic, reflecting on the broader impact of social media on public figures. “Nowadays, you can’t even speak your opinion without getting cancelled if it goes against the mass,” he said. He highlighted the rise of bots and online smear campaigns that shape public perception, adding, “Normal people will look at those and see like, ‘Oh, this is what everybody’s thinking about this.’ Let me hop on and agree with them.”
Garcia also tied his advocacy work to his faith, explaining that standing up for issues like child sex trafficking sometimes draws backlash. “I’ve always been a big advocate on just like stopping that and really caring for those kids because it happens all across the world,” he said. Porter Jr. noted the intersection of speaking truth and personal conviction, emphasizing the importance of maintaining integrity despite criticism.
The conversation also explored the spiritual side of handling public scrutiny. Garcia explained that prayer and personal reflection help him navigate both his professional and personal life. “When stuff is going hard in your life and then you have this coming at you, the people that you think would uplift you are the ones beating you down,” he said.
Porter Jr. and Garcia agreed that perseverance and resilience are key in today’s environment. Garcia stressed that speaking truth comes with risks but also freedom. “Once you get cancelled, you’re free. Now you actually get to speak on things that you get to speak on,” he said.
Both athletes emphasized that holding people accountable should not come at the cost of silencing conversation. “If they’re doing wrong, they’re doing wrong. They’re doing right, they’re doing right. Cool,” Garcia said.
