Singer John Legend’s wife, Chrissy Teigen, has found herself making international headlines and engulfed in a social media firestorm for reasons other than her cutting-edge fashion sense or quirky parenting style. After an awkward misstep during her first Premier League match attendance, many Brits are dragging her in these internet streets.
Soccer fans are not happy after the model and television personality confused Chelsea Football Club with Ipswich Town in a live TV interview and wore a Chelsea shirt to the Arsenal versus Ipswich Town match.
Teigen, 39, attended Friday’s match at London’s Emirates Stadium with her Grammy-winning husband and their children.
The outing, meant to be a casual family experience, quickly unraveled as Teigen became the target of ridicule from British football fans for what she was wearing and some comments that she made.
The controversy began when the couple appeared on Prime Video Sport, and fans spotted her wearing a Chelsea shirt and an Arsenal-Ipswich Town half-and-half scarf. Her husband attempted to explain why they were there, noting that the couple was in London for the holidays and decided to attend their first Premier League game.
The family also was in the U.K. to celebrate the “Ordinary People” singer’s 46th birthday.
“My friends were like, well, Arsenal is going to win by like, you know, six goals,” Legend said, admitting their limited understanding of the sport. While the couple occasionally attends Major League Soccer matches in Los Angeles, Legend acknowledged that England is “where the real football has been played.”
Teigen’s comments during the interview didn’t help matters.
According to the Daily Mail, when asked about her support for Chelsea, she appeared flustered, saying, “Listen, I love an underdog, and I love coming in and being surprised by how much a team can do.”
Adding, “And I think it was so much fun for us to root for them because everyone was on Arsenal’s side. Yeah, I wanted to really give them the support that they needed.”
“When you said Chelsea, I was like, is Chelsea Ipswich? I don’t know.”
When asked who they thought could win, both were comfortable saying they don’t know, with Legend teasing his wife about wearing the Chelsea shirt.
“Did I?” she asked puzzled, “But I covered it with an Ipswich scarf!”
Her husband interjected, “Same color.”
“Listen, we don’t know what we’re doing. We’re just here,” she resigned.
🎥 Chrissy Teigen, John Legend’s wife, arrived at The Emirates yesterday wearing a Chelsea shirt… 😬❌
— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) December 28, 2024
🗣️ “Did I?! But I covered it with an Ipswich scarf! Listen, we don’t know what we’re doing…” 🤣😅
🎥 @primevideosport pic.twitter.com/bQdBTAMg65
Legend chimed in, adding, “We go to some of the L.A. games, the soccer games, every once in a while. And this is, you know, this is where the real football has been played.”
Teigen echoed his sentiment, saying, “We feel spoiled to get to be here, especially as people that don’t understand the game and the nuances as much as anybody else. So the fact that we get to be on the field …”
🎤@JohnLegend with a rendition of North London Forever! 🎶 pic.twitter.com/66Um2y5aJi
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 27, 2024
Legend interrupted to focus on the stadium’s atmosphere, “We love the songs … I was always listening. I was trying to figure out what everyone was singing the whole game. But I love how synced up everyone is.”
The backlash was immediate, fierce, and a little mean. Fans took to social media to vent their frustrations, calling out Teigen for her apparent lack of knowledge.
One user wrote, “Embarrassing. These clowns get tickets over actual fans.”
Embarrassing. These clowns get tickets over actual fans.
— PR Journalist (@GunnerMiguel) December 28, 2024
Someone else tweeted in agreement, “There’s real supporters that want to see The Arsenal, but these people can get tickets & not know who are playing.”
Another added, “Ban her for life,” while a third aimed criticism at Prime Video Sport, tweeting, “John Legend, Chrissy Teigen on @primevideosport have no f—kin clue about football… yet u give them air time.”
One other X user stated, “These two have no business giving an interview. Shocking!”
Instead of retreating, Teigen leaned into the criticism with her signature sarcasm.
On Instagram, she mocked her detractors, posting, “I’m currently getting roasted for being the world’s biggest soccer fan. Everybody’s jealous because I’m the biggest fan, and they’re not.”
She even shared a throwback photo of herself in a soccer uniform, captioned “Does this look like the face of someone who doesn’t know soccer?”
On her Instagram Stories, Teigen poked fun at the sport, suggesting tongue-in-cheek changes like “soccer needs more goals” and proposing that “the main goals should be higher in the air.”
She even reposted some of the tweets, ridiculing them for being so serious about the sport.
The match itself, which Arsenal won 1-0, was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Teigen.
Though Teigen’s attempts at humor lightened the situation for some, for many purists, the entire episode was yet another example of the culture clash between America’s celebrity fanfare and the deeply ingrained traditions of European football.
