Bathroom dance videos are usually common on TikTok. But this one, though, is a bit different as it involves the NFL. A clip of Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders, two men and two women, dancing in a bathroom has gone viral and is at the center of discussion heading into Week 1.
The Vikings are one of more than 10 NFL teams featuring male cheerleaders this season. In fact, about a third of the league will include them in 2025. While teams like the Cowboys continue to stick with an all-female squad, others, including Minnesota, have embraced the change. Two of the Vikings’ newest faces, Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn, have been all over social media since joining the team. Their latest video, however, has split fans right down the middle.
The short clip, posted on TikTok by cheerleader Brianna Putney, shows Shiek and Conn alongside teammates Putney and Jenna Brensonn dancing to Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” in a bathroom. It was meant as a lighthearted post before game day. Instead, it created controversy.
NFL Fans Split Over Viral Clip
Some viewers saw the bathroom setting as a step too far.
@barb.ie67 NEW MEN ON THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS🔥 @louieconn @Blaize Shiek @Jenna Kathlyn @MVCheerleaders #gameday #vikings #nflcheerleader #mvc ♬ Truth Hurts – Lizzo
One fan commented, “Unacceptable.”
Another added, “And you wonder why we men no longer support the NFL?”
A third called it “just disrespectful to women.”
Others, though, shrugged off the criticism. One person wrote, “Just stop! There’ve always been male cheerleaders and some were even gay!”
Another added, “This is not the same as men playing in women’s sports of volleyball.”
Male cheerleaders are nothing new at the high school and college level, but their presence in the NFL has grown in recent years. As the league pushes toward inclusivity, debates like this one continue to pop up.
The timing also adds another wrinkle. Just days before the regular season, Justine Lindsay, the first transgender cheerleader in NFL history, announced her decision to step away from the Carolina Panthers’ TopCats. In a statement, she said she plans to focus on pageantry and community work, adding, “Being in the NFL was a stepping stone to get me where I need to be.”
So while the season opener looms, the conversation around cheerleading was already there. And now the bathroom video will not allow it to stop soon.
