British sportswear and apparel company Gymshark took to its Twitter account to release an official statement announcing that it had severed its relationship with Brian "True Geordie" following the latter's "Islamophobic" remarks.
For those out of the loop, Brian was accused of making an insensitive comment while speaking about Andrew Tate and his recent conversion to Islam. Tate did not hesitate to respond to True Geordie, and he took to his socials to lambast the podcaster.
Although True Geordie has since uploaded an apology video, his sponsorship deals have taken a hit. Gymshark, who has had a long-standing association with the social media star, stated that they would be discontinuing their partnership. The company posted a statement on their Twitter handle addressing the situation:
"We do not condone racism, discrimination or Islamophobia in any form. We do not agree with the comments made by Brian, aka True Geordie, and have suspended our relationship with him indefinitely, effective immediately."
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Will other sponsors follow Gymshark's footsteps by cutting ties with True Geordie?
True Geordie is known for hosting the online sports show and podcast, The Kick-Off. It is easily among the biggest podcasts focusing on sports and regularly features interviews with major celebrities. Several names, including the likes of KSI, Logan Paul, Jake Paul, Ricky Gervais (actor and comedian), and Alan Shearer (former professional footballer), have been guests on True Geordie's podcast.
Regular watchers will know that his show is also backed by well-known sponsors such as Manscaped, Myprotein, and Wash & Go (among others). However, these companies are yet to comment on the recent events. After Gymshark's departure, the other companies will likely follow suit and cancel their sponsorship deals.
Fans share their reactions to Gymshark's statement
Fans have also shared their reactions to Gymshark's official statement regarding cutting ties with True Geordie. Many have commented that the decision was the right thing to do. Here are some relevant reactions:
Not the first controversy True Geordie has been in
In 2019, True Geordie's private messages were leaked on the internet. The DMs were apparently sent to a female fan.
Due to the explicit nature of the messages, True Geordie found himself in a sticky situation after the leaks went viral. However, he later clarified his intentions:
“Sometimes you just go down a road. Dirty messages flying back and forth, you just want to say the sickest sh*t possible, so that you can outdo each other. This is just fantasy talk.”
True Geordie was also recently involved in a verbal spat with none other than heavyweight boxing icon Tyson Fury.
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