Barstool's New York office has been a hot topic all year, with Dave Portnoy himself fielding questions about how long the company keeps the lights on there. So when Francis sat down for a hallway chat and said the quiet part out loud, it landed like a grenade in the group chat.
“Personally I want the New York office to shut down” Francis talks to Pat about the recent buzz around the NYC office
"Personally I want the New York office to shut down." That's not a hot take buried in a group chat screenshot, that's Francis saying it to Pat's face, on camera, in the middle of the actual office he's talking about closing. Bold strategy. The kind of line that gets you a nickname and a permanent seat in the roast chair.
Naturally, the internet didn't let him walk away clean. Within minutes the conversation pivoted from real estate to Francis's other favorite subject: his own resume. Turns out Francis has been out here claiming New York Times Best Seller status, and his coworkers were not about to let that slide quietly.
For the record, Francis wouldn’t know what it’s like to be a New York Times Best Seller.
"For the record, Francis wouldn't know what it's like to be a New York Times Best Seller." That's the jab, and it only makes sense once you know the backstory: Francis has reportedly done ghostwriting work on Dave Portnoy's book, which is the kind of behind-the-scenes credit that gets you clowned relentlessly if you ever try to claim it as your own bestseller stat. The office clearly isn't letting him rewrite that history.
Gaz piled on with the kind of backhanded credit that stings worse than a straight insult. "Personally I give Francis credit for being a New York Times best seller just like I give him credit for selling out the Boston Garden with Shane Gillis" — translation, neither of those things happened, but sure, Francis, we'll humor you.
None of this is really about real estate. Barstool's New York footprint has genuinely been a subject of internal debate, with Portnoy on record saying the company is committed to the city at least through 2029 while keeping an eye on how local politics shakes out. Francis just picked the worst possible moment to freelance his personal opinion on company strategy into a hallway aside, and got instantly reframed as the office's resident fabulist instead.
Whether Francis actually wants the NYC office gone or was just running his mouth for the camera, the real storyline now is whether he can survive the bestseller slander with a straight face. Expect this one to follow him around the office for a while.