Allen called his comments dismissing the motivations of protestors as a "misguided attempt at humor."
Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer and local radio host Paul Allen did not appear on his radio show Monday, days after pushing a conspiracy theory that's intended to discredit demonstrators protesting the presence of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis as paid professional agitators.
Per the St. Paul Pioneer Press, guest host Paul Charchian took over Allen's nine-to-noon slot on KFXN-FM 100.3 on Monday. Before starting the show, Charchian played a pre-recorded message from Allen addressing his absence.
“Good morning,” the message began, per the Pioneer Press. “I made a comment on air Friday about protesters and the weather that was insensitive and poorly timed, and I’m sorry.
"It was a misguided attempt at humor, and while it was never made with any political intent or political affront, I absolutely and whole-heartedly want to apologize to those who genuinely hurt or offended by it."
Allen went on to say that he's "taking a few days off" from his show.
It's not clear from his statement how long Allen will be off the air. Neither the Vikings nor KFXN-FM have addressed his status. The Vikings declined a request for comment on Sunday, and KFAN program director Chad Abbott did not immediately return a request for comment on Monday, per the Pioneer Press.
What Allen said
Allen has faced public criticism in Minnesota since he made his statement Friday on his daily sports talk show. During a conversation with Vikings reporter and former player Chad Greenway about how residents were coping with frigid winter weather, Allen, unprompted, made a reference to "paid protestors."
“In conditions like this, do paid protesters get hazard pay?" Allen said. "Those are the things that I’ve been thinking about this morning.”
Greenway declined to engage with the statement.
Allen went on to make another "paid protestors" reference during the segment.
“Everybody’s catching strays this week. [Brian] Flores, Kevin Stefanski from Baker [Mayfield]. ... They’re just all over — paid protesters caught one this morning,” Allen continued.
Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen pushed the paid-protester conspiracy during Friday's episode of his radio show (https://t.co/b4lydpKLV7)
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 24, 2026
"In conditions like this, do paid protesters get hazard pay? Those are the things that I've been thinking about this… pic.twitter.com/mE6SHAanaf
Allen made his comments in reference to protestors taking to the streets in Minneapolis in response to a federal ICE agent shooting and killing US citizen Renee Good. Since Allen's comments, ICE agents in Minneapolis on Saturday shot and killed another citizen, Alex Pretti, who was an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Hospital.
Category: General Sports
