Popular fitness influencer and podcaster Scotty Knox Flynn, known online as ScottyKFitness, has issued a public apology after facing backlash over his response to critical comments on social media.
The controversy began after Flynn reacted to a remark comparing him to a gay character from the TV show Ozark. He accused the commenter of making a homophobic insult and posted a TikTok video addressing them directly.
The now-deleted clip included the individual’s identity and location, which drew criticism from followers who said he had exposed private information. Flynn also continued responding to critics in comment sections, with some of those replies interpreted by viewers as mocking disabled people.
In the days that followed, supplement company Ryse announced it had cut ties with Flynn, stating that it was aware of the remarks during the controversy and that the language used did not align with its values.
Scotty K Fitness posts apology video and Discord message
Flynn later returned to TikTok with a video addressing the situation directly, telling viewers he was taking responsibility for his actions.
“I owe you all an apology,” he said. “For days now, I have been lying to myself, uh, saying things like I’m a good person. I’ve done a lot of good for the world. It’s all bullshit deflection to keep me from taking responsibility for my own actions.”
He continued, “I’ve built this entire platform on inclusivity and kindness, and I lost sight of that in my own ego. I, uh. I lashed out at people. I responded to hatred with hatred. I apologize for not being of character. The character that I promised you, I all had.”
Flynn also acknowledged that some viewers may no longer want to support him following the incident.
“I hope that, um, I hope that you can, uh, accept that. And if not, I understand if you don’t want to support me anymore,” he said. “I hope that one day I can regain your trust soon. But for right now, I have to focus, um, on the safety of my family. So I’ll, uh. I’ll be back. I’ll see you guys soon. I’m sorry. And I love you all.”
In a separate message posted to his Discord server, Flynn reiterated his apology and said his family had been affected by the fallout.
“I owe you all an apology. I built a platform and space on inclusivity and kindness. And I lost sight of that as I responded to hate with hate. For that I’m sorry. I love you all,” the post read.
He added, “My family is not safe right now. We are going to be moving as we’ve had people show up at our home. I am so sorry for not being who I promised I was. I have to focus on the way forward. Please do not respond to this publicly by posting videos or replying to comments. I love you all.”
