Ryan Lochte he applauds harsh critics who say he looks “unrecognizable.”
The Olympic champion, 41, responded to “clowns” with insults in a video posted by his girlfriend. Molly Gillihan37, via Instagram on Thursday, May 14.
“My phone is blowing up with everyone saying no one knows,” Gillihan tells Lochte in the clip.
“My child, they say you are not the same at all,” he continued, adding that some people even accused the swimmer of catching cats.
When Lochte asked Gillihan what photos they used to compare his current look, he referred to photos taken at the height of his professional sports career.
“Oh, so they took a picture of me working out every day, I was put on make-up for the picture, back in time, like 2012 at the Olympics. It's 2026,” she replied.
Lochte added sarcastically, “What is that, 14 years? You think I'm old?”
After admitting that her hair color was different because of death, the 12-time Olympic medalist hit it off again.
“I mean, to be invisible… I don't understand,” he said, before concluding, “they're all clowns, come on.”
Gillihan was supportive of her partner during their exchange, telling her that he loves her despite the teasing and that she thinks she looks “beautiful.”
Funny at the time, Gillihan joked with an Instagram caption, “👀 Who is this guy pretending to be my boyfriend @ryanlochte?!? 🤣🤣🤣 #invisible.”
Earlier this week, Lochte shared a video on his Instagram to announce his new role, prompting fans to say that he looks very different.
“Coach Ryan Lochte is headed to Missouri State University!! Excited to announce that I will be coaching @dav_collins @missouristate!” he wrote the script. “I'm so excited and grateful for this opportunity!! I can't wait to take @mostateswim to the next level! Let's goooo bears!!!🐻”
Fans flocked to the comments section to comment on Lochte's appearance.
“She's literally nothing like him,” one wrote, while another added, “It took me a long time to realize he was talking about himself in the third person at first.”
Another joked, “I thought so Kash Patel at first,” Gillihan later said via an Instagram Story post.
Resharing a video of Lochte slamming commenters as “clowns,” Gillihan quipped, “Enter Kash Patel!”
Lochte and Gillihan moved in together in January, seven months after the sports star filed with his ex, Kayla Rae Reid filed for divorce.
