ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – More police departments and organizations are ending partnerships with a popular St. Louis fitness entrepreneur after he made comments about female law enforcement officers.
The Webster Groves Police Department is the latest agency to distance itself from Andy Frisella with 1st Phorm.
On his podcast, Real AF Podcast, Frisella made comments about police officers.
“That’s why in my opinion, women shouldn’t be in the (expletive) field and police officers. I just don’t think they should be,” he said.
He continues to on the podcast to say, “Every woman cop I’ve ever dealt with, every single (expletive) one that I’ve ever been pulled over by, try to make me feel like a (expletive) (expletive). No, that’s not a way to de-escalate a situation. Especially when you know that if that person didn’t have a badge or a gun, you could punch a hole through their (expletive) face and end their (expletive) life.”
“As a female officer, I felt a mix of disappointment and resolve,” said Lt. Jillian McCoy of Webster Groves PD. “Mr. Frisella and his businesses have reached out to our department a few times and have provided gift baskets with various things in them. As an organization, we will not be accepting any contributions or donations from Mr. Frisella’s companies. I think that his remarks dismiss the hard work and dedication of countless women who are excelling in this particular business.”
The Backstoppers organization sent First Alert 4 the following statement Tuesday:
“The BackStoppers organization does not condone or support the recent comments made by Andy Frisella, co-founder of 1st Phorm, concerning female police officers on his recent podcast. We deeply value our relationship with Guns ‘N Hoses and their continued support through their annual fundraising event in November. In light of recent events, we fully support their decision to decline 1st Phorm’s donation this year. Our commitment remains focused on supporting the families of first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty or been critically injured, regardless of gender. To all first responders, we extend our sincere gratitude for your dedicated service.”
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Club Fitness released the following statement Tuesday:
“We can confirm that, at this time, Club Fitness has made the decision to remove all 1st Phorm products from our retail offerings. As a company, we have always stood by our first responders, demonstrated through initiatives like our PRIME Program, launched on July 31, which provides a complimentary six-month membership to all police and fire academy recruits during their training. You can learn more about the PRIME Program here.
Other police agencies across the St. Louis region immediately condemned the comments from the business owner who has millions of followers across social media and YouTube.
“Many of you are aware of the hateful comments made by Andy Frisella with 1st Phorm. His comments were disturbing and despite his attempts at retracting them, we are severing our relationship with his company,” read a statement from St. Louis County Police Chief Kenneth Gregory to his department. “Effective immediately, we will no longer be providing services to 1st Phorm via secondary employment, nor receiving donations of any kind or services from them through fitness and nutrition classes.”
“During this episode, Mr. Frisella made highly offensive and abhorrent comments about women in law enforcement. His statements crossed far over the line from criticism to sharing violent fantasies of killing policewomen. These statements are completely unacceptable and incompatible with the values we uphold,” said Derek Machens, President of the St. Louis County Police Association.
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The podcast has since been removed and Frisella posted an episode where he tries to clarify his remarks, as well as an apology episode on Saturday titled “I Messed Up & I’m Sorry.” It starts with him apologizing and referencing the podcast comments. “It doesn’t reflect who I am or what I feel in my heart,” he says in the apology episode.
“Although Mr. Frisella has since issued an apology, it was more focused on his past donations than expressing genuine remorse. Given the nature of his comments, this apology is insufficient. Such rhetoric is not only disgusting language but also fundamentally undermines the sacrifices made by our women officers,” said Machens in his statement.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Tracy also said they will no longer work with Frisella.
“Female police officers are valued and respected members of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Each day, they risk their lives in service to the City of St. Louis. Female officers are at the core of our agency, serving in various roles and ranks — from patrol and detectives to specialized enforcement and senior Commanders. His overall and disparaging comments do not reflect our views or core values and have no place in the SLMPD. We are severing ties with the organization,” said Chief Tracy.
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