What came out of the Tony Robbins scandal - Nicki Swift (2023)

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VonJessica Sager/Updated February 3, 2023 4:16 PM M IT IS T

Toni Robbinseslonger than lifein almost every way imaginable. From his wide 6'7" frame to his booming voice, theself-help guruhas a life story that would certainly give him credibility as a life coach: He left what he describedFortunaLike an abusive privacy, when he was 17 he became a janitor and dropped out of college. She met motivational speaker Jim Rohn, who was a mentor to Robbins, and the rest is history. Robbins eclipsed his own mentor to become one of the most sought-after life coaches in the world. He currently has oneestimated net pricehalf a billion dollars as well as famous fans and friends like Oprah Winfrey,Bill Clinton,Hugh Jackman,Serena Williams, Eva Longoria uKim Kardashian and Kanye West.

However, a number ofbomb reportsThey have uncovered a supposed darkness in people that has apparently brought light to so many. The allegations leveled against Robbins range from staff complaints of sexual misconduct to embarrassing some of his followers to physical illness, all allegations Robbins makesvehemently denies.

This came to light in connection with the Tony Robins scandal.

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Im May 2019,Notes on BuzzFeedreported that several former employees of Tony Robbins accused him of sexual harassment, including alleged unwelcome advances (some are repeated) and allegedly appearing naked in front of employees.

A former personal assistant to Robbins, who used the alias "J," claimed that she had a consensual sexual relationship with Robbins while he was married to his first wife, Becky, and that she was fired when Becky became suspicious. J's friend, attorney Ron Blumberg, explained that he had a "strong" sexual harassment case, noting that Robbins "held on a pedestal like few celebrities in any field at the time were." Everything about him: his looks, his demeanor, his money, was designed to define himself as extremely powerful. Another former employee, "Marie," said that she rejected Robbins' advances, but he allegedly stared at her body; She said she was fired. Robbins' lawyers denied he had anything to do with his release. Another former employee accused Robbins of exposing himself to one in her presencesecond reportpublished in June 2019.

Robbins, through his attorneys, denied any sexual misconduct, telling the website that he "never intentionally went nude [in front of employees]. So much so that he may have been undressed from home or hotels at various times when I was working while I was working." Whether he was dressing or showering and whether a personal assistant was present at the time for any reason, Mr .Robbins doesn't remember.

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Gary King, former Tony Robbins director of security, chargedNotes on BuzzFeedthat Robbins had asked him to find attractive event attendees and get their phone numbers. Robbins' former personal chef, Miki Knowles, told the outlet, "Security guards told stories about women they had to take to their rooms." A former bodyguard confirmed the allegations and said he saw Robbins approach women in his crowd. In a second report in June, two women saidNotes on BuzzFeedon encounters with Robbins: One woman said he put his hand on her crotch and touched her breast, while another claimed he kissed her, hugged her and touched her breast.

Robbins has vehemently denied the claims about his attorneys, but noted that prior to marrying his current wife, Sage, Robbins had consensual relationships with women who "aggressively pursued" him. For his part, Robbins admittedPlayboy(throughAwaken) in 2013 that she had affairs at the late Hugh Hefner's mansion before marrying Sage.

"I was more than tempted at times. No drought, for sure. I was like a kid in a candy store. He invited me to the Playboy mansion, and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Women came jumping in on me and were like, 'My God, Tony Robbins, you've changed my life!'” Robbins added that some of them gave him a “nice and interesting group experience,” but he declined.

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In April 2018 seminar participantNanine McCoolHe told Tony Robbins that he had done the #MeToo movement a "disservice". "I'm not criticizing the #MeToo movement. I criticize victimhood," Robbins replied in a tweet.Videoof the incident. He added: "If you're using the MeToo movement to try to gain meaning and safety by attacking and destroying another person, you're not a pound of a match. All you've done is basically use a drug called meaning to feel good." "Tarana Burke, founder of #MeTootweetedthat Robbins' team "reduced damage control" over the video.

Robbins laterHe apologized, who expresses his "deep admiration for the #MeToo movement". He added, "I agree with the goals of the #MeToo movement and its founding message of 'Empowerment Through Empathy,' which makes it a wonderful force for good."

However,Notes on BuzzFeedget aatranscriptiona private event in December 2018 to which Robbins returnedComplainthat "victims are rewarded in our culture" and seemed to dismiss the concept of emotional abuse. The output tooget a warningwhich Robbins' lawyers allegedly sent to the woman who posted the original video. Speaking to the outlet, the attorneys reiterated that "it's important to remember that when Mr. Robbins says something like 'victimization is rewarded in our culture,' in some cases it is."

Two domestic violence experts interviewed for the article denounced Robbins' approach to the matter as potentially damaging to survivors.

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Some participants in Tony Robbins' seminar have complained about mental and physical problems at his events.Notes on BuzzFeedreported that their events, some lasting several days, start early in the morning and often last well past midnight, which reportedly leaves some guests mentally exhausted and disoriented, and some also suffering from dehydration.

A former Robbins logistics contractor admitted: “We used to joke about it. People started making popcorn.” Gary King, Robbins' former security director, told the website that part of his job is responding to “crises and meltdowns,” some of which have included threats and attempted suicide. In a 2014 incident, a mansupposedly sent via emailRobbins' customer service after his wife was hospitalized after allegedly hallucinating after one of Robbins' Date With Fate events. Robbins' attorneys told the website that in their "thousands of events over the past 40 years," there have been "very few reported cases of anyone suffering any type of significant physical injury or adverse medical condition."

It's also important to note that it's unclear what the mental health of the various participants may have been like prior to Robbins' seminars, or whether the participants had previous or underlying medical conditions.

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Two former Tony Robbins collaborators hit the record in June 2019.Notes on BuzzFeedStory claiming that the guru made the seminar attendees drink a "rough punch" as punishment for not implementing the strategies they had been taught at his events. A source told website visitors that they believed the shot contained a laxative, but his attorneys claim the shot contained no such ingredients, just the intentionally grotesque combination of "cucumber juice, apple juice, lemon juice," tomato juice, and a squirt of Tabasco." Robbins' attorneys added that there have never been any formal complaints about the drink.

However, not all of the drinks reportedly handed out to attendees were "big hits." Gary King and Glen Lechtanski, a nurse who volunteered for Robbins, claimed some guests were pressured into drinking "health shots" that allegedly made some of them sick. Robbins' attorneys denied the allegations, saying King and Lechtanski were "upset."

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Tony Robbins has a large staff for his massive operation, some of which are volunteers. Robbins' volunteers "often worked 12- to 18-hour shifts,"Notes on BuzzFeedreported and received no salary or travel expenses, but got to hear Robbins speak for free (which can beReally expensive).

Former volunteer John Richelieu-Booth told the website: "You don't have any food, you're literally in the room until Tony gives you permission to take a break, you hardly get any sleep." Documents obtained by the website, revealed that in 2018, Robbins' company settled a voluntary class-action lawsuit over his alleged hours. In the lawsuit, Robbins' attorneys alleged that volunteers at Robbins' events "performed services for their own amusement, education and enjoyment." Robbins' attorneys told the outlet that the company has never violated labor laws and that the settlement was merely to "avoid the time and disruption" that a potential lawsuit could entail.

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A hallmark of a Tony Robbins event is its famous firewalk, which even Oprah Winfrey has attended. The event is reportedly designed to help attendees overcome their fear to reach their full potential. Unfortunately, walking on hot coals has reportedly resulted in injuries for some of his followers.

In June 2016,CNNreported that 30 firewalkers in Dallas, Texas suffered minor burns. others wereallegedly injuredat a 2012 event in San Jose, California, but medics in attendance have consistently questioned the number of casualties and the severity of the burns.

Notwithstanding the accuracy of the injury reports, famed scientist Bill Nye saidthe envelopein 2017 that simple physics doesn't make walking on hot coals all that difficult. Citing another physicist, the outlet stated, "The foot never makes enough contact to cause a burn, and the burning wood that heats the embers is a good insulator and never gets too hot." Although Nye Robbins did in his disclosure Didn't call directly, he said, "People will charge you $5,000 for a weekend learning to be mentally prepared to walk on burning charcoals," Nye said. "You don't have to, you can only walk on burning charcoals."

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reappeared in oneVideoBeginning in the 1980s, Tony Robbins used the N-word repeatedly when discussing an interaction with a black attendee at a previous event. He recalled saying, "As long as someone calls you a n**** and gets that kind of response I've seen now that you're ready to explode and what you've done is, that person does that." giving absolute control of you. You have no control over your life. You're still a slave.'" He then re-enacted a literal song and dance from the previous event, during which he used the bow ad nauseam, Robbins' attorneys saidNotes on BuzzFeedthat the insult "was accepted in the context in which it took place: a passionate discussion about racism and how to overcome it ... any suggestion that Mr. Robbins is in any way racist or insensitive towards the African-American community is absurd." " and wrong. In fact, one of Mr. Robbins' events partners has been African American for more than 25 years."

in the sameVideo, Robbins recalled kissing a viewer to "break her pattern" after claiming the seminar "didn't work for her". He said: "I went over there and kicked her in the face... right about the time I zoomed in on her, I stopped and reached out and kissed her. Did you know? She didn't know how to deal with it at all."

Robbins has vehemently denied engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior with any member of the audience.

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from the firstNotes on BuzzFeedArticle detailing the myriad allegations against Tony Robbins, Simon and Schuster reportedly published an upcoming book by thei am not your guru(2016) Star. A representative of the publisher saidnbc newsthat they won't go onThe Way: Accelerate your journey to financial freedom, which Robbins co-authored with Peter Mallouk, president of wealth management firm Creative Planning. Mallouk told the outlet that he and Robbins would end their partnership amicably, but the scandal had nothing to do with the dissolution of their professional union.

However, it's unclear how much involvement Robbins actually had in the book: his rep told him sonbc newsin a statement: "As Mr. Mallouk has publicly stated that while his book was in the works, terms of contract with his prospective publisher were never reached or completed. Robbins' representative added that the ending of Robbins' collaboration with Mallouk "was amicable and before the recent hoaxes fromBuzzFeed."

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Tony Robbins, through an open letterBad, blowBuzzFeed's reports. He wrote in part that his "therapeutic methods in the open classroom are not for everyone," and that while he admits to being an "imperfect human being," he denies behaving in the reckless, irresponsible, or malicious ways implied by is suggested by unsubstantiated false accusations and arsonBuzzFeedStorytellers.” He also claimed that “several people” accused Buzzfeed of “[manipulating] their testimonies and, in some cases, even ignoring their legal counsel when they came across inaccuracies and mischaracterizations of their clients' personal accounts by [media] reporters." ." As answerNotes on BuzzFeedcallednbc news, "It does not appear that Mr. Robbins read the story himself before publishing his open letter, which contains a number of provably false and defamatory statements about our reporting and the resulting article."

Several of Robbins' employees denied receiving complaints about his behavior in the original.Notes on BuzzFeedpiece, and one of Robbins' followers launched aVideoAccusing the site of taking its quotes out of context. Robbins threw aVideoHe said that while he's a "better person" now than he was in his "20s or 30s," he "never claimed to be perfect. And if I said or did anything, honestly, I would have offended someone, hurt someone's feelings, or if you felt something like that, I just didn't support you, I'm sorry. I certainly didn't want it.