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In the world of fitness and bodybuilding, where transformations can inspire millions but also fuel endless debates, a recent YouTube video has set the internet on fire. Hussein Farhat, a popular fitness influencer known for his impressive muscle gains, teamed up with coach Greg Doucette to create what they called a “troll” video.
The clip pretended to confess that Farhat had used steroids, only to reveal it was all a joke aimed at mocking his critics.
However, the prank has backfired spectacularly, leading to accusations of dishonesty, damaged reputations, and a fresh wave of skepticism in the “natty or not” (natural or not) conversation.
For those new to fitness lingo, “natty” means natural, building muscle without performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) like steroids.
Farhat, who claims to be a “lifetime natural,” has faced ongoing accusations that his rapid transformation from skinny to shredded couldn’t be achieved without help.
In the video titled “Coming Out… (The Truth),” posted just days ago, Farhat and Doucette start by seemingly admitting to a 16-month steroid cycle, complete with details on doses and a made-up scientific explanation involving “polymorphisms”, rare genetic traits that supposedly let someone keep gains after stopping PEDs.
The “confession” includes dramatic lines like Farhat saying, “I decided to hop on gear… It was a small cycle,” and Doucette explaining how Farhat kept his muscle thanks to this fictional gene.
They even plug supplements and apparel mid-video. But at the end, they burst out laughing, revealing it was satire to highlight how “dumb” the accusations sound.
Farhat emphasized, “I’ve never done any sort of steroids. I’ve never done any SARMs, any peptides, nothing.” Doucette added that the goal was to create the “first fake fake natty” to stir drama and views.
What made things worse was the timing. Before the video dropped, Doucette left a comment on another creator’s post hinting at an upcoming “fake natty” reveal, which many took seriously.
This led to immediate backlash. Fitness expert Jeff Nippard, who had previously defended Farhat in videos about natural limits, posted on Instagram: “Incredibly disappointing. I guess this is where you all get to say ‘I told you so’… I’ll go ahead and take my big fat L for defending Hussein.”
Nippard called it a “very stupid publicity stunt” that harms real natural athletes by feeding the idea that “everyone is a fake natty.”
Farhat quickly responded on Instagram, explaining the video was meant to be comedic and absurd, like inventing “polymorphisms” to poke fun at critics.
He blamed Doucette’s comment for ruining the surprise and causing the hate: “One comment… That’s all it took for the whole industry to turn on me.” To prove his natural status, Farhat upped his challenge from $100,000 to $500,000 for anyone who can test him year-round and find PEDs. He passed multiple blood tests before and stands by his claim.
Reactions poured in across social media. On X (formerly Twitter), users called the prank “scummy” and “dumb,” with one post saying it damaged the trust of those who believed Farhat was natty.
Another user noted, “Hussain is definitely on steroids, but it’s confirmed that Greg faked the outing… Pretty scummy.”
Reddit threads buzzed with theories, from it being a full publicity stunt to debates on whether Farhat’s physique is truly achievable naturally.
Other influencers like Kenny KO and TNF released reaction videos, some exposing the prank as a lie for clicks, while others criticized it for confusing fans.
Doucette later admitted the comment was a mistake to hype the video, but caused unintended upset. In a follow-up, he warned against trying such cycles in real life, stressing the health risks and muscle loss after stopping PEDs.
