Obesity Action Coalition Calls for Accountability Following Charles Barkley’s Harmful Comments at NCAA Event

Media Statement
April 11, 2025

Obesity Action Coalition Calls for Accountability Following Charles Barkley’s Harmful Comments at NCAA Event

The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) is deeply troubled by the latest weight-stigmatizing remarks made by Charles Barkley during the NCAA Men’s Final Four JamFest in San Antonio, where he publicly mocked women by saying:

“Y’all got some big b*tches here.”

For more than a decade, Barkley has targeted the women of San Antonio with derogatory comments, including several about their size. This behavior is part of the broader, damaging pattern of weight bias, and it cannot continue to go unchallenged.

This is exactly the kind of rhetoric that led OAC to launch the Stop Weight Bias Campaign. The discrimination and stigma faced by millions of individuals living with obesity can’t be ignored, and public figures like Barkley have a responsibility not to perpetuate harmful stereotypes about people’s bodies.

Weight bias, especially when spread by someone with Barkley’s platform, has serious consequences. It negatively impacts both mental and physical health and continues to marginalize individuals living with obesity. His comments perpetuate a culture of exclusion, and we are urging the NCAA, TNT, and Barkley’s team to take immediate action.

The NCAA must live up to its own Principle of Nondiscrimination (#6), which states that the organization is committed to promoting respect and dignity for every person. By remaining silent, the NCAA is allowing harmful language to continue, going against the very principles they claim to uphold.

“Barkley’s comments are more than just inappropriate. They contribute to a culture of weight bias and stigma,” said Joe Nadglowski, OAC President and CEO. OAC’s Stop Weight Bias Campaign exists to challenge this kind of rhetoric, hold public figures accountable and educate society about the impacts of weight bias.”

OAC is calling for a public apology and concrete actions to address weight bias from all parties involved. Click here to see how OAC is urging our members to stand with us.

Media Contact:

Mckinzie Burrows
Senior Communications Manager
Obesity Action Coalition (OAC)
mburrows@obesityaction.org
ObesityAction.org