Meghan McCain and longtime pal Andy Cohen have publicly fallen out over the issue of transgender women in women's sports.
McCain, 40, was left stunned on Tuesday after Cohen, 56, publicly called her out on X, formerly Twitter, for supporting Payton McNabb - the former high school girls volleyball player who was left with serious brain damage after being hit in the face by a transgender opponent.
The drama kicked off when McCain praised McNabb in a post on X, writing, 'I have had the pleasure of meeting Payton - she is incredibly smart, strong and brave. Both she and her family have been through the unthinkable.'
She added, 'Democrats defending young women suffering from traumatic brain injuries as a result of trans athletes is why they will continue losing every election.'
The post rankled Cohen, who is openly gay and an outspoken Democrat.
Responding to McCain's post, he wrote, 'Surprised you're buying into the vilification of the trans community given the real problems happening in this country, your previous ally-ship of the LGBTQ community, and the fact that this non-issue affects about four people in this country.'
Firing back, a stunned McCain wrote, 'Surprised you're okay with violence against female athletes. Payton suffered serious brain damage - just one story.'
She added, 'You have my cell, always happy to talk privately or publicly on either of our shows because these conversations are reductive to hash out on social media.'
Meghan McCain and her longtime pal Andy Cohen have publicly fallen out over the issue of transgender women in women's sports'
Following the public spat, a source close to McCain told DailyMail.com that the Citizen McCain host was taken aback by Cohen coming for her given their long friendship.
'It is surprising he would do this publicly.
'They've been friends for years. She has been on [Watch What Happens Live] dozens of times,' the source said.
'They've always had a great relationship. She was just in New York with him in May for WWHL where they talked about Harris versus Trump in the green room and it was perfectly cordial,' they continued.
'Also an interesting issue for Andy to weigh in on given the fact that most American women agree with Meghan on this issue and his audience is predominantly women.'
DailyMail.com has contacted McCain and Cohen for comment.
McCain, who currently hosts Meghan McCain's Happy Hour on 2WAY, is a longtime pal of Cohen's and is a regular guest on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
Meanwhile, McNabb herself later sounded off on the situation, taking Cohen to task with a scathing post on X.
The drama kicked off when McCain praised Payton McNabb in a post on X
Responding to McCain's post, Cohen wrote, 'Surprised you're buying into the vilification of the trans community'
Following the public spat, a source close to McCain told DailyMail.com that the Citizen McCain host was taken aback by Cohen coming for her given their long friendship
'Andy, calling the protection of women's sports a 'non-issue' that affects 'four people' is not just dismissive — it's factually wrong,' she wrote.
'Hundreds of female athletes have lost podium spots, scholarships, and opportunities. My own injury was life-changing.
'And even if it were just one girl, that's one too many. This is about fairness and safety, not "vilification."'
McNabb was 17 when a ball spiked by a trans opponent with force struck her in the face, threw her to the ground and left her unconscious while she played a volleyball match in September 2022.
The teenager was left with brain damage and paralysis on her right side, which ended her dreams of getting a volleyball college scholarship and has made it difficult to walk without falling.
Now 19, she has campaigned over the past few years to prevent trans athletes from competing in women's sports and was even one of President Donald Trump's guests when he signed the 'No Men in Women's Sports' executive order at the White House last month.
Payton McNabb, a former high school girls volleyball player, was left with serious brain damage after being hit in the face by a transgender opponent in September 2022
In April of 2023, Payton decided to testify at the North Carolina General Assembly in favor of the Fairness in Women's Sports Bill
And this week, the Commander-in-Chief extended another invitation to the teenager with McNabb set to be one his guests at his joint address to Congress on Tuesday night.
'It's just such an incredible honor, and I'm so thankful, and I can't believe I'm getting invited,' she told Fox News about the offer.
'I know that President Trump really supports what we've been fighting for and what I've been advocating for for over two years now. And he's really big on getting men out of women's sports and out of their spaces.
'So, I think this is just his way of letting us know that he sees us and he's with us, and I'm just so thankful for that.'
