Ryan Lochte is officially responding to the internet’s obsession with his dramatically different appearance—and his girlfriend is partially taking the blame.
After the Olympic swimmer recently announced he would be joining Missouri State University as an assistant swimming and diving coach on Monday, May 12, social media quickly became distracted by something else entirely.
With darker hair, tanned skin, and scruffy facial hair, hundreds of fans admitted they barely recognized the 41-year-old Olympian. Now, Lochte and girlfriend Molly Gillihan are leaning into those claims with another Instagram video, shared a few days later on Thursday, May 14.
View this post on Instagram“Baby, my phone is blowing up with everyone saying that nobody recognizes you,” Gillihan told him in the clip, which showed Lochte sitting on a couch scrolling his phone. He appeared genuinely confused by the reaction at first before realizing people were comparing his current appearance to photos from his Olympic prime over a decade ago.
“Oh, so they're, they're taking a picture of when I was working out every day, getting makeup put on me for photo shoots, but it's also from when you were in the Olympics when I was back in 2012 Olympics, where in 2026,” he said.
READ MORE: Ryan Lochte Looks Like a ‘Completely Different Person’ and the Internet Can’t Stop Talking About It
When Gillihan pointed out that nearly 14 years had passed, Lochte laughed off the comparisons. Still, she admitted she may have contributed slightly to the transformation.
“OK, but I do have to take ownership because I was dyeing my eyebrows the other day and you were like, I'm gonna throw some of this on my head,” she joked. Lochte, however, clearly wasn’t too bothered by the criticism. “They’re all clowns,” he said of online commenters.
The viral reaction comes during a major transition period for the swimmer, who recently revealed he may be “more passionate about coaching than competing” after decades in professional swimming.As for Lochte and Gillihan, they’ve been dating since mid-2025. Their relationship became public not long after Lochte’s split from estranged wife Kayla Rae Reid, who filed for divorce earlier that year after seven years of marriage.
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