Joey Swoll, a popular fitness influencer and CEO of Gym Positivity, has announced he’s leaving social media, and it all started with a tribute video to wrestling legend Hulk Hogan.
Joey Swoll, a fitness influencer, is leaving social media following backlash for honoring Hulk Hogan.(Instagram/Joey Swoll)
When news of Hogan’s death broke, Swoll reposted an old video of himself dressed as the wrestler, complete with bicep curls and iconic poses. Soon, backlash erupted as critics pointed to Hogan’s past controversies, accusing Swoll of ignoring those aspects.
He defended the video on TikTok. “Just because a person made some mistakes in their life, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to be recognized for the positive things they’ve done as well,” he said during a livestream. That livestream, however, included where he used the word “colored,” which only intensified criticism.
After viral apology, Swoll walks away from social media
Within days, Swoll posted an emotional apology, acknowledging, “I’ve done a lot of research and learned all of the horrible things that man has done.” He then stunned followers with a quiet but final announcement: a story on Instagram declaring he was quitting social media for good.
“All the good I’ve done, all the people I’ve helped, all for nothing. I truly hope all the people I’ve inspired do great things in their life and pay it forward to help others and carry on my message,” his post read. “But no matter how much good you do, people just wait for a reason to hate you and tear you down. You either die a hero, or live long enough to be the villain.”
“Thank you for your support. I am done,” he concluded. The post quickly went viral both on X and Instagram, with over 10 million views on Elon Musk’s platform.
Swoll, who built a following of over 13 million across platforms by standing up to “gym creeps” and preaching respect.
While some believe the farewell was posted due to emotional exhaustion, others speculate he might just need time away.
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“Your first mistake was apologizing. Your second mistake is giving up. Just post your way out of it,” X based journalist Collin Rugg commented.
“You were reactive and on top of your incredibly tone-deaf hulk hogan post, doubled down and referred to black people as “colored” on a live stream. You are not a victim, and this is not accountability, which is ironic given you built your platform demanding it from others,” another commented.