Joey Swoll

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Joey Sergo (mainly known as Joey Swoll) [1] is an American fitness influencer. [2] [3] A self-described "CEO of gym positivity", he became a prominent account on TikTok in 2022 due to his videos calling out undesirable behaviors in gyms. [4] [1] [5] He has often called out female influencers for, he says, falsely accusing men of inappropriate behaviors. His videos have been described by some people as facilitating harassment against its targets. [4] [6] [7]

History

Sergo started exercising in his teenagehood, he cited his gym activity as a factor in his overcoming of his mental health problems. He began making videos for TikTok in 2020 and gained a large number of followers in 2022 due to his videos criticizing other content creators for undesirable behaviors inside gyms. [1] [5]

Sergo's videos calling out other content creators have been described by some as facilitating the hounding of its targets. [7] In 2023, a woman who was called out by him said that she had received death threats and malicious phone calls from his followers. She also said that a stranger had visited a studio she was working at. She ultimately deleted her accounts on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and Facebook. [6]

In June 2025, Sergo visited a young fan who had been involved in a car accident in California. [8] [9] He was the target of criticism and violent threats later that year after he published a tribute to deceased wrestling celebrity Hulk Hogan. [10] [11] Sergo expressed support for Los Angeles rapper Tish Hyman, who had said that she had felt "violated" and vulnerable after a transgender person with male genitalia entered a bathroom she was in. The incident caused a controversy on social media. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kim, Eddie (2022-04-25). "Joey Swoll Is Fighting for a Judgment-Free Gym". MEL Magazine. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  2. 1 2 Staff, A. O. L. (2025-11-06). ""Disgusting": Fans Brutally Slam Joey Swoll For Controversial Take On Trans Gym Locker Room Fight". www.aol.com. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  3. Staff, Transvitae (2025-12-23). "Joey Swoll Escalates Targeting of Trans Women in Gym Controversy" . Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  4. 1 2 Press-Reynolds, Kieran. "A fitness influencer is being dubbed a hero for calling out women who call out men in the gym — but some worry he's only fueling misogyny online". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  5. 1 2 Campbell, Hayley (2023-02-23). "Joey Swoll, #gymcreeps and trolling: inside the TikTok workout wars". British GQ. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  6. 1 2 Press-Reynolds, Kieran. "A woman who was called out by fitness influencer Joey Swoll said she's since been flooded with hate messages and death threats". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  7. 1 2 "'Dangerous': Man's gym creep battle angers". news. Archived from the original on 2023-03-19. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  8. "Popular gym influencer visits 21-year-old fan, Huntington Beach hit-and-run victim". KTLA. Archived from the original on 2025-06-30. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  9. "Fitness influencer helping victim of OC hit-and-run crash on his road to recovery". ABC7 Los Angeles. 2025-07-04. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  10. "Influencer Joey Swoll Threatens to Quit Social Media Afte..." Complex. 2025-07-30. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  11. Bobic, Chrissy (2025-07-30). "Fitness Influencer Joey Swoll Issued an Apology After He Called Hulk Hogan His "Inspiration"". Green Matters. Retrieved 2025-12-23.