Total Pro Sports
It started with a photo. Then came the jokes, the breakdowns, the slow-motion zoom-ins. Over the weekend, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy found himself at the center of a height-related firestorm on X, and it only got messier from there.
A viral post claimed that Portnoy, listed as 5-foot-10 on Google, secretly stands on his tippy-toes in pictures. The post gained traction fast after one user compared multiple photos of Portnoy with athletes and even a jockey, saying there was “no shot” he’s actually 5-foot-10.
The photos showed what appeared to be Portnoy discreetly stretching his calves for a few bonus inches, even when posing alongside former Premier League stars.
Portnoy didn’t take the accusation lightly. He fired back on X, calling the tippy-toe theory “Of all the lies told about me this is the most egregious” ever told about him. “People are literally photoshopping me standing on my tippy toes now,” he wrote to his 3.7 million followers. That response, though, triggered a brutal community note underneath.
“Dave Portnoy does stand on his tippy toes as shown in this video of him being photographed,” read the note, linking directly to footage from Barstool’s own studio that zoomed in on Portnoy’s feet mid-photo.
The video showed him posing with soccer players Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Matt Doherty, apparently giving himself a little boost.
Of all the lies told about me this is the most egregious People are literally photoshopping me standing on my tippy toes now. pic.twitter.com/emPaADEix5
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) June 8, 2025
Other photos surfaced too. In one, Portnoy appeared eye-to-eye with a jockey. In another, he stood beside former Barstool CEO Erika Nardini and podcast hosts Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, again seemingly on his toes.
Portnoy has addressed his height before. In a 2023 post, he brushed off the scrutiny by calling himself “medium height,” adding, “Bad news for the haters.” But the internet rarely lets things slide, especially when the receipts are in video form.
This height drama isn’t the only controversy Portnoy’s dealing with. He recently exploded on Barstool colleague Kirk Minihane during an episode of The Unnamed Show. After Minihane defended a podcast host Portnoy had accused of antisemitism, tensions boiled over. “Shut the f*** up you bald f***,” Portnoy shouted, later adding, “You work for me, you little b****.”
Portnoy might’ve stood tall on camera, but this week, the internet kept receipts, from his toes to his temper.
Also Read: Dave Portnoy Claps Back After Being Accused Of Lying About His Height
