CBS reporter breaks silence on tense interview with Bears’ Ben Johnson

Although the Chicago Bears (2-2) pulled out a much-needed road victory over the Las Vegas Raiders (1-3) on Sunday, everything about the performance was laborious. Not even the weekly post-halftime interview came easy, as Ben Johnson seemingly expressed some frustration while speaking with CBS Sports sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala.

Before resuming play in Vegas, and with the Bears trailing 9-6 through two quarters, Kinkhabwala noted how the offense was struggling despite the defense recording two interceptions in the first half (got another in the third quarter). Johnson interrupted before a question was asked, beginning the proceedings on an unconventional and startling note. “They haven’t done anything, you’re right,” he said.

When the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator summarized the message he relayed to the locker room, it appeared as if things would continue as normal. No such luck. Evidently, Kinkhabwala struck a nerve with her follow-up question.”Do you need to change what you’re doing,” she asked. Johnson responded with sarcasm. ” I don’t know, you think so? We’re going to be just fine.” The first-year HC added a little something extra to his comment, flashing what many perceived to be a glare at the longtime journalist.

Tension filled the air, and controversy lingered on social media. Many misinterpreted Kinkhabwala’s question to be “so you need to change what you’re doing.” Perhaps Johnson thought the same. Regardless of intent, it was clear that this was not a normal interview interaction. Debates ensued over who was in the wrong during this viral exchange. Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho firmly sided with Kinkhabwala.

After watching the whole interview, Ben Johnson was tripping.

1: Reporters don’t want to talk to losing coaches, they have to.

2: Ben Johnson wouldn’t even let her ask the question, he just kept trying to talk over her.

3: She asked, “do you need to change what you’re doing?”… pic.twitter.com/O4rDe85nnD

— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) September 29, 2025

Was Bears’ Ben Johnson out of line?

“After watching the whole interview, Ben Johnson was tripping,” Acho declared on X, in response to the backlash the reporter received. “1: Reporters don’t want to talk to losing coaches, they have to. 2: Ben Johnson wouldn’t even let her ask the question, he just kept trying to talk over her. 3: She asked, ‘do you need to change what you’re doing?’ A fair question. She didn’t tell him to change what he’s doing.”

Aditi Kinkhabwala replied to Acho’s post. “I appreciate that, thank you,” she said. “It’s amazing how a bad captioning job can completely misrepresent what actually happened.”

Kinkhabwala remains a subject of criticism, however. One individual chastised her for deleting social media comments she made, which prompted a strong response that centered around far more than sports.

“No, actually, I am over all the people calling me a DEI hire, or saying I must smell and that’s what I was referencing … but context and comprehension are not priorities here and Emmanuel...