Radio host Kevin Kietzman called Patrick Mahomes “fat” and “an embarrassment,” sparking backlash as fans and Mahomes’ trainer defended the QB’s physique

A fiery rant on Kansas City radio sparked outrage on Tuesday, when host Kevin Kietzman labelled Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes “fat” and “an embarrassment” following the release of photos showing the three-time Super Bowl winner sporting a “dad bod” during Fourth of July celebrations.

The provocative commentary erupted on Kietzman’s podcast, Kevin Kietzman Has Issues, and ignited a fierce online backlash.

“Vacation photos are popping up of Patrick Mahomes, and he’s fat. I’m gonna say it, and I’m gonna tell you the truth, he’s an embarrassment,” Kietzman asserted bluntly. He intensified his criticism: “Stop the fast food. Do a sit-up. Do something.” In February, Mahomes insisted he had a plan to improve his physique.

Kietzman, who claimed Mahomes earned over $500 million and vowed offseason vengeance after last year’s Super Bowl defeat, getting advice from Tom Brady after the loss, expressed horror that the quarterback “eating Taco Bell all the time and Door-Dashing fried chicken” would appear “fat” at his pool “hanging out with us, 60-year-olds.”

Mahomes, who has openly embraced a more robust physique — crediting it for enhanced durability and rotational power on the field — was immediately defended by trainer Bobby Stroupe, who fired back in now-deleted social media posts.

“If you want to see what in shape is — go make it through a practice at Saint Jo or run hurry-up offense… You don’t have a clue what it takes. It’s not a look, it’s performance,” Stroupe wrote.

He added, “You obviously need attention,” and defended Mahomes’s conditioning approach as strategic rather than careless.

The reaction from fans was swift and scathing. One user branded Kietzman a “f------ idiot,” while another shrewdly pointed out: “Bro he’s the best QB in the league lol he can do what he wants. Bro makes the AFC Champ Game every year and he’s complaining about how he looks.”

A third critic commented: “People just falling into his trap. He is irrelevant and he has to rile people up somehow.”

Perhaps most importantly, the episode reignited conversations around athlete appearance versus performance. Mahomes has repeatedly emphasised that his physique — what critics call a “dad bod” — has a purpose.

Mahomes revealed why he likes to keep some weight on in a chat with Brady. “I use those hips and that oblique muscle to really rotate… The people who have seen the dad bod, that’s for a reason — that’s the obliques. I’m getting them right.”

Tom Brady also weighed in, joking: “We’ve got to keep a little padding there… we can’t look like those receivers all the time.”

Mahomes’ legacy speaks for itself: three Super Bowl rings, five appearances in six seasons, and career-leading wins and touchdowns.

He’s also been transparent about his offseason mindset, admitting post–Super Bowl LIX that he “didn’t play to my standard” and is taking Brady’s advice to “just play football and handle it all out there.”