Pat McAfee’s Popularity Shockingly Plummets Outside Of WWE

Pat McAfee has been absent from WWE for a while now.

The WWE Universe saw him last in June 2025. He made a one-night return to the commentary desk at Wrestlepalooza in September.

McAfee had been splitting his time between WWE (as a color commentator) and ESPN’s College GameDay, but he chose to step away from WWE TV to give his full attention to ESPN. But it looks like the football fans are not very fond of him.

In The Athletic’s annual college football media survey, 49.5% of voters said they did not like McAfee on ESPN’s flagship college football program, College GameDay. Despite the backlash, ESPN keeps McAfee because he’s a massive ratings draw.

When Will Pat McAfee Will Return To WWE?

Despite stepping away from regular commentary, McAfee is still under contract with WWE and is expected to return soon. During a segment on The Pat McAfee Show in December 2025, WWE President Nick Khan shared that Pat McAfee will return to the Stamford-based promotion once the college football season ends.

“We’re going to bring you back. I know you and I are going to sit together once college football slows.”

Amid the college football season, Pat McAfee and his wife, Samantha, announced that they are expecting their second child, a baby boy due in June 2026.

Samantha shared the news on Instagram in November 2025, posting ultrasound images and a heartfelt message about their fertility struggles, including countless appointments, hormones, and emotional highs and lows.

She revealed that they turned to in vitro fertilization (IVF) to expand their family and described the process as physically and mentally exhausting, testing her body and their spirits in ways they never imagined.

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