"I studied broadcast journalism in college for 3 whole months to prepare for this moment," she captioned the original pics of her holding a UFC mic at an event.
Journalists and aspiring journalists (and anyone else wanting to pile on) got Addison Rae's name trending last week ahead of the UFC 264: Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor event in Las Vegas in response to a post she made from it.
Standing around the venue, Addison was seen holding a UFC-branded microphone and looking ready to interview some of the fighters and talent at the event in the photos she shared, but it was her caption that really infuriated some of her followers.
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View Story"I studied broadcast journalism in college for 3 whole months to prepare for this moment," she'd captioned that shot. A couple of days later Addison jumped back on Twitter to joke, "nvm y’all got me fired."
nvm y’all got me fired https://t.co/kHFFvHuSaM
— Addison Rae (@whoisaddison) July 10, 2021 @whoisaddison
The original photos certainly could have been little more than a photo op as Addison was at the event. In truth, though, Addison did actually interview Dustin Poirier, so some of the outrage was based on the perceived reality that Addison got a leg up at the UFC because of her social media prowess and not her education or experience.
But, as a source told E! News, this interview was specifically for social and while Addison was perhaps selected in part because of the size of her following, it's also because she and Dustin are from the same hometown.
As such, this was a one-off opportunity for Addison and the UFC to merge their brands. Addison is not jumping the line to become a correspondent for the UFC, nor is she trying to trade herself off as a journalist after those three months.
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View StoryIn fact, from the beginning her defenders were trying to tell all those outraged that the tone of her initial caption made it seem pretty obvious she was making a joke with tongue planted firmly in cheek -- kind of like her response.
She may have circumvented the college experience to literally earn millions on social media -- the decision seems to have worked out well for her.
Aside from not working as a reporter for the UFC, Addison has released music and is set to appear in the upcoming remake, "He's All That."