Joey Swoll has apologized after fans called him out for supporting Hulk Hogan after his death.
Wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan died at 71 years old on July 24, 2025, and fans of the personality took to social media to pay their respects.
Fitness TikToker Joey Swoll was one of those people, and posted a video of himself wearing a Hulk Hogan costume in a gym shortly after his death.
Fans of Swoll began calling out Joey for supporting the wrestler, who had his WWE contract terminated back in 2015 over his use of racial slurs in a leaked conversation.
He responded to the backlash during a live stream, saying he could post Hulk Hogan “if he wants to.”
“If somebody makes a mistake in their life, it doesn’t mean that they haven’t done good things,” he said. “I don’t know what he did or if he said something 20 years ago and apologized for it. The man was nice to me, and he made a mistake. If you have a problem with that, look at yourself.”
Fans continued to call Joey out for his comments, with many unhappy with his reaction during the live stream. On Monday, July 28, the TikToker uploaded a video apologizing for his reaction and choice of words during the broadcast.
Joey Swoll apologizes for Hulk Hogan video
“I owe my followers, my community, and all of social media an apology,” he said in the video. “A few days ago, I reposted an old video of me in the gym wearing a Hulk Hogan costume on the day he passed. Last night in my live stream, a lot of people expressed how upset and frustrated they were with me.
“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. I didn’t know the extent of all the horrible things that he had done.
“Since last night, I’ve done a lot of research and learned all of the horrible things that man has done. Which is way more than just making a mistake and being human. I have taken the video down, and I apologize to anyone that I have offended.”
After apologizing for the Hulk Hogan video and his first reaction, Joey apologized for using the wrong term to address people of color.
“I used the word colored instead of saying person of color, which is a very outdated and very offensive term,” he added. “A few moments later, somebody educated me and told me that it wasn’t okay to use that. I immediately apologized.”
Joey Swoll says he’s “done” amid Hulk Hogan backlash
On July 29, 2025, Swoll published another statement on X, where he appeared to hint that he was “done” with the situation.
“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,” he wrote.
“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.”
Swoll’s latest response has garnered mix reactions from fans and critics, including fears that he could be stepping away from content creation indefinitely.
Thus far, the bodybuilder has yet to confirm or deny these concerns as viewers wait to see what’s next for him.
Content shared from www.dexerto.com.