There is a saying: “Hurt people hurt people…” Is this the case with Lee Priest?
Lee Priest has no filter. He always claims to be honest… but is this actually true, or is it an excuse to simply be rude? That lack of filter has built Lee Priest from the average outspoken individual into the ranting, cursing, and bullish man that has become synonymous with distasteful trolling. While speaking your mind is can certainly be a commendable trait, Lee Priest has taken that unique quality and made it a weakness rather than a strength.
There’s no question about it, Lee Priest is a bully, a certified internet troll more concerned with causing controversy than spreading motivation or a positivity. Any time you hear about Lee Priest you can bet that it has nothing to do with a positive statement or act of kindness. No, Priest would rather trash someone and cause some kind of manufactured beef to keep himself relevant in the public eye.
Time and again we’ve seen the Australian bodybuilder attack other competitors out of the blue. He’s tried to bash Phil Heath only to get called out as a “quiet mouse” by the former Olympia champion. Priest has also gone after Nathan De Asha, for what reason is anyone’s guess. The unique thing about Lee Priest is that he seems to be in everyone else’s business rather than minding his own. Whether you like the people he goes after or not, Priest seems more than content to stir up negativity with every from a childish comment to a video rant.
I guess it should come as no surprise that Priest was himself bullied relentlessly in his younger years. During his time at school, the Australian bodybuilder had faced continuous verbal abuse from his fellow students.
In the GI Exclusive interview clip above, Lee Priest’s very own mother details the reason why Lee Priest became a bully. His father had left their family when Lee was a small child. He left because he was a homosexual and could no longer live a lie married to a woman. Lee’s mother hid this fact from Lee initially.
The fact that Lee’s father was gay eventually came out. Lee, finding out later in life after years of being lied to, did not take the news well. Students called him names and Lee quickly became a bully himself to cope.
“A teacher told me, ‘You’re son, I don’t like him at all…’” Lee Priest’s mother admits at one point in our interview. “And I think, oh, when you go to one of those teacher meetings and you think they’re going to tell you something nice but…” She then trails off exasperated.
But it seems that rather than taking these experiences as reason to promote positivity, Priest himself has fallen into the role of bully. He became the very thing that led to his harassment as a child. Where the experience could have built character in Priest, potentially making him a force for good, he instead chooses to relentless attack others he disagrees with. There is no middle ground to be had with the outspoken bodybuilder. When it comes to his opinions he’s either willing to give grudging praise or spout the most damaging and vitriolic insults he can dream up.
Perhaps he would be better suited as a standup comedian at this point in his storied career.
At this point, Lee Priest has created a persona that doesn’t lend itself to credibility. If he’s not bashing someone or something, who exactly is he anyway? It seems that negativity is the only thing that Lee Priest wishes to spread and for that reason alone he’s quickly establishing himself as an irrelevant voice in bodybuilding.
You can watch our latest GI Exclusive showcasing Lee Priest’s mother describing Lee’s childhood and bullying above.
