The 12-time Olympic medalist is clapping back at the commenters comparing him to decade-old photos.

Olympian Ryan Lochte responds to ‘clowns’ claiming he looks ‘unrecognizable’

The 12-time Olympic medalist is clapping back at the commenters comparing him to decade-old photos.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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May 14, 2026 5:42 p.m. ET

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Ryan Lochte in 2026 and 2012. Credit:

Ryan Lochte/Instagram; Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty

- Fans are insisting that Ryan Lochte looks "unrecognizable" in new video.

- The Instagram clip, shared on Sunday, sees Lochte with a deep tan and dark, scruffy hair.

- The Olympian was quick to clap back, slamming "clowns" for comparing him to photos that are over a decade old.

Ryan Lochte is trying to celebrate some exciting professional news, but "clowns" on the internet are getting in his way.

Over the weekend, the 12-time Olympic medalist shared an Instagram video announcing that he is officially joining Missouri State University as an assistant swimming and diving coach. And while plenty of fans hopped in the comments section to congratulate him on the gig, most of the commenters were fixated on Lochte's appearance.

The clip sees Lochte sporting scruffy hair and a deep tan, different enough to make many fans do a double-take at the video of the 41-year-old Olympic swimmer. Immediately, the comments began pouring in.

"Literally does not look like him," one Instagram user wrote, with another chiming in, "Damn what happened."

One quipped, "Thought it was Kash Patel at first."

Ryan Lochte and girlfriend, Molly Gillihan.

Ryan Lochte/Instagram

Another wrote, "Whoa. He looks like a completely different person."

All the commentary eventually caught the attention of Lochte's girlfriend, Molly Gillihan, who responded by filming him for a Thursday video shared to her page.

"Who is this guy pretending to be my boyfriend @ryanlochte?!?," she joked in the caption.

The video itself saw Lochte appear bewildered when she filled him in on the social media chatter.

"My phone is blowing up with everyone saying that nobody recognizes you," Gillihan said with a laugh. "One person said that Missouri State is getting catfished."

"What photo are they using?" the *Big Brother* alum demanded. When she replied that it was an old, professional picture, he looked exasperated.

Ryan Lochte on day 1 of the London Olympic Games on July 28, 2012.

"Oh, so they’re taking a picture of when I was working out every day, getting makeup put on me for photo shoots, back in, like, 2012 in the Olympics?," he replied. "We’re in 2026."

"What’s that 14 years? You think I aged?” he asked sarcastically.

Gillihan then admitted that she was partially to blame for the confusion, explaining that the dark spot on his forehead was from dye that she used on her own eyebrows.

Still, Lochte insisted that the comments were way off.

"To be unrecognizable, I mean, I don’t get it," he said, adding, "They’re all clowns, like, come on."

In his original Sunday post, Lochte looked overjoyed while sharing the news about his new job.

"Swimming gave me an incredible career, memories, things I will cherish forever, but over the last couple of years something so unexpected happened,” the Olympian said. "I might actually be more passionate about coaching than competing."

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He continued, "Don't get me wrong, I had a pretty good swimming career. But honestly, I think I may be an even better swim coach."

The new gig comes after Lochte and his estranged wife, Kayla Rae Reid, filed for divorce in March 2025 after seven years of marriage. The former couple share three children.

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