Colt Johnson may be one of the stars of the 90 Day Fiancé franchise, but he’s still human. If you prick him, does he not say, “Ouch?” When one appears on reality TV, receiving a certain amount of criticism is inevitable. But sometimes it can turn especially ugly. Colt has had harsh words about his body launched at him by fans of the show. But Colt refuses to let the haters get in the way of his style, and isn’t afraid to show off his newly-fit body. The Las Vegas native shared his theories about why the internet trolls go for his jugular in an exclusive Screen Rant interview.
Throughout Colt’s major relationships on the show, first with ex-wife Larissa Lima and later with Jess Caroline Hanvey, Colt’s confidence appeared to grow. Though he was not in his best shape, Colt seemed comfortable in his own skin. When he went to Brazil to visit his then-girlfriend Jess, he donned a speedo swimsuit and strutted his stuff on the beach. Colt has even leaned into the criticism with an OnlyFans account featuring racy photos of himself. He’s gotten much more fit since his first season in the franchise, but he still gets body-shaming messages from fans with a bone to pick.
When asked about the criticism he receives, Colt spoke to why his willingness to show his body triggers the trolls. “I think it's my attitude,” he said, “I'm not exactly Brad Pitt, but I'm not afraid to show my body off at the beach. I don't want to say it offends people, but it just seems like I'm asking for some kind of criticism.” Colt is able to take the harsh words in stride by reminding himself that the haters are only seeing a small part of his life and personality. “I really don't take people's comments to heart,” he asserted.
“I'm flattered people are talking about me, (to be) honest with you,” Colt added. It’s not just body shaming and mean messages that Colt gets, he also receives positive comments from fans who see him in a favorable light. The words of encouragement help to balance out the negativity, and Colt manages to keep fan responses in perspective. ”It's very easy to write an angry letter to somebody, but it's hard to write an inspirational letter or something that's really true to the heart,” he said. “It's easy to say someone sucks, but it's really hard to write a paragraph of why this person had an effect on you in a positive way.”
There are fans who love to trash Colt, but there are many who don’t think he deserves the kind of backlash he receives. He’s navigating love as best he can, and while he doesn’t always make the right choices, it doesn’t mean it’s fair to body shame or bully him. Many of the 90 Day Fiancé stars face extremely hurtful messages from misguided fans. Every fandom has its ugly side, so it’s particularly important for reality stars to develop a thick skin and a way to cope with the attacks.
Colt has seen ups and downs during his time on 90 Day Fiancé, but his luck might be turning around. In the Single Life trailer, he appears to propose to someone who could be his friend and sometimes lover Vanessa. While Colt will no doubt continue to receive criticism from fans of the show, he manages to keep things in perspective and let the hate roll off him. It can certainly be difficult, but for now, Colt’s not letting it get him down.