Dan ‘Big Cat’ Katz and Kate Mannion apologize for mishandling staffer’s harassment complaints at Barstool

Barstool big wig Dan “Big Cat” Katz is doing damage control after an uncomfortable on-air moment with staffer Ella Grif.

During Monday’s episode of The Yak, a laid-back chat show about the company and its talent, Katz brought up a recent text exchange with Grif in which the younger staffer sent him a TikTok posted to The Yak‘s account and called it “gross.” The video in question showed Yak cohosts debating their ability to kiss Grif during the company’s Barstool Beach House reality series.

While Grif was clearly uncomfortable by the video, she attempted to downplay it when Katz brought her on The Yak to discuss it. Asked by Big Cat what the problem with the video was, Grif responded “the boys’ club.”

“Obviously I was drunk and I probably shouldn’t have been texting, but I really thought I was onto something. I was like, this is so gross,” she continued. “What actually happened in real life … the video you guys are talking about kissing, but in real life they were like, ‘I’m going to eat Ella’s box.’ And I was like, ew.”

Despite multiple Yak cohosts catching onto the clear harassment Grif was facing on-air and in the posting of the TikTok clip (which is still up as of Tuesday, July 22), Katz could not understand the issue.

“I have a dumb caveman brain where sometimes things have to be explained to me that are offensive,” he said.

Once The Yak cast explained to “Big Cat” that Grif’s primary concern is that she knew firsthand that the “dare” being discussed in the clip was about far more than a kiss, Katz apologized to Grif for “making it worse” as she departed from her segment.

Barstool fans online almost immediately seized on the incident, sharply criticizing Katz and defending Grif.

Ultimately, something clicked for the longtime Barstool star known for hosting Pardon My Take. Tuesday on X, Katz responded to followers and took ownership for the incident. To start The Yak, he took time to issue a frank apology and mea culpa.

“I f*cked up yesterday having Ella on the show and not listening to her, and that was a big mistake by me,” Katz said. “There’s no excuse or like, ‘Oh I got it confused,’ or anything like that. Just a f*ck up. I didn’t read the moment. I didn’t listen to her how I should as her coworker/boss. Talked to her last night, talked to her again today. I think we’re in a good spot. I think it’s actually going to be a positive because I’m not as approachable as I should be.”

Katz described that he wants Grif to feel comfortable coming to him and knowing that he will handle it professionally and not turn it into content. He also apologized to the show’s audience.

“I apologize to The Yak listeners,” Katz added. “Because that was a weird thing, awkward moment. And I know some people will probably be pissed at me, they’ll hold it against me. That’s fine. Because I f*cked up.”

To end Tuesday’s Yak, regular host Kate Mannion expressed her own feelings about the mixup.

“I’m really disappointed in myself that I didn’t say what I was actually thinking,” Mannion said, with tears in her eyes. “I think as the only woman on this show sometimes … I feel like I’m an ambassador for the women on the show and the women in the office. And I’m so sorry, this isn’t against anybody at all, but I’m an over-thinker. And I was up last night, and I didn’t expect to get like this, but I was looking really hard at myself last night.

“I was like, you had 20 million chances to be like, ‘Timeout everybody, switch the subject, whatever.’ I think we were all taken off-guard by how things unfolded. But I heard from a lot of lady Yakkers and even people that I know who were like, ‘Kate, what the f*ck?’ And this isn’t against anybody here, I love you all so much. I work at a place where I’m glad I can say exactly what’s on my mind. And I was disappointed in myself that I didn’t say what I should have said in the moment.”

Mannion, who is a Marine veteran turned Barstool talent, pledged to Grif, herself and the audience to do better in speaking up in the future.

“Especially as the only woman, if you’ve ever worked in a male-dominated workplace, you don’t want to be seen as a liability, you want to be seen as an asset,” she added. “Nobody here makes me feel that way, but it’s something that I’ve internalized over decades of working in male-dominated spaces … I just wanted to say people were expecting to me when I didn’t and I feel like I let people, and especially myself, down.”

Reading between the lines of his posts on X, Katz clearly got lost in the weeds of where real life starts and content ends. This has been a problem at Barstool since its inception, most commonly in recent years with Dave Portnoy and Kirk Minihane. It is a feature of the company’s content, not a bug.

However, it is notable that “Big Cat” took ownership quickly and issued a public apology. Dave Portnoy did something similar earlier this year apologizing on NBC News to Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett.

“I do want to be someone who can take serious things serious,” he said.

A sexual harassment issue can quickly snowball into a real problem if not handled appropriately. Barstool’s audience aptly noted that the day prior, Katz had made joking reference to the company’s HR training and mentioned how in the early days, the company had no female employees.

It’s clear this was a fairly serious situation for The Yak crew and Barstool. Between Katz and Mannion’s comments, the hope is it will be a learning moment within the company’s offices.

The situation also goes to show how much Barstool has changed. Yes, there are many female employees now. And hopefully, despite some previous instances of misogyny in the company’s content and public commentary, Katz’s handling of this incident can be an example of how women like Grif (or Mannion) can feel comfortable entering the lion’s den and working at a male-dominated place like Barstool.