Britt McHenry defends Chris Berman against lawsuit on K&C: 'I was livid'

It turned out to be the perfect day for "Kirk & Callahan" to have former ESPN reporter Britt McHenry join the show in studio. McHenry spent the first hour of her visit commenting on the explosive lawsuit filed against ESPN Sunday, in which former anchor Adrienne Lawrence paints a picture of deep-seated misogyny at the company. 

The suit primarily targets anchor John Buccigross, whom Lawrence says acted predatory towards her and was "grooming her for a sexual relationship." Lawrence claims Buccigross "pretended to like everything Ms. Lawrence liked, including things she had never mentioned to him but had recently posted on her social media pages." She says Human Resources "colluded" with Buccigross to keep his conduct under wraps.

In addition, Lawrence, who worked at ESPN from 2015 -– 2017 as part of a fellowship to increase racial diversity, says her complaints resulted in her exit from the WorldWide Leader. According to the suit, her career was halted when her "objections communicated to management that she was unwilling to capitulate to sexual pressure, entertain inappropriate sexual advances, or remain silent about unprofessional behavior in order to advance at ESPN."

ESPN released a statement Monday denying the allegations, saying they are "without merit." McHenry, who hasn't been shy about criticizing her former employer in the past, said she doesn't necessarily view Buccigross' alleged behavior as predatory. 

"Some of the people lose perspective: you probably shouldn't be sending that to somebody 25 years your (junior)," she explained. "It's a different collegiate atmosphere up there. I'm not defending it, but I can see him not really not realizing it's creeping."

While McHenry was not stationed in Bristol during her time at ESPN –– she was a roving reporter –– she said she never had any unpleasant experiences on campus.

"Let's face reality: it's probably 80-20 guys-girls," McHenry said. "So were there awkward moments sometimes interacting with men in the cafeteria? Sort of. But I never felt uncomfortable. I also separated that world from my social life."

McHenry also disputed some of Lawrence's specific allegations, including the tidbit about being forced to wear tight-fitting clothing. McHenry says was once told to dress more conservatively on camera and wear looser clothes.

But McHenry's strongest words came in response to Lawrence's claim that anchor Chris Berman left a "threatening" and "racially disparaging" voicemail for Jemele Hill in 2016. Hill released a statement denying the accusation, and McHenry backed her up, saying she never experienced an issue with Berman.