Celebrity News May 14, 2026
Ryan Lochte Reacts to 'Unrecognizable' Comments About His Looks
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Ryan Lochte doesn’t see what all the fuss is about over his looks.
In a video he posted this week, the 12-time Olympic medalist revealed he traded his brown locks for very dark hair and is now sporting a scruffy beard and a tan.
The new look caused a stir in the comments. One user wrote, “Who is that and where’s Ryan.”
Ryan, 41, posted the video to announce his new job. Lochte is now the Assistant Swimming & Diving Coach at Missouri State University.
On Thursday, his girlfriend Molly Gilliham shared a video with the caption, "👀 Who is this guy pretending to be my boyfriend @ryanlochte?!? 🤣🤣🤣 #unreconizable”
In the video, Molly films Ryan sitting on the couch looking at his phone.
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She tells him, “My phone is blowing up with everyone saying that nobody recognizes you.”
He asks, “Why?” telling her he hasn’t seen the online buzz.
Molly tells him, “Baby, they say that you don’t look the same at all.” She adds that people are joking that Missouri State is getting “catfished.”
Ryan defends himself, saying it is unfair to compare him to when he was in the Olympics, working out every day and having “makeup put on me for photo shoots."
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As for his darker hair, Molly says, “I do have to take some ownership. I was dying my eyebrows the other day and you were like, ‘I am going to throw some of this on my head.’”
He replied, “Oh, yeah, and then it turned it black. But to be unrecognizable... I don’t get it… They're all clowns, like, c’mon."