THE CELEBRITY GASLIGHTING: Cardi B Blasted for Defending Convicted Murderer Karmelo Anthony

The tragedy of Austin Metcalf’s death at a Memorial High School track meet has officially turned into a bizarre, high-stakes battle of influence, facts, and celebrity power.

While the Frisco community and the Metcalf family attempt to process a 35-year prison sentence for convicted m*rderer Karmelo Anthony, they are now facing a new, unexpected adversary: the massive, global platform of celebrity culture.

Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B has sparked a massive national firestorm after publicly calling the guilty verdict “disgusting” and “not justice.” Her comments, which reached millions of her followers, have been labeled as “shameful” by media analysts who argue that the star is participating in the dangerous, systematic erasure of a 17-year-old victim’s life.

The Will Cain Takedown

The celebrity endorsement of Karmelo Anthony did not go unchallenged. Broadcaster Will Cain didn’t mince words, delivering a blistering critique of the mentality currently surrounding the case.

“It’s despicable. It’s shameful. It’s unbelievable,” Cain said.

Cain highlighted the most disturbing element of the Anthony defense: it isn’t enough for them to argue for a lighter sentence. They—and their celebrity supporters—are actively working to blame Austin Metcalf for his own death. They are framing a teenager who died protecting his friends from a lethal bl*de as the architect of his own demise.

For the Metcalfs, who have been enduring non-stop death threats and “swatting” attacks, this celebrity-fueled victim-blaming is a form of psychological t*rture. It reinforces the idea that if you have enough money, enough influence, or enough fans, you can simply rewrite the truth of a murder.

The Fact-Free Campaign

Cardi B’s condemnation of the verdict—which she labeled “disgusting”—stands in stark contrast to the grueling weeks of evidence presented during the trial. The jury heard testimony that Anthony was warned 15 separate times to leave the restricted area. They saw the footage of the confrontation. They heard Anthony’s own defense witnesses admit he was never “surrounded.” They saw the autopsy photos of the fatal strike from a 5-inch tactical bl*de.

Yet, in the eyes of his celebrity supporters, none of this matters. By claiming the verdict is “not justice,” they are implying that the justice system—and the 12 jurors who sat through every second of the trial—failed.

Why the Mob Won’t Stop

This celebrity involvement is not harmless. It has immediate, real-world consequences. Every time a major figure weighs in on the side of the convicted killer, the harassment toward the Metcalf family intensifies. The “mob” of supporters that the Anthony family ignited—a mob that is currently funded by the proceeds of a $625,000 fundraiser—now feels emboldened by the support of the elite.

The Metcalf family, meanwhile, remains silent, shattered, and afraid. They are not fighting a war of influence; they are simply trying to survive the loss of their son.

The public pushback is gaining momentum. A grassroots campaign is forming to remind the world that Austin Metcalf was not a villain; he was a leader. He didn’t deserve to die. And he certainly doesn’t deserve to have his name dragged through the mud by global stars who wouldn’t spend five minutes reviewing the court records.

Cardi B slams ‘disgusting’ Karmelo Anthony conviction: ‘This is not justice’

Cardi B has spoken out after Karmelo Anthony was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of Texas teenager Austin Metcalf.

The 33-year-old rapper shared her reaction shortly after a Collin County jury delivered its verdict on June 9, finding Anthony guilty over the death of Metcalf during a confrontation at a Frisco track meet in April 2025.

Taking to X, Cardi wrote: “Wow! Just freakin wow! DISGUSTING… This is not justice, this is trying to make an example!!!”

She later expanded on her views during a Spaces conversation, where she questioned both the verdict and the length of Anthony’s sentence.

Cardi B has spoken out after Karmelo Anthony was convicted of murder. Credit: Chance Yeh / Getty

Cardi B says both families have suffered

Anthony and Metcalf were both 17 years old when the incident took place.

During the discussion, Cardi said she felt sympathy for both families involved, arguing that while Austin’s parents had “lost a child,” Anthony’s parents had “lost a child to the system,” per BET.

The Grammy-winning artist described Anthony as someone who came from a supportive family and said his emotional reactions after the stabbing and during sentencing did not match someone she believed acted with murderous intent.

She also argued that the sentence was too severe. Cardi said manslaughter would have been a more appropriate charge because she did not believe there was evidence of premeditation, calling the 35-year sentence “extremely excessive” for a teenager with no prior criminal record.

Karmelo Anthony will spend at least 35 years in prison. Credit: Collin County

Race and self-defense at the center of debate

The rapper also addressed race while discussing the case. “If Anthony was white and he was surrounded by a whole bunch of Black football players and two twins, the case would have went extremely different,” she said.

She added: “I sure learned something from this. I learned to tell my sons: do not argue with no white boys, ‘cuz baby ain’t no law protecting you if something goes down with them.”

Cardi also argued Anthony had been acting in self-defense. “He was surrounded, he was protecting himself. Austin was twice his size,” she said.

She further questioned whether the confrontation could have been avoided, suggesting a coach should have been brought in to handle the situation.

Austin Metcalf was stabbed to death. Credit: GoFundMe

The jury reached a guilty verdict

Throughout the trial, prosecutors argued that Anthony unnecessarily escalated a dispute that began beneath a team tent during the track meet before using deadly force.

Defense attorneys maintained that Anthony feared for his safety and acted in self-defense when the encounter became physical.

As public discussion intensified, Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, urged people not to turn the tragedy into a racial issue.

“This was not a race thing. This is not a political thing. Please do not comment if you do not know what happened,” he previously said. “This is a human being thing. This person made a bad choice and it affected both his family and my family forever.”

Following the verdict, Anthony reportedly broke down in tears as deputies took him into custody.

His parents, Kala Hayes and Andrew, were also visibly emotional in court.

Before sentencing, Hayes pleaded with jurors for mercy. “Please have mercy on my son. He’s my oldest. He’ll always be my baby. I love him very much,” she said.

She added: “I know my son, he’s very sorry for what he did.”

Austin Metcalf (right) with his father. Credit: GoFundMe

Family’s emotional victim impact statements

Metcalf’s father addressed Anthony directly. “You’re going to prison. You can’t even look me in the eyes right now, but you can stab my f***ing son in the heart,” he said.

“People think that grief is sadness but it’s not,” he continued. “It’s rage. Pure unfiltered rage.”

“You’re free to make choices all you want, but you’re not free from those consequences. You will face those consequences starting today,” the father said. “You failed your parents, you failed yourself and you failed society. You don’t belong in this community.”

Austin’s twin brother Hunter also spoke directly to Anthony. “If you could just look me in the eyes while I speak, I would really respect that,” he said.

“You let the devil take over in that moment. Eventually your name will be forgotten, but my brother’s memory will live on,” he said. “You took a son, a brother, a friend, and my best friend from this world.”

Austin’s mother, Meghan, added: “You may have just been given a sentence of 35 years behind bars, but you can consider yourself lucky because I’ve been sentenced to a lifetime without my son.”

Anthony is currently serving his sentence and could become eligible for parole after serving half of his 35-year prison term under Texas law.

Did Cardi B donate to Karmelo Anthony? Rapper says ‘it really is a race thing’ after sentencing

Cardi B fumed after Karmelo Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of Austin Metcalf, stressing that “this wasn’t planned to be murder.”

Did Cardi B donate to Karmelo Anthony? Rapper says ‘it really is a race thing’ after sentencing (Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice, photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP )

“Wow! Just freakin wow! DISGUSTING… This is not justice, this is trying to make an example!!!” Cardi wrote on X.

Cardi B has reposted other posts in support of Anthony, including one saying he “deserves better,” and another that read, “Almost 4 years ago Karmelo Anthony save someone life dont allow these trolls or mainstream media tell you otherwise. They are trying to do, character assassination against his image like the dominate society always do.”

Did Cardi B donate to Karmelo Anthony?

Many people defended Anthony after the incident, and a GiveSendGo was launched for him. Donations continued to pour in even after Anthony was sentenced. However, there are no reports to indicate that Cardi donated to Anthony.

The 33-year-old rapper took to Spaces on Wednesday, June 10, and said that she understood the grief of both families, stressing that while the Metcalfs “lost a child,” Anthony’s parents also “lost a child to the system.”

“In this situation, it really is a race thing because I am pretty sure, I’m 100% sure, especially in Texas, this happens a lot in Texas—if Anthony was white and he was surrounded by a whole bunch of Black football players and two twins, the case would have went extremely different,” said.

She also questioned the circumstances of the confrontation, adding, “I highly doubt that Anthony went over there by himself to a tent full of strong ass football players [saying], ‘Yeah, I’m going to cause a ruckus because I have a knife on me.’”

Cardi further said, “Just because you have a knife and you against 14 boys that are strong, that tackle people for a living, that’s not going to make you feel tough cuz somebody’s going to knock that knife off your hand. I highly doubt that he went over there.”

Cardi even argued that Metcalf should have involved an adult and not escalated the situation himself.

“What do they tell us in school? If you have an issue with somebody: go to a teacher, go to an adult. If Austin had an issue with Anthony being in the tent, he should have went to the coach and told the coach, ‘Take him out of the tent,’” Cardi argued. “But Austin took [it] into his hands to get aggressive with Anthony.

She added, “Now in life, something that I have to learn, just because somebody provoke you … If you put your hands on them, it’s still wrong. It’s illegal to put your hands on somebody. He put his hands on somebody. Austin was twice his size. And not only that, but I also heard he knows how to fight jiu-jitsu. He was surrounded, he was protecting himself. “

Cardi then went on to criticize the jury’s speed in reaching a verdict, arguing that they should have considered manslaughter instead.

“They had the option of giving him manslaughter because clearly this wasn’t planned to be murder. They just probably feel like, ‘You know what? We hungry, we tired, I ain’t trying to come back tomorrow. Here’s what it is.’ No thought, no care, no nothing. No consideration, no seeing how this boy—he never went to jail, was a good kid, was active in school. 35 years I really feel like is excessive, extremely excessive,” she said.

Read More | Karmelo Anthony’s mom sobs before jurors sentence Austin Metcalf’s killer to 35 years, ‘He’s very sorry for what he did’

Cardi questioned how self-defense is applied in such cases and asked when it is actually recognized under the law.

“This is America,” Cardi said in her livestream. “I sure learned something from this. I learned to tell my sons: do not argue with no white boys, ‘cuz baby ain’t no law protecting you if something goes down with them … Just walk away.”

Karmelo Athony’s sentencing

Anthony, 19, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the 2025 murder of Metcalf. He was accused of stabbing Metcalf to death during a rain delay at a high school track meet. Before the stabbing, which took place at Memorial High School in Frisco, Metcalf had reportedly asked Anthony, who is black, to leave the event since he did not attend that school. Metcalf was white.

Anthony has now been transferred to a Texas prison to begin his sentence. He was transferred to the Wallace Pack Unit, near Houston, Texas, on Wednesday morning, June 10, after spending the previous night in county jail.

He filed a notice of appeal following his conviction, according to court records.