Gilbert Arenas calls Ayesha Curry the "only blemish" in the Curry family; Stephen Curry calls out Arenas, Nick Young and Emmanuel Acho
On his show, Gilbert Arenas called Ayesha Curry the only blemish in the Curry family after her on-screen kiss in a Roku film. Stephen Curry named Arenas, Nick Young and Emmanuel Acho in reply, and all three apologized.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
Second Chance Holiday premiered on The Roku Channel on November 5, 2026, and is Ayesha Curry's first leading film role; she plays a dating expert who keeps getting dumped during the holiday season. After clips of the kiss circulated, she replied to one critic on X that the scene was not real. She and Stephen Curry married in 2011. Young was Curry's teammate on the Golden State team that won the 2018 championship. On November 10, Arenas said in another clip that Ayesha Curry is not doing anything wrong as a woman and that he was comparing her with her husband's clean public image. The quotations from the shows are our transcription of the audio; printed accounts differ in small details of wording.
People in this case
Gilbert ArenasDirectly involved
Ayesha CurryDirectly involved
Stephen CurryDirectly involved
Jemele HillCommented
Timeline
8 timeline entries on this page. Dates: November 5, 2026 to November 12, 2026
November 2026
Ayesha Curry answers a critic of her on-screen kiss
Reaction
On the day Second Chance Holiday premieres on The Roku Channel, Ayesha Curry replies to a post about her kiss scene that it is not real and that the commenters are annoying.
[01]Ayesha Curry on X: reply about the kiss scene in Second Chance Holiday
Ayesha Curry's reply on X to a post about her kiss scene, written on the day the film premiered, saying the scene is not real and that the commenters are annoying.
[02]Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times account of the comments by Arenas, Young and Acho about Ayesha Curry's role in Second Chance Holiday, Curry's Instagram reply, and the apologies that followed, with background on the film and on Ayesha Curry's career.
Emmanuel Acho discusses the kiss on Speakeasy
Reaction
On his Speakeasy show, Acho says he would not be comfortable watching a partner kiss someone else, whether or not it is done in the name of acting.
[03]Speakeasy: Emmanuel Acho discusses Ayesha Curry's on-screen kiss
Episode of Emmanuel Acho's Speakeasy show on YouTube about the kiss scene in Second Chance Holiday, in which Acho says he would not be comfortable watching a partner kiss someone else, whether or not it is done in the name of acting.
[02]Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times account of the comments by Arenas, Young and Acho about Ayesha Curry's role in Second Chance Holiday, Curry's Instagram reply, and the apologies that followed, with background on the film and on Ayesha Curry's career.
Arenas calls Ayesha Curry the only blemish in the Curry family
Claim
On the We Said What We Said show, Arenas says Stephen Curry is the definition of a father and that the only blemish in the family is his wife, because she does not act like other superstars' wives. He says the public wants such wives present for pictures but does not want to know them.
[04]We Said What We Said show: Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young react to Ayesha Curry's kiss in a Roku movie
Clip from the We Said What We Said show, hosted by Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young, discussing Ayesha Curry's on-screen kiss in the Roku Channel film Second Chance Holiday. Arenas says Stephen Curry is the definition of a father, that the only blemish in the family is the wife in a sense because she does not act like other superstars' wives, and that the public wants such wives present for pictures but does not want to know them.
[05]Bleacher Report: Stephen Curry calls out Gilbert Arenas, Nick Young in video after criticism of wife Ayesha
Bleacher Report's account of Curry's Instagram video, quoting it and the earlier We Said What We Said segment in which Arenas called Ayesha Curry the only blemish in the family, and reporting Young's and Arenas's responses.
Arenas says Ayesha Curry is not doing anything wrong
Reaction
In a new clip, Arenas says Ayesha Curry is not doing anything wrong as a woman and that he was comparing her with her husband, who is so clean in public that one mistake makes her look the worse of the two.
[06]We Said What We Said show: Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young react to the backlash over their comments on Ayesha Curry
Clip in which Arenas returns to his comment about Ayesha Curry. He compares her with the wives of other NBA stars, says she is not doing anything wrong as a woman, and says Stephen Curry is so clean in public that one mistake makes her look the worse of the two.
[02]Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times account of the comments by Arenas, Young and Acho about Ayesha Curry's role in Second Chance Holiday, Curry's Instagram reply, and the apologies that followed, with background on the film and on Ayesha Curry's career.
Stephen Curry calls out the hosts by name
Reaction
Curry posts a video on Instagram naming Nick, Gil and Emmanuel, saying their opinions about his wife speak to how they view women, and asking for an apology as loud as the shows that led with the topic.
[07]Stephen Curry on Instagram: video addressing podcast comments about Ayesha Curry
Video Stephen Curry posted on Instagram on November 11, 2026, captioned with a note that viewers do not have to like and subscribe to all podcasts. He names Nick, Gil and Emmanuel, says the talk about his wife speaks to how they view women, and asks for an apology as loud as the shows that led with the topic.
[05]Bleacher Report: Stephen Curry calls out Gilbert Arenas, Nick Young in video after criticism of wife Ayesha
Bleacher Report's account of Curry's Instagram video, quoting it and the earlier We Said What We Said segment in which Arenas called Ayesha Curry the only blemish in the family, and reporting Young's and Arenas's responses.
[02]Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times account of the comments by Arenas, Young and Acho about Ayesha Curry's role in Second Chance Holiday, Curry's Instagram reply, and the apologies that followed, with background on the film and on Ayesha Curry's career.
Young apologizes, and Arenas says he is sorry if Curry is offended
Reaction
On Gil's Arena, Young apologizes to Curry. Arenas says he did not mean it that way and is sorry if Curry is offended, while repeating that the only blemish is the things his wife has said.
[08]We Said What We Said show: Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young react to Steph Curry calling them out
Clip from Gil's Arena in which the hosts play Stephen Curry's Instagram video. Arenas says Curry never gets in trouble and that if you have to judge the family, the only blemish is the things his wife has said, then says he is sorry if Curry is offended. Young apologizes to Curry.
[09]ClutchPoints on X: Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young respond to Stephen Curry
ClutchPoints post quoting Arenas and Young on Gil's Arena, responding to Curry's video, with the clip attached.
ClutchPoints on X: Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young respond to Stephen CurryPost text and videoArenas and Young apologize again
Reaction
In a We Said What We Said episode released on the evening of November 11, Pacific time, Arenas says he feels bad, is very sorry and knows the matter is serious because Curry chose to speak. Young says the episode left him feeling bad about himself.
[10]We Said What We Said show: Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young apologize to Steph Curry for comments about Ayesha
Episode clip in which Arenas and Young replay their original segment and Curry's video. Arenas says he feels bad, that he is very sorry and that he knows it is serious because Curry chose to speak.
[02]Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times account of the comments by Arenas, Young and Acho about Ayesha Curry's role in Second Chance Holiday, Curry's Instagram reply, and the apologies that followed, with background on the film and on Ayesha Curry's career.
Acho apologizes to Stephen Curry
Reaction
On Speakeasy, Acho apologizes to Curry for offending him and possibly his wife, and for how the headlines and commentary may have made him feel.
[11]Speakeasy: Emmanuel Acho apologizes to Stephen Curry
Episode of Speakeasy in which Acho responds to Curry's video and apologizes to him for offending him and possibly his wife.
[02]Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times account of the comments by Arenas, Young and Acho about Ayesha Curry's role in Second Chance Holiday, Curry's Instagram reply, and the apologies that followed, with background on the film and on Ayesha Curry's career.
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What's disputed
Disputed claim
Ayesha Curry is the only blemish on the Curry family because she does not act like the wives of other NBA superstars, whom the public wants to see but not to hear from.
What is disputed
Arenas made the remark on the We Said What We Said show after clips of Ayesha Curry's on-screen kiss in Second Chance Holiday circulated. Stephen Curry said the talk speaks to how the hosts view women and what women are allowed to do. Arenas later said she is not doing anything wrong as a woman and that he was comparing her with her husband's clean image, and he then apologized.
Response record
Responses
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
3 responses. Newest first.
Jemele HillSports journalist and contributing writer for The Atlantic, in a post on XBefore this statement
Four days earlier, Hill had written on X that the conversations about Ayesha Curry were rooted in misogyny toward a woman who will not have her whole existence wrapped up in her husband.
"What Gilbert Arenas said about Ayesha was wholly disrespectful. It also was disrespectful to use Cookie Johnson as an example of shut up and play your role. Complete ignorance."
CondemnedResponding to: Ayesha Curry is the only blemish on the Curry family because she does not act like the wives of other NBA superstars, whom the public wants to see but not to hear from.
Full statement and sources
Hill says Arenas's remarks about Ayesha Curry were wholly disrespectful, and that holding up Cookie Johnson as an example of a wife who stays quiet was also disrespectful.
After the statement
Beneath her text, the post quotes a Ballislife clip of Nick Young's apology to Curry on Gil's Arena, posted earlier that evening.
Why this label?
Hill calls what Arenas said about Ayesha Curry wholly disrespectful and his use of Cookie Johnson as an example ignorant, so we labeled it Condemned.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Gilbert ArenasFormer NBA player and host of Gil's Arena, on his showDirectly involvedBefore this statement
After the hosts play Curry's Instagram video, Arenas says Curry does not get in trouble, says the right things and that the family is good.
"If you gotta judge this family, the only blemish is the things that his wife has said, there's nothing Steph has ever said. ... I'm sorry if he's offended."
Mixed or conditionalResponding to: Ayesha Curry is the only blemish on the Curry family because she does not act like the wives of other NBA superstars, whom the public wants to see but not to hear from.
Full statement and sources
Responding to Curry's video on Gil's Arena, Arenas says Curry never gets in trouble and that if you have to judge the family, the only blemish is the things his wife has said. He then says he is sorry if Curry is offended.
After the statement
Nick Young tells Curry he is sorry and that he loves him.
ClutchPoints on X: Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young respond to Stephen CurryPost text and videoWhy this label?
Arenas repeats that the only blemish on the Curry family is what Ayesha Curry has said, then says he is sorry if Stephen Curry is offended, so we labeled it Mixed or conditional.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Stephen CurryGolden State Warriors guard, in a video posted on InstagramDirectly involvedBefore this statement
Curry says the noise usually does not bother him or his wife, but that this time people were stepping on her accomplishments and leading podcast tapings with opinions on somebody else's wife. He names Nick, Gil and Emmanuel and anyone else who weighs in on something they do not really know about.
"kind of speaks to a bigger conversation on how you view women in this world and what they're allowed and what they're not allowed to do"
CondemnedResponding to: Ayesha Curry is the only blemish on the Curry family because she does not act like the wives of other NBA superstars, whom the public wants to see but not to hear from.
Full statement and sources
In a video on Instagram, Curry names Nick, Gil and Emmanuel and says their opinions about his wife speak to how they view women and what women are allowed to do. He asks that the apology be as loud as the shows that led with the topic.
After the statement
Curry says he tried to laugh it off but that something needed to be said. He suggests hosts congratulate Ayesha Curry whenever she appears in their headlines, and thanks them for the attention to Second Chance Holiday.
Why this label?
Curry says the hosts' comments about his wife reflect how they view women and what women are allowed to do, and asks them for an apology, so we labeled it Condemned.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Sources
(13)
Original video
We Said What We Said show: Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young react to Ayesha Curry's kiss in a Roku movie
About this source
Clip from the We Said What We Said show, hosted by Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young, discussing Ayesha Curry's on-screen kiss in the Roku Channel film Second Chance Holiday. Arenas says Stephen Curry is the definition of a father, that the only blemish in the family is the wife in a sense because she does not act like other superstars' wives, and that the public wants such wives present for pictures but does not want to know them.
- Author
- Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Jemele Hill on X: the conversations about Ayesha Curry
About this source
Jemele Hill's post on X, written as clips of the kiss scene circulated, noting Ayesha Curry's acting career before her marriage and saying the conversations about her are rooted in misogyny toward a woman seeking a purpose beyond being a wife and mother.
- Author
- Jemele Hill
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Jemele Hill on X: Gilbert Arenas's comments about Ayesha Curry
About this source
Jemele Hill's post on X quoting a Ballislife clip of Nick Young's apology to Curry, calling Arenas's remarks about Ayesha Curry disrespectful.
- Author
- Jemele Hill
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
Speakeasy: Emmanuel Acho apologizes to Stephen Curry
About this source
Episode of Speakeasy in which Acho responds to Curry's video and apologizes to him for offending him and possibly his wife.
- Author
- Emmanuel Acho
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
We Said What We Said show: Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young apologize to Steph Curry for comments about Ayesha
About this source
Episode clip in which Arenas and Young replay their original segment and Curry's video. Arenas says he feels bad, that he is very sorry and that he knows it is serious because Curry chose to speak.
- Author
- Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
ClutchPoints on X: Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young respond to Stephen Curry
About this source
ClutchPoints post quoting Arenas and Young on Gil's Arena, responding to Curry's video, with the clip attached.
- Author
- ClutchPoints
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
We Said What We Said show: Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young react to Steph Curry calling them out
About this source
Clip from Gil's Arena in which the hosts play Stephen Curry's Instagram video. Arenas says Curry never gets in trouble and that if you have to judge the family, the only blemish is the things his wife has said, then says he is sorry if Curry is offended. Young apologizes to Curry.
- Author
- Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Los Angeles Times: Stephen Curry calls out Gilbert Arenas, others over comments about wife Ayesha
About this source
Los Angeles Times account of the comments by Arenas, Young and Acho about Ayesha Curry's role in Second Chance Holiday, Curry's Instagram reply, and the apologies that followed, with background on the film and on Ayesha Curry's career.
- Author
- Chuck Schilken
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Bleacher Report: Stephen Curry calls out Gilbert Arenas, Nick Young in video after criticism of wife Ayesha
About this source
Bleacher Report's account of Curry's Instagram video, quoting it and the earlier We Said What We Said segment in which Arenas called Ayesha Curry the only blemish in the family, and reporting Young's and Arenas's responses.
- Author
- Zach Bachar
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Stephen Curry on Instagram: video addressing podcast comments about Ayesha Curry
Relevant passage: Video post
About this source
Video Stephen Curry posted on Instagram on November 11, 2026, captioned with a note that viewers do not have to like and subscribe to all podcasts. He names Nick, Gil and Emmanuel, says the talk about his wife speaks to how they view women, and asks for an apology as loud as the shows that led with the topic.
- Author
- Stephen Curry
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
We Said What We Said show: Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young react to the backlash over their comments on Ayesha Curry
About this source
Clip in which Arenas returns to his comment about Ayesha Curry. He compares her with the wives of other NBA stars, says she is not doing anything wrong as a woman, and says Stephen Curry is so clean in public that one mistake makes her look the worse of the two.
- Author
- Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Ayesha Curry on X: reply about the kiss scene in Second Chance Holiday
About this source
Ayesha Curry's reply on X to a post about her kiss scene, written on the day the film premiered, saying the scene is not real and that the commenters are annoying.
- Author
- Ayesha Curry
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
Speakeasy: Emmanuel Acho discusses Ayesha Curry's on-screen kiss
About this source
Episode of Emmanuel Acho's Speakeasy show on YouTube about the kiss scene in Second Chance Holiday, in which Acho says he would not be comfortable watching a partner kiss someone else, whether or not it is done in the name of acting.
- Author
- Emmanuel Acho
- Published
- Accessed
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- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Gilbert Arenas calls Ayesha Curry the "only blemish" in the Curry family; Stephen Curry calls out Arenas, Nick Young and Emmanuel Acho
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/cases/gilbert-arenas-ayesha-curry-blemish-stephen-curry-responds
The Dispute Index. "Gilbert Arenas calls Ayesha Curry the "only blemish" in the Curry family; Stephen Curry calls out Arenas, Nick Young and Emmanuel Acho". First published: 2026-11-14. Last updated: 2026-11-14. https://disputeindex.com/cases/gilbert-arenas-ayesha-curry-blemish-stephen-curry-responds