Brandon Tierney pushed back against Gregg Giannotti’s on-air criticism, offering a direct and emotional response during the latest episode of his YouTube show BT Unleashed. Tierney reframed the origin of a dispute that has now spilled into public view across multiple platforms.
Hours after Giannotti used his WFAN morning show to question Tierney’s professionalism and past behavior, Tierney addressed the situation head-on. BT made clear that he is largely unmoved by the criticism even as he took issue with specific characterizations and past interactions that he believes were misrepresented.
“What I really learned in life is to really not give a flying f**k what anybody thinks about me that doesn’t really know me,” Tierney said. “Gregg [Giannotti] doesn’t really know me and I don’t really know Gregg, to be fair.”
While Giannotti referenced Tierney’s departure from WFAN during Monday’s remarks, Tierney downplayed that aspect entirely. He drew a distinction between being fired and not having his contract renewed. Tierney also questioned the relevance of the topic in the broader conversation.
“I don’t care if Gregg [Giannotti] takes a little jab that I got fired. Which I wasn’t really fired. My contract wasn’t renewed,” Tierney explained. “You think I really care what he thinks about my employment? I really don’t, and I never will.”
However, Tierney’s response shifted in tone when discussing what he views as the true source of the tension. According to Tierney, the issue stems from a past prank call involving Giannotti last year, which he believes crossed a line and was never properly addressed.
“That was straight up weak,” said Tierney. “What you did with that prank call, now you’ve got a problem because I didn’t like it? I don’t know what to tell you, buddy, that’s just the way it’s gonna be.”
Tierney continued to reference the prank call incident as what stemmed this dispute between the two hosts. It was elevated Monday morning with Giannotti’s comments following Tierney’s appearance Friday on WFAN.
“Don’t come off as ‘Mr. Innocent’ here,” he said. “You actually picked up the phone and you punked a teammate… and for a whole year, you never told me. That was a story that bothered me.”
Tierney also took exception to Giannotti’s recent comments about teamwork, arguing that support among colleagues should extend beyond on-air dynamics, particularly during moments of professional uncertainty.
“Being a good teammate is not selective,” Tierney said, referencing the end of his WFAN show. “When somebody that you work with for a couple of years five feet away, and the show right after you, when they lose their job, you know I’ve got two kids, and a pretty expensive mortgage because you’ve been to my home…. Not a word. So I didn’t forget that, because I wouldn’t have done that.”
At the same time, Tierney acknowledged Giannotti’s standing within WFAN. He suggested that his longtime role alongside Boomer Esiason provides a level of stability that others in the industry may not experience.
“You’re WFAN royalty, it’s different for you. You’ve got Boomer, a rock star next to you,” Tierney said. “You guys are coasting, and you coast as long as you want. The ratings are there and the revenue is there. As you sit in your tower and you view downward on the rest of us peasants, understand, I never once had a problem with you at all until that one time.”
Despite insisting that he is not personally affected by Giannotti’s remarks, Tierney drew a firm line when it came to criticism of his character. BT emphasized that such claims would not go unanswered.
“You can say whatever you want about my lack of humor,” he said. “When you talk about my character, now you’re f***ing dead wrong. Now you’re dead wrong. That’s the one thing that I will defend to the end of the earth.”
As of now, the back-and-forth remains confined to individual platforms. The public nature of the exchange though underscores lingering tensions tied to WFAN’s recent lineup changes and the relationships shaped during that time.
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