A New Jersey fitness influencer has gone viral for all the wrong reasons after berating another woman at the gym for “photobombing” her workout video, even though the woman was simply exercising in the background, minding her own business.
The video, posted by influencer Jennifer R. Picone, shows her snapping at a fellow gym member to “get out of the shot” and not train near her setup. Picone even framed the incident as a lesson to others, captioning her upload: “Gym etiquette lesson 47: Don’t photobomb the content creator.”
But what Picone clearly thought was a teachable moment has instead exploded into a backlash. The clip was shared to Reddit, where users tore into her sense of entitlement. One of the most upvoted responses summed it up bluntly: “She posted this thinking this made her look sane?”
Joey Swole Calls It Out
Among those who weighed in was gymfluencer and etiquette watchdog Joey Swole, who stitched Picone’s video and didn’t hold back. Calling it “the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard,” Swole emphasized that gyms are for everyone, not personal film studios.
The irony wasn’t lost on viewers when it came to light that Picone actually follows Swole’s account. As he pointed out, she should already know better.
Critics have described the video as another example of “main character syndrome” among content creators. On Reddit, thousands of comments echoed frustration over influencers turning gyms into personal stages, with one user writing: “This is why I love gyms that have a ‘no recording’ policy. Some people really think they’re the main character.”
Others went further, speculating that Picone might have posted the confrontation knowing it would trigger outrage and boost engagement. “She prob posted it knowing a bunch of people would engage with the video because it aggravates anyone normal,” one commenter argued.
Despite the outcry, Picone has yet to delete the original video from her own page.
The entire ordeal has turned into a cautionary tale about influencer culture clashing with shared public spaces. While plenty of fitness creators find ways to film respectfully — by going off-peak hours, renting studio space, or simply working around others — Picone’s approach has been described as selfish and absurd.
As one Redditor put it, “I would not attend a gym that allowed that. It’s a workout space, not a film studio. And other people did not sign up and pay to be scenery.”
For now, Jennifer R. Picone’s “Gym Etiquette Lesson 47” has become the internet’s Lesson No. 1 in what not to do.
