Esther ‘E-Tay’ Taylor vs. Brandon Cantu wasn’t on our fight card this summer, but a single tweet seemed to change all of that.
When Taylor announced that she was honored to be the new poker ambassador for BetMGM, Poker Twitter was almost unanimous in its support — until Cantu posted:
"Wow, another DEI hire. So few white males get sponsorships these days it’s really sad. Hopefully equality overrides sexual and racial divide. Congrats, I guess."
His post has since been viewed 225,000 times and drawn 132 replies – and plenty of outrage.
Poker players and industry figures lined up to defend Taylor and attack Cantu. UK pro Barny Boatman posted one of the few responses we can actually publish.
Sponsorship is not a universal human right, like healthcare.
— Barny Boatman (@barnyboatman) June 25, 2026
This deal has clearly been offered on merit, and for comercial reasons. Congratulations @e_tay.
It is the underrepresentation of certain demographics amongst their customers which may also influence sponsors’…
Esther Taylor is as popular off the table as she is good on it.Put down the pitchforks
What did Taylor herself make of it? We spoke with her to find out what really happened.
"The truth is, Brandon and I go way, way back," she tells us. "I'm a pretty easygoing person. People can bust my balls all day long – it's going to have zero effect on me. I can dish it out, so I can take it.
"Brandon’s humor has always been extremely dry. In the post, he was kind of joking with me. It's not malicious. But I did warn him that the post would be very polarizing."
So you knew it was a joke?
"Obviously. You guys can bust my balls all day, all year long. I'm going to laugh for the most part. People who don't know Brandon and me won't understand the joke.
"And it was a joke. I didn't take any offense to it whatsoever. I will say that it actually made me feel really good how many people posted in support of me. But I'm not a damsel in distress. Everybody knows that about me. I can stand up for myself very easily."
And have you spoken with Brandon since?
"Brandon actually ended up being kind of upset about it, because of all the angry responses he received on X. But I'm glad we cleared the air."
Follow Esther Taylor on X.
