Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee is at it again, and this time around, it has nothing to do with her bars routine or her medals. No way, girl! This time around, it is all about her type. Her romantic type. Her “take care of me and my friends” type.
A Podcast Comment Leads to a National Town Hall
Suni Lee appeared on the Ha Sisters’ Haha Podcast, where everything seemed lighthearted and playful until one of her soundbites exploded everywhere on social media like a confetti bomb.
When questioned about her type, the Tokyo gold and Paris bronze medalist kept it real. Like, really real.
“I feel like my type is athletes,” she explained. “I like a very emotionally intelligent man… somebody who’s very caring, not just about me, but also about the people around me. Like, if we go out and you’re only worried about me, I’m going to be mad, because I need you to be able to take care of me and all my friends.”
Internet: record scratch.
The Internet’s Men Enter the Chat, Armed With Jokes And Calculators
Within hours, X (formerly Twitter but also still inexplicably unhinged) had spun this comment into a Financial Think Piece, Morality Play, and Comedy Central Roast all at once.
“Her kind is really not a man in his right mind,” wrote one man.
Another one added: “Y’all be wanting fathers and not partners!!!!”
One observer summed up what many others were thinking: “Say you a moocher without saying you’re a moocher…”
But the spiral did not end there.
“Okay welpp your friends are now part of the relationship too,” one user jokingly posted. “They all moving in, how does that sound and yes they all getting smashed. Since we a happy family…”
Another man chimes in: “Unless I’m cracking you and your friends, this ain’t happening.”
But then came the philosophical king and just wrote: “Women can be fine and be losers too.”
And naturally, the self-aware crowd was out in full: “I need a wealthy loser, me and my friends are tramps.”
And lastly, one person capped off this discussion with Olympic-quality shade: “Oh, so she’s a bird too? Well, at least she can fly…”
But Not Everyone Saw Entitlement; They Saw Confidence
Remarkably, many women and men came to the defense of Lee’s position, pointing out that exploitation was not at issue but rather generosity, energy, and lifestyle alignment:
“A few men have an issue with this,” one user wrote, “but if you were a guy who could afford to do this for your woman, you would 10 out of 10 times lol.”
“Others have called it a “luxury item” for “a person who is only 22 and already has a resume most people take three lives to accomplish,”” but she’s already won Olympic gold,” Olympic bronze,” NCAA championships,” and endorsement deals “in the millions,” while simultaneously suffering from “a kidney condition that could have ended her career,” “or any career for that matter,” at any point during her life thus far.”
“If anyone can proclaim her values loudly, proudly, and with a little sparkle, it’s Suni Lee,” reports Fox News Insider.
The One Thing Everyone Forgot: Suni Li Actually Likes Emotionally Mature Men
What had been overshadowed by all the jokes and outrage and group dinner spreadsheets was where Lee talked about her own ideas for the perfect lover: someone emotionally intelligent, funny, and kind, not just to her but to all people.
This wasn’t “Pay for all my friends because I said so.”
This was:
“Be generous. Be thoughtful. Don’t act weird about dinner. And treat the people in my life with kindness.”
But X will turn ordering water with lemon into a culture war if given sufficient time.
