Joey Swoll
Fitness creator who calls himself the CEO of gym positivity, known for videos that call out people who film and shame others at the gym.
Fitness · TikTok · Updated Oct 19, 2026
Joey Swoll (real name Joey Sergo) is a fitness creator who posts as the self-styled CEO of gym positivity, with about 8 million followers on TikTok. His best known format answers other creators’ gym videos, calling out people who film strangers or shame them for how they train. In July 2025 a Hulk Hogan tribute post and a livestream that followed it drew heavy criticism; he apologized, said he was done with social media, and was back posting three days later, per Awful Announcing. As of October 2026 his TikTok, Instagram and YouTube accounts are active.
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Questions people ask
Who is Joey Swoll?
Joey Swoll is a fitness creator and former fitness model who calls himself the CEO of gym positivity. MEL Magazine reported in April 2022 that he started on TikTok in early 2020 and built his following on videos about gym etiquette and respect, including encouragement for people new to the gym. His YouTube channel carries the same CEO of gym positivity line. As of October 2026 he has about 8 million followers on TikTok and about 5.5 million on Instagram.
What happened to Joey Swoll? Why did he get canceled?
The backlash most people search for is from July 2025. On the day Hulk Hogan died, Swoll posted an old photo of himself dressed as Hogan, and critics objected because of Hogan’s past conduct, per Complex (July 30, 2025). Asked about it on a livestream, he first defended the post and used a term for Black people that he later called wrong, which added to the criticism, per Awful Announcing. He deleted the post and apologized. We found no report of an arrest or legal case involving him in major or trade press.
Why did Joey Swoll apologize?
For the Hogan tribute and for the term he used on the livestream. In a video posted Tuesday, July 29, 2025, he said he had looked into Hogan’s history, had taken the videos down, apologized to the people he offended and said his word choice was wrong, per Awful Announcing. Complex reported that the apology did not end the criticism.
Why did Joey Swoll quit social media? Did he come back?
He announced he was leaving the same day he apologized, writing on X that he was “done,” and the next day said threats he had received were part of the reason and that he might just need a break, per Awful Announcing. He came back on Friday, August 1, 2025, about three days later, with a video saying “I am not quitting, and I am done apologizing,” and that he would keep calling out bullies and posting gym positivity content, per Awful Announcing. As of October 2026 he is still posting.
Why did Joey Swoll leave RYSE?
He has not addressed it in anything we could source, and we found no report in major or trade press about his role at RYSE or a departure from it. What is public: the brand’s own story page says RYSE launched in November 2017 and does not mention him.
What are Joey Swoll’s sauces? Where can I buy them?
He launched a line of low calorie sauces aimed at people who lift and diet, per Generation Iron (March 2020). We could not confirm which stores carry them as of October 2026, so check the brand’s own site or his Instagram bio for current stockists.
How old is Joey Swoll?
Joey Swoll is 43. He was born on January 11, 1983, per Famous Birthdays.
What is Joey Swoll’s real name?
Joey Sergo. Both MEL Magazine (April 2022) and Awful Announcing (July 2025) print it. Swoll is the name he posts under.
Where is Joey Swoll from?
Chicago, Illinois. Famous Birthdays lists Chicago as his birthplace and says he grew up just outside the city.
Where can I watch Joey Swoll?
His gym positivity videos are on TikTok @thejoeyswoll and Instagram @joeyswoll, with longer uploads on YouTube @thejoeyswoll, which also links his newsletter at dobettr.com.
What is Joey Swoll’s net worth?
He does not publish a number and neither do we.
What about Joey Swoll’s health, height, family or personal life?
Not something we cover.
Who represents Joey Swoll?
His YouTube channel lists a business email for online coaching and business inquiries; we found no named agency or manager. Ames Create does not represent him; we cover him because people keep asking what happened in 2025, and the answer is on the record. If that changes, this entry will say so.
Our read
Ames Create does not work with Joey Swoll. This is our view, from a team that works on creator brands for a living.
The format. A response format: he takes another creator’s gym video, usually one that films or mocks a stranger, and answers it on camera, siding with the person being filmed. The stance stays the same every time, so viewers know what they are getting before he speaks.
Why it travels. Each callout has a built in villain and a built in hero, and the original video brings its own audience with it, which is how he reached about 8 million TikTok followers. The same format also sends attention toward the people he calls out.
Brand fit. Supplements, gyms, apparel and coaching tools fit the audience, and he has his own sauce line. The July 2025 Hogan episode is part of his record, and his format is built on public conflict, so a brand should go in expecting the comments to be about more than the product.
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Sources: YouTube @thejoeyswoll, TikTok and Instagram; Famous Birthdays; MEL Magazine, April 2022; Complex, July 30, 2025; Awful Announcing, July 30, 2025 and August 2025; Generation Iron, March 2020; RYSE story page. Follower counts via Social Blade, October 2026.
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