Skateboarding journalist Robert Brink has publicly called out professional skateboarders Jerry Hsu and Ryan Lay over their continued support of Joa "Gifted Hater" Field, following renewed criticism surrounding Joa’s comments about SZA, women and Black culture.
Brink argues that the controversy cannot simply be dismissed as old material resurfacing online. He points to clips from August 2025 as well as more recent content, saying the behavior he objects to has continued into the present.
Among the accusations raised by Brink are claims that Joa has made racist, sexist and anti queer remarks through his content.
Brink also takes issue with the size of Joa’s audience, arguing that people featured in his videos can become targets of harassment from viewers.
That concern is particularly important to Brink because Joa reaches hundreds of thousands of viewers. He alleges that some people targeted by the channel have received abusive messages, including death threats and comments encouraging self harm.
Brink then directs much of his criticism toward Hsu.
He says Hsu has been aware of Joa’s controversial content for years while continuing to support him. Hsu and Joa also have a professional connection through Sci Fi Fantasy, the skate company founded by Hsu.
Lay is also mentioned in Brink’s criticism.
RELATED: Gifted Hater Goes Too Far With Offensive Language, Using the N Word On Camera
Brink points to Lay’s involvement in Slow Impact 2025, where Joa was invited to participate in a panel about skate journalism.
Brink argues that Lay’s friendship and professional relationship with Joa make his continued silence particularly frustrating.
The post also addresses the argument that Joa has worked with or maintained relationships with people from different racial, gender and sexual backgrounds.
Brink rejects the idea that those relationships should settle the discussion over comments he considers offensive.
Another part of the controversy involves Joa’s alleged imitation of Black speech while discussing SZA and female consumers.
Brink characterizes this as racist mockery rather than ordinary code switching.
Code switching generally refers to changing language, speech patterns or communication styles depending on the social setting.
RELATED: Top G Roger Bagley’s Andrew Tate Hand Sign Comes Into Focus in Robert Brink’s Manosphere Piece
A person intentionally adopting an exaggerated version of African American Vernacular English, or AAVE, to ridicule Black people is a different situation and has been criticized as a form of linguistic stereotyping.
AAVE is a legitimate dialect with its own grammatical structures and history.
Mocking the way Black people speak can draw on longstanding stereotypes that portray Black speech as unintelligent or inferior.
The context and intent behind an imitation are therefore important when determining how it may be received.
Brink also widens his criticism to the broader skateboarding community. He argues that some people have chosen not to speak publicly because they are concerned about becoming targets themselves.
He references several skaters who have previously been involved in public disputes within skateboarding and suggests that some people in the industry have told him privately that they prefer to avoid attracting Joa’s attention.
Brink also argues that the issue extends to the wider skateboarding industry.
He says media coverage, advertising, sponsorships, merchandise purchases and audience attention all contribute to the reach of Joa’s platform and the businesses connected to it.
RELATED: Robert Brink Receives Serious Threats While Exposing Predators and Sexual Abusers in Skateboarding
That puts Sci Fi Fantasy and other companies associated with the people involved into the discussion as well.
Brink’s position is that consumers and companies have to decide for themselves whether they want to financially support people or organizations connected to Joa.
The dispute ultimately raises questions about how skateboarding handles controversial personalities when friendships, sponsorships, media work and business relationships overlap.
Brink has made his position public and directly named Hsu and Lay while criticizing their continued association with Joa.
Hsu, Lay and Joa have their own opportunity to respond to the accusations and explain their positions.
Watch the video below and see for yourself what Brink accused them of.