Mina Kimes dunks on NFL aggregator Dov Kleiman over rumored obsession with Jennifer Lawrence

Mina Kimes is used to being the target of negative attention online and knows how to cut through with a comeback.

So when notorious NFL aggregator account Dov Kleiman spent Thursday attacking her ESPN coverage of the government’s removal of a historical article about Jackie Robinson’s military service, Kimes made the time for a fight.

After re-posting Kimes’ monologue on the subject, Kleiman put up a post claiming that “many football fans are calling for ESPN to fire NFL analyst Mina Kimes.” Kleiman then posted an open-ended message asking his followers whether Kimes should be fired.

It all began when Kimes praised Robinson’s “courage in the face of racial discrimination” on Wednesday’s Around the Horn, which she added “must be recognized to fully understand and celebrate his legacy.”

The comments were part of a mobilization among sports media online to push back on the U.S. Department of Defense’s removal of a webpage highlighting Robinson’s military service, which came as part of the government’s push to remove topics related to what it calls diversity, equity, and inclusion from the public-facing history of the country. The pushback was led by MLB insider Jeff Passan’s reporting, which included a bizarre comment from the Defense Department that was later amended. By Wednesday night, the department had republished the page.

After Kleiman put up the posts calling for her dismissal, Kimes came back with a reference to a long-rumored run-in that the man behind Kleiman’s account had with movie star Jennifer Lawrence.

“I see @NFL_DovKleiman keeps posting weird stuff about me today,” Kimes wrote. “Flattered bc I think this means I now have something in common with Jennifer Lawrence?”

For years, people on X have alleged that Lawrence filed a restraining order against Kleiman. When users mention it in his replies, they are often banned.

While Kimes’ joke landed, she may be barking up the wrong tree.

For years, people in sports media have questioned Kleiman’s identity. Various social media posts and videos have obscured the identity of the person behind the aggregation account. And last year, a Barstool Sports personality claimed the original user had sold the account.

Considering the rumors about the restraining order for Lawrence surfaced in 2023, it’s unclear whether the person now lobbying for ESPN to fire Kimes is even the same person who had the alleged run-in with Lawrence.

Either way, if Kimes is able to draw attention to the truly strange details behind the NFL’s most infamous social media account, it may not matter whether her timeline is perfectly laid out.