Stephen Curry criticises former athletes over comments about Ayesha Curry’s film kiss
Stephen Curry posted a 90-second video on Instagram on Wednesday defending his wife Ayesha after several former professional athletes criticised a kiss scene in her new film Second Chance Holiday, which premiered on the Roku Channel on 5 November. The four-time NBA champion said the remarks diminished his wife’s achievements and reflected double standards toward women.
Second Chance Holiday is Ayesha Curry’s first leading film role, opposite Matthew Daddario, and the on-screen kiss prompted commentary from former NBA players Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young and former NFL players Emmanuel Acho and LeSean McCoy. Curry’s response arrived amid his ongoing public stance on gender-equality issues and came as Golden State, at joint-third in the Western Conference with an 8-3 record, prepared to face the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night in the opening game of a five-game road trip.
Addressing the commentators in the video, which he captioned "PSA", Curry said: "I’ve been hearing a lot of noise, and usually the noise doesn’t bother me, doesn’t bother Ayesha." He added: "But this one, trying to step on the accomplishments of my wife and obviously, leading podcast tables and topics and giving their opinion on somebody else’s wife," naming Young, Arenas and Acho.
Curry framed the episode as part of a wider debate about how women are viewed, saying: "It kind of speaks to a bigger conversation about how you view women in this world and what they’re all allowed and not allowed to do." He has previously written about gender equality, including a 2018 essay for the Players’ Tribune calling for an end to the gender pay gap and crediting his wife and mother for shaping his views on women’s rights and opportunities, writing that one of the most important lessons they had taught him was to challenge society’s expectations of women and "always stay listening to women, to always stay believing in women".
Gilbert Arenas, a three-time NBA All-Star who began his career with Golden State, described Ayesha as the "only blemish" on Curry’s family life during a recent episode of his podcast, arguing she did not behave like the wives of other prominent basketball players. Young, who played alongside Curry on the Warriors’ 2018 championship team, joined the discussion, and McCoy separately questioned Ayesha’s decision to film the romantic scene.
Curry said the former players owed his wife an apology: "Obviously I tried to laugh this one off, but something needs to be said," and urged those who discussed Ayesha in headlines to respond differently: "Anytime Ayesha Curry shows up in your headline, I kindly suggest you just give the happy hands, congratulations, and maybe, just maybe, the apology can be as loud as y’all leading your shows with this topic." He closed the video by thanking the commentators for publicity—"Appreciate the free pub,"—and encouraged viewers to watch the film on Roku.
The Warriors guard posted photographs of Ayesha promoting the movie alongside the video and wrote a message encouraging her to "Keep shining", adding in his caption: "You don’t have to like & subscribe to all podcasts." His sister, Sydel Curry-Lee, commented in support: "HEAVY on how it speaks about how the world views women. Play with someone else. Enough is enough!"
Ayesha Curry is an actor, cookbook author and entrepreneur who has worked in television and film for nearly two decades; her past credits include an appearance on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana and a supporting role alongside Lindsay Lohan in the 2024 Netflix romantic comedy Irish Wish. Stephen and Ayesha Curry married in 2011 and have four children.