That is health influencer Joey Swoll. He’s the self-proclaimed “CEO of Gymnasium Postivity,” with thousands and thousands of followers on TikTok, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
He describes himself as “any person who does not like bullies within the health club or on social media. That tries to show individuals to deal with others the best way you need to be handled and hopefully makes the world a bit of higher of a spot.”
On July 25, Joey posted a now-deleted tribute to wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, 71, who died on July 24, 2025. Joey shared an previous video of himself dressed because the wrestler, figuring out within the health club with the caption “RIP to a legend and one in every of my inspirations to start out figuring out.”
Then, Joey acquired backlash for supporting Hogan, a wrestler whose WWE contract was terminated in 2015 over his use of racial slurs. In 2016, a Florida jury awarded Hogan $115 million towards Gawker Media, which posted a sex tape of him. The case led to the invention that he used racial slurs in 2007 to explain his daughter, Brooke Hogan’s ex-boyfriend.
Based on the transcript, Hogan even stated, “I’m racist, to some extent, f—ing n—s.”
Regardless of Hogan’s contributions to wrestling leisure, this controversy, amongst others, relating to his private life and his relationship with the wrestling group, tainted his legacy. And sadly for the health influencer, Joey discovered the onerous means about what it means to assist Hulk Hogan in 2025.
In response to the backlash he acquired for the tribute, Joey responded in a stay stream, defending his assist of Hogan. “I can submit Hulk Hogan if I need to. Simply because any person makes a mistake of their life, does not imply that they have not achieved good issues,” he stated. “I do not know what he did. He stated one thing 20 years in the past and apologized for it.
“If you are going to assault me, you higher go after coloured athletes, who’re black and minority who posted him as nicely. Okay. The person was good to me, and he made a mistake. I am not God. Individuals make errors in life. When you have an issue with that, have a look at your self.”
When Joey used the time period “coloured athletes,” it went viral, and every thing actually hit the fan. The influencer discovered himself in the course of much more backlash, which led to a follow-up apology.
On July 28, he shared an apology video on social media. “As a substitute of listening and understanding like I ought to have, I grew to become defensive and stated that I used to be posting to have a good time the wrestling icon, the individual that so many people regarded as much as as youngsters. I did not know the extent of all of the horrible issues that he had achieved,” Joey stated.
After apologizing for the Hulk Hogan video and his TikTok Reside, he apologized utilizing the mistaken phrases to handle individuals of coloration. “I used the phrase coloured as a substitute of claiming individual of coloration, which is a really outdated and really offensive time period,” he added. “Just a few moments later, any person educated me and informed me that it wasn’t okay to make use of that. I instantly apologized.”
Because the backlash and criticism continued, Joey posted one other sequence of explanations on social media that, for my part, solely made the matter worse. On July 29, he shared an X submit explaining he was “achieved” with backwards and forwards. “All the great I’ve achieved, all of the individuals I’ve helped, all for nothing. I really hope all of the individuals I’ve impressed do nice issues of their life and pay it ahead to assist others and stick with it my message. However irrespective of how a lot good you do, individuals simply look forward to a cause to hate you and tear you down. You both die a hero, or stay lengthy sufficient to be the villain. Thanks on your assist. I’m achieved,” he wrote.
Following his apology, some followers had been upset with Joey, claiming he did not do something mistaken, and referred to as him out for apologizing:
In response to these criticisms, Joey posted a follow-up X submit defending his choice to “take a break” from social media. “Lots of people upset with me calling me weak and a quitter or worse… So yea, possibly I’m achieved with social media or have to take a break and get my head proper. However I’ll say there so many unimaginable individuals being supportive and telling me how a lot I’ve helped them, to be stronger, and maintain combating. Thanks to everybody even these giving me a kick within the ass telling me to cease being weak and a quitter. That you must hear it as soon as in awhile. I simply have to breathe.”
There have been a whole lot of blended reactions to Joey’s apologies, which, for my part, spotlight the worst components of the web echo chambers.
One individual wrote, “You had been reactive and on high of your extremely tone-deaf hulk hogan submit, doubled down and referred to black individuals as ‘coloured’ on a stay stream. You aren’t a sufferer, and this isn’t accountability, which is ironic given you constructed your platform demanding it from others.”
“Respectfully, you used language like ‘colored’, ‘the blacks’ & then excused racism as ‘only a mistake 20 years.’ I discover it onerous to imagine that you simply had no concept that Hulk Hogan (who was your idol) had stated racist issues. Go be taught out of your errors, do not run away. Be higher,” one other individual wrote.
However for each one who tried to carry Joey accountable for his errors, three extra doubled down on why he or Hulk Hogan did nothing mistaken.
“As comfortable as Charmin. That is some woe as me bullshit. You bought referred to as out such as you name out all the losers in your movies and now you are appearing like a whiny little teenager. Sack up, Swoll. Ya have to do higher,” one fan wrote.
One other fan wrote, “You trashed your idol, somebody who was vital to an enormous portion of this nation proper after he died. Why? Some individuals won’t ever forgive you complained. Do not act like we are the unhealthy guys. You probably did this.”
After studying by means of all these explanations, apologies, and backlash, I need to know what you consider the scenario. Hold forth within the feedback.