A video sparked media outrage after it featured the Minnesota Vikings’ controversial male cheerleaders performing a dance in the same bathroom as the team’s female cheerleaders. Vikings cheerleader Brianna Putney shared a video to social media that featured male cheerleaders Blaze Shiek and Louie Conn in the same bathroom as female cheerleaders doing a dance to Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts.” “NEW MEN ON THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS” wrote Putney.

The social media reaction was swift. “The Minnesota Vikings show off their new male cheerleaders with a video of them sharing a bathroom with the female cheerleaders,” conservative watchdog Libs of TikTok wrote on its page. “Female Vikings cheerleaders in a restroom, then the male cheerleaders follow them in. At this point, it feels like they’re just mocking Americans,” wrote another user on X. Others encouraged Vikings fans to boycott the team.

Speaking about the video on Fox News, former Vikings player Jack Brewer said the inclusion of male cheerleaders is an attempt to “manipulate children.” “This is purely an attempt to manipulate young children, to overtake the minds of young children with this spiritual evilness. The influence on kids is manipulating the mind of the children. They are teaching young boys that it’s OK to have pom-poms and cheer and act like women,” he said. The NFL’s first openly trans cheerleader, Justine Lindsay, has also courted controversy as a biological man presenting himself as a female cheerleader. Lindsay has recently announced he will not return for the new NFL season and will be “focusing on my pageantry work and community involvement.”

Neither Shiek nor Conn have addressed the controversy directly, but the Vikings had already received backlash for including male cheerleaders on the squad prior to the video after the team had released a promotional video featuring its cheer team. The team, however, has remained firm in its support for males on the squad. “While many fans may be seeing male cheerleaders for the first time at Vikings games, male cheerleaders have been part of previous Vikings teams and have long been associated with collegiate and professional cheerleading,” the team wrote in a statement. “In 2025, approximately one third of NFL teams have male cheerleaders. Every member of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders program has an impressive dance background and went through the same rigorous audition process. Individuals were selected because of their talent, passion for dance and dedication to elevating the game day experience. We support all our cheerleaders and are proud of the role they play as ambassadors of the organization.”