Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@noah_bermudez3
Topics: World News, TikTok, Health, Viral
Emily Brown
A pair of fitness influencers who sparked backlash after appearing to mock a man who was working out have now allegedly been kicked out of their gym.
TikTokers and fitness enthusiasts Berna and Debbs were met with criticism last month when they uploaded a video with the caption: "Copying the weird man in the corner of the gym."
The clip showed the pair mimicking the man's movements while he remained clueless in the background, before they fell to the ground laughing.
Advert
Viewers slammed the TikTokers as 'disgusting' and described their behaviour as 'gross', with one person commenting: "This is why I'm scared of going to the gym."
Both women made their TikTok accounts private after sharing the video, though they have since been made public again.
Now, fellow TikToker Noah Bermudez - who was among those who first criticized the clip - has now shared an update on the situation.
Bermudez said he'd received a message from Debbs after he reposted their video which said she and Berna 'wanted to playfully indicate' that they were copying the man's workout.
Advert
"Since we were facing each other, we found it amusing," the message said. "It was never meant to mock or make fun of him."
The message said to be from Debbs added that 'many misunderstood the video' and that the situation around the video had been 'twisted'.
"We're willing to make a statement explaining our intent. We do not support bullying," it continued. "Bullying is terrible."
Advert
Bermudez responded to the message with an unrelated voicenote, but went on to tell his followers that he'd also received a message from someone who is friends with the manager of the gym where the video was filmed.
The message, which Bermudez included in a screenshot, read: "I just wanted to say thank you for making these videos, without these we never would have seen it.
"I know these two girls in person because I worked at the exact gym where they made the video and I immediately sent it to [...] the manager of the gym [...]
Advert
"She reached out to them and said that these kinds of videos are not tolerated."
Bermudez added that the women had been 'kicked out' of the gym as a result of their video.
Though Debbs and Berna said in their message they were willing to make a statement about the incident, they have not released a public apology for the post.
UNILAD has contacted Debbs for comment from herself and Berna.