What did Joey Swoll say about Hulk Hogan? Controversy explained

Joey Swoll, a well-known influencer and bodybuilder, has been in the spotlight ever since voicing his support for WWE legend Hulk Hogan, who died on July 24, 2025, at the age of 71. In a now-deleted X post, dated July 25, 2025, Swoll paid tribute to Hulk Hogan by cosplaying as the wrestler while working out.

The post was captioned:

"RIP to a legend and one of my inspirations to start working out @HulkHogan."

The social media post garnered over 7.9 million views before its removal. However, netizens were not pleased with the content creator's gesture, with some alleging that Joey Swoll "didn't care about racism."

---

Joey Swoll issues an apology after facing backlash for his tribute to Hulk Hogan and cosplaying as the WWE Superstar

On July 28, 2025, Joey Swoll addressed the community in a one-minute-55-second Instagram Reel after facing backlash for his social media post about Hulk Hogan. While claiming that he "didn't know to the extent" of the wrestler's actions, the 42-year-old said:

"Last night in my livestream, a lot of people expressed how upset and frustrated they were with me that I had posted that. Instead of listening and understanding like I should have, I became defensive and said that I was posting to celebrate the wrestling icon, the person that so many of us looked up to as kids, that we grew up with, that made us tear our shirts and take our vitamins, and say our prayers. I didn't know to the extent of all the horrible things that he had done. Since last night, I have done a lot of research, talked to a few people, and learned all of the horrible, horrible things that that man has done, which is way more than just making a mistake and being human."

He then apologized to those who felt "offended" by his tribute to Hulk Hogan and for using a specific term to describe a person of color:

"So, because of that, I have taken the videos down, and I apologize to anybody that I offended. I am sorry. Also, during last night's livestream, I used the word colored instead of saying person of color, which is a very outdated, very offensive term. A few moments later, somebody educated me and told me that it wasn't okay to use that, which I immediately apologized to everyone and said, 'I would never do that again.' So once again, to anybody that I offended, I am sorry."

---

"People just wait for a reason to hate you and tear you down" - Joey Swoll says he is "done" amid the controversy

On July 29, 2025, Joey Swoll issued a statement to X, claiming that his efforts to help people and do good were "all for nothing." Expressing his belief that people "just wait for a reason to hate" someone, no matter how much good work they do, Joey Swoll stated that he was "done."

While thanking the online community for their support, the influencer wrote:

"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. 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."

---

Last year, on December 2, 2024, Joey Swoll made headlines for praising Kick streamer Adin Ross' one-year gym transformation.

Edited by Ashmita Bhatt