Joey Swoll’s Controversial Remarks Lead to Viral Backlash
Fitness influencer Joey Swoll has become a popular figure on social media after sharing gym-related content.[0] Recently, he has been embroiled in controversy due to his outspokenness in calling out people for their behavior in the gym.[0] His most recent incident involved a young woman who accused an older employee of staring at her while she undressed, even though he seemingly just glanced in her direction.[1]
Swoll has responded to the criticism, saying that he has no agenda other than creating a positive gym experience for everyone. He believes that gender has nothing to do with it and that he has done an equal amount of videos on men and women.[0] However, some of his fans are not too happy with him, worrying that he might be fueling misogyny on the internet.[2]
This controversy was further amplified when one of his videos featuring a woman named Nora Love went viral. Love had filmed an older man at her local gym who she claimed was leering at women and not doing much working out.[3] In response, Swoll released a video on his TikTok page stating that “there’s no way he’s looking at her” and asking “could you imagine if this was the other way around and he did this to you?”[2]
Unfortunately, Love was bombarded with hundreds of hateful messages from Swoll’s fans, with some even doxing her address and telling her to kill herself.[4] This led Love to deactivate all of her social media accounts and suffer repeated panic attacks.[2]
Swoll has since made an apology video, saying “you never know someone’s story or what they’re going through. Stop this. Be kind.”[5] While the backlash has mostly died down, Love says that she continues to receive harassment. This incident serves as a reminder to everyone to be mindful of their words and actions and to be kind to one another.
0. “”Light toxic behavior” – Joey Swoll reacts to accusations of misogyny” Sportskeeda, 12 Feb. 2023, https://www.sportskeeda.com/bodybuilding/news-joey-swoll-reacts-accusations-misogyny
1. “Joey Swoll On Misogynistic Accusations: ‘Sad’ People ‘Use My Message to Push An Agenda I Don’t Agree With …” Fitness Volt, 11 Feb. 2023, https://fitnessvolt.com/joey-swoll-on-misogynistic-accusations/
2. “A woman who was called out by fitness influencer Joey Swoll said she’s since been flooded with hate messages and death threats” Yahoo News Canada, 9 Feb. 2023, https://ca.news.yahoo.com/woman-called-fitness-influencer-joey-230110250.html
3. “A woman fears for her safety after Joey Swoll called her out” Insider, 9 Feb. 2023, https://www.insider.com/woman-gym-callout-video-joey-swoll-hate-threats-death-tiktok-2023-2
4. “Woman called out by fitness influencer says she’s been flooded with death threats and hate” JOE.co.uk, 10 Feb. 2023, https://www.joe.co.uk/fitness-health/woman-called-out-by-fitness-influencer-says-shes-been-flooded-with-death-threats-and-hate-377620
5. ““It’s Not Illegal”: Joey Swoll Continues Criticizing Influencers for Targeting Innocent Old Men in Gym” EssentiallySports, 3 Feb. 2023, https://www.essentiallysports.com/its-not-illegal-joey-swoll-continues-criticizing-influencers-for-targetting-innocent-old-men-in-gym/
