Sawyer Hemsley, co-founder and chief branding officer of Crumbl Cookies, came out as gay after social media users spread viral rumors about his sexuality.
“Over the past little while, there have been people online trying to define me, twist things, and share conversations in ways that feel harmful. Instead of letting others write my story, I want to share it in my own words,” Hemsley wrote in an Instagram post on Aug. 25. “The truth is, over the past few years I’ve come to understand and accept that I’m gay.”
Hemsley often posts on his personal social media about the billion-dollar business he founded with cousin Jason McGowan in 2017. The front-facing executive, who grew up Mormon, has recently been the subject of online speculation about his sexuality on TikTok.
In one such video, which garnered more than 19 million views, influencer Grant Gibbs speculates on Hemsley’s sexuality after seeing a video of him.
“That’s apparently a straight man? No, it’s not, that man is so gay. That man is gay to the gods,” Gibbs said on Aug. 21. “I don’t care if I’m outing a CEO with millions of dollars, I don’t give a f—, but that’s a gay man.”
Gibbs later posted a follow-up video “addressing the Crumbl situation,” first correcting himself on Hemsley’s title (McGowan is actually Crumbl’s CEO) and clarifying his thoughts on the matter, stating that he didn’t know the video would “blow up like that.”
But the comments are mostly mostly supportive of Gibbs’ theory, with some likening the spelling of Crumbl to LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr as some kind of clue. Others hurled homophobic comments in Hemsley’s direction.
“It’s taken me a long time to really process this part of myself and even longer to feel comfortable enough to say it out loud,” Hemsley continued in his Instagram post. “For most of my life, I didn’t have the clarity to answer the questions or respond to the rumors. Coming to terms with it has been overwhelming and, at times, scary — but it has also brought me peace, joy, and authenticity that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
In response to the suggestion that Hemsley came out because of his viral video, Gibbs posted a final TikTok on the subject on Aug. 26, congratulating Hemsley on coming out.
“Girl, I am so happy for you and so proud of you. You are hot and you are going to live your best open, out, gay life, mama,” Gibbs says on a New York City subway platform. “I admit what I did was wrong. At the end of the day, it was wrong.”
