Michael Porter Jr. has never been shy about sharing unconventional opinions, and that tendency surfaced again during a lively exchange on The Emily Austin Show. During the conversation, host Emily Austin confronted the NBA forward about comments he previously made regarding how he evaluates compatibility while dating.
Austin referenced a past statement where Porter admitted that he sometimes plays clips of controversial internet personality Andrew Tate during dates to see how women react.
Emily Austin: “Well, speaking of self-absorbed narcissists, let’s talk about Andrew Tate. Because I saw your podcast, and I think I texted you right away, where you said my litmus test for a girl if we’re on a date is, do you like Andrew Tate?”
Michael Porter Jr.: “Yo, she’s changing my words, y’all. I said I don’t want to waste my time sometimes with women. So to quick-track it and see how they think or respond to something, I’ll put on something I might not necessarily agree with, but something that’s out there, and see how they react.”
Emily Austin: “Stop it, that’s not what you said.”
Michael Porter Jr.: “No, for real. Go look it up. I put him on and see how a girl reacts to what he’s saying when she gets mad, because he’s out here talking crazy on podcasts. Then I see how she reacts to that. Maybe that’s wrong, you know what I’m saying. Maybe I… I can’t be wasting my time with girls that just think completely different than me.”
“If we can’t think similarly about certain things, then it’s a no. I’ve seen people that have kids, and they think completely different, and then they’re both raising the kid differently. That’ll make you resent your partner and things like that. You’ve got to think about those things.”
“He was an extreme person who would speak his mind, and you either agree with it or you hate it. So putting something like that on was just funny to see reactions.”
Emily Austin: “Well, it worked. Consider me rage baited.”
Michael Porter Jr.: “Really? Do you hate him?”
Emily Austin: “Did I publicly criticize him? There was an allegation where he allegedly abused a girl he was dating. She was from Toronto, and they were in a relationship. She wasn’t underage. I’m not talking about Romania, I’m talking about the U.S.”
“He was texting her really crazy things like, ‘I’m going to beat you, I’m going to choke you in a kinky way, I’m going to slap you,’ whatever. And she was like, ‘No daddy, why?’ It sounded like some weird fetish thing going on.”
Michael Porter Jr.: “I’m sure more women would say that’s not that crazy.”
Emily Austin: “To each their own. Whatever you do behind closed doors, if kids aren’t involved, I don’t care.”
Michael Porter Jr.: “So what did you say about the situation?”
Emily Austin: “So I saw this. She came out and cried rape.”
Michael Porter Jr.: “You should get mad at females for doing that. Women do that all the time and ruin men’s lives.”
Emily Austin: “Correct. So I said the following. I said I’m not mad at Andrew Tate. I’m mad at this dumb B word for being with a guy like Andrew Tate who warned her in writing he was going to do all those things, and then she cries rape. Like she’s the dumb B, and I judge you.”
Michael Porter Jr.: “That would make me mad too.”
Emily Austin: “So then Andrew blocked me.”
Michael Porter Jr.: “I see why he blocked you. Listen, they put my dog in jail with no proof he did any of that.”
Emily Austin: “He did traffic underage girls in Romania. That’s another story.”
Michael Porter Jr.: “They tried to say he trafficked them. That’s the thing, we don’t know. They’ll put allegations on people that are speaking too many facts.”
Emily Austin: “Andrew does not speak too many facts.”
Michael Porter Jr.: “I’m not saying Andrew Tate. I think he got famous because, at one point, he was so aggressive and almost purposely rage-baiting people. He was on purpose demeaning people so he could get a platform. But his underlying message, when I watch his stuff now, it’s pretty true. Now that he has a platform, he’s not doing all the wild stuff. But back to what we were saying earlier. Just because people say someone did this or that, we can’t automatically jump on that train.”
“When I didn’t get the vaccine, they started talking crazy about me. They tried to make me sound slow or stupid because I didn’t get it. The vaccine wasn’t safe for me to take, and it caused harm to a lot of people. I didn’t want to put it in my body for my own reasons. But when I didn’t, they started putting all these labels on me that weren’t true.”
“So I’ve experienced personally how people can create any narrative they want about someone without even knowing the person. When it comes to someone committing a crime or something like that, you’ve got to be careful. People lie.”
The discussion highlighted how Porter’s approach to relationships has often sparked curiosity and criticism from fans. The forward has previously admitted that he sometimes brings up controversial topics on dates as a way to quickly understand how someone thinks about difficult or polarizing issues. In his view, those reactions reveal more about compatibility than surface-level conversations.
Porter explained that long-term relationships require alignment in core values and perspectives. If two people fundamentally disagree on major issues, he believes it can eventually create tension, especially when it comes to raising a family or making important life decisions. That idea, he suggested, is the reason he sometimes introduces provocative topics early in a conversation.
Porter’s remarks are part of a broader pattern of candid comments he has made about relationships and life off the court. On his Curious Mike podcast, he previously described women as his ‘vice’ and even suggested that they are one of the ways God tests him. He has also said he avoids dating women who previously dated NBA players because he does not want to deal with potential trash talk from opponents.
Those statements have produced mixed reactions from fans. Some believe Porter is simply being honest and protecting himself as a high-profile athlete, while others think his approach is misguided, especially when it involves controversial figures like Andrew Tate.
Porter has also made headlines in the past for a range of off-court comments and incidents. He once claimed public schools encourage children to identify as cats, and accidentally leaked NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s phone number online.
Together, these moments have built Porter’s reputation as one of the league’s most outspoken personalities. Now with the Brooklyn Nets, he is prevailing as the primary scorer, averaging 24.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assits shooting 46.3% from the field and 36.5% from three-point range. Yet while his basketball talent remains clear, his willingness to speak his mind continues to generate headlines and debate.
