Olympic gold medallist Benjamin Karl is facing backlash after candid comments about his marriage sparked a social media storm and forced a podcast offline.
The Austrian snowboarder, who went viral celebrating shirtless in the snow after etching his name in Olympic history by defending his parallel giant slalom gold at the 2026 Winter Games, is now under fire for remarks widely criticised as outdated and self-centred.
Speaking on the Mind Games podcast, the 40-year-old detailed a clash with his wife Nina, a psychotherapist, who wanted more freedom after years supporting his career.
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“She feels like she’s had my back for 20 years. Now it’s her turn,” Karl said.
“Now she wants to go on a girls’ holiday and she wants to enjoy life more and have more time.
“I have said, that’s not possible.”
He said he is “the one responsible financially” for the family of four and when he has commitments, “that has to have priority … she has to step back.”
Karl doubled down on his position, saying he would accept a split if she no longer supported him.
“If we have to go our separate ways … I’ll accept that. But I can’t change who I am … that is my life.,” Karl said in the podcast.
The comments quickly ignited a wave of criticism, with many taking issue with Karl putting his own ambitions above those of his partner, who had supported his career for two decades.
He was branded a “top-tier macho” and accused of “me, me, me” thinking, while others quipped: “The 1950s called. They want Mr Karl back.”
“He could’ve put it more simply: it’s all about me, or I leave you,” one person wrote online.
“I don’t even know him, but I still want to divorce him.,” another wrote.
The pile-on intensified, with some calling it a “slam dunk divorce” and many urging his wife to “get out as quickly as possible”.
“Run, girl, run,” a woman said online.
But not everyone was critical, with some arguing it was a private matter, saying Karl was simply “communicating his needs” and that such trade-offs come with life alongside a top athlete.
“That’s what you sign up for when you marry a professional athlete,” one wrote.
However, relationship expert Isabella Vedernjak said the dynamic went beyond a simple disagreement and reflected a deeper imbalance.
“What we see here is a classic power imbalance,” she said in a video.
“It’s a system in which one person functions and becomes replaceable once they stop.”
She added the issue was not ambition, but a refusal to meet in the middle. Karl’s stance would signal “my model stands and you adapt or you go”.
As the online furore grew, the podcast episode was taken down. Host Lukas Riegler said the abuse against Karl had become too extreme.
Riegler defended the interview, saying people often want athletes to be authentic.
“Then in comes Benni, saying exactly what he thinks … and gets torn apart in the comments,” he said.
Karl, who is now transitioning from snowboarding into professional cycling, attempted to pedal back and contain the damage.
“It was badly worded,” he told Austrian newspaper Krone, insisting his marriage was being misrepresented and pointed to its longevity.
“Does anyone seriously think a marriage would last 20 years if my wife was permanently so unhappy?” he said.
His wife “can, may, can … of course plan a girls’ trip” as long as it is organised in advance. “I love women, especially mine.”
