Fitness Influencer Hit With Backlash After Calling Out Gymgoer For 'Photobombing' Her Workout Video

It's pretty rich when a social media influencer posts a TikTok video, preaching about social etiquette while clearly not embracing those values themselves.

Take TikToker and fitness influencer Jennifer R. Picone, who frequently posts her gym routines, for example. During a recent gym session, Picone demonstrated weighted chest presses and several calisthenic moves, until the video went downhill.

The video was set up to focus on Picone completing her routine on a bench, but more of the gym beyond her was visible, including a row of weights and mirrors. During her set, a woman stepped into frame to return her weights and to stretch in front of the mirror, seemingly to check her form.

Picone appeared irritated as she glanced at the woman and then looked at her camera, as if to confirm that the woman was included in her shot. She appeared irritated as she switched to leg lifts before finally dropping to the floor and approaching her phone.

Off-screen, Picone asked the woman why she was standing there. When the woman expressed confusion, Picone stated:

"Because you're annoying me. You're annoying me. You're doing this on purpose."

The woman replied something inaudible to Picone before grabbing another set of weights and walking out of the frame.

But that wasn't enough for Picone, who said:

"Don't work out next to me. Don't work out next to me. Please, don't work out next to me."

Ironically, Picone wrote in a text overlay on the video:

"Gym Etiquette Lesson 47: Don't photobomb the content creator."

She also wrote in the video's caption:

"She did that sh*t on purpose."

You can watch the video here:

Viewers were disgusted by Picone's behavior toward her fellow gymgoer and her delusional level of entitlement.

@jenniferrpicone/TikTok

@jenniferrpicone/TikTok

@jenniferrpicone/TikTok

@jenniferrpicone/TikTok

@jenniferrpicone/TikTok

@jenniferrpicone/TikTok

@jenniferrpicone/TikTok

@jenniferrpicone/TikTok

@jenniferrpicone/TikTok

@jenniferrpicone/TikTok

Viewers were not the only ones to speak up about this, however. Popular fitness influencer Joey Swoll even stepped in to talk about Picone's poor gym etiquette and challenged her to build a home gym if she felt she was entitled to so much space.

Swoll stated:

"Saying 'don't photobomb a fitness influencer is gym etiquette' is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"You're upset with that woman, not because she walked in front of or through your video, but because she's standing behind you?"

"And you think you have the right to tell her she's annoying you? Seriously?"

"You have no right to tell anybody in the gym, video or not, where they can stand."

"If you want to film somewhere where nobody's going to bother you and you can do as you please, build a home gym. Train there. Until then, you need to do better. Mind your own business."

You can watch Swoll's response video here:

Since this video went viral and Swoll spoke up about the issue, Picone has posted videos repeatedly about the incident, stating that other people should be more considerate of those who want to film, and that those who had a problem with her behavior should seek out a gym membership themselves to "sweat out" all of that negativity.

Picone has also since lost her gym membership, which she was confident she would not lose, on the grounds that she'd been a member for the past seventeen years and because she was certain she was right.

Maybe she has some negative feelings and entitlement that she still needs to "sweat out" as well.