Shawn Johnson has divided the internet after sharing a viral video of herself kissing her 2-year-old son Barrett “Bear” East on the lips during a day out on the water, as reported by Page Six.

The former Olympic gymnast, 34, posted the clip over the weekend, showing the toddler grabbing her by the neck and giving her a long kiss on the lips as someone off camera reacted, “Wow, what was that, dude?”

Johnson captioned the post with humor, writing, “What a smooch!! Hahahaha, this guy came outta nowhere!!”

 

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A post shared by Shawn Johnson East (@shawnjohnson)

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However, the lighthearted clip quickly sparked a heated debate among viewers. Some commenters criticized the video, calling it “weird” and questioning whether the display of affection was appropriate.

“This is weird,” one user wrote, while another added, “One little peck ok, but this is a lot .”

One person remarked, “Imagine a father kisses his daughter like that, bro ,” while another urged, “This is weird. Don’t encourage this.”

Not everyone agreed, with many defending the affectionate moment between mother and son. “I used to think this was kind of odd,” one parent wrote.

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“Now I have a two-year-old son, and it is literally my favorite thing in the world. I feel so loved by him!”

Another viewer wrote, “Wow, these comments are not it! Let that boy kiss his mama! He won’t be doing it when he is 15, chill people.”

Several others chimed in to defend the Olympian, with one commenter asking, “At what point did it become inappropriate for kids to kiss their parents?”

A representative for Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday evening.

Johnson shares three children with her husband, former NFL player Andrew East — daughter Drew Hazel, 6, son Jett James, 4, and Barrett, 2. The couple married in 2016.

In a 2024 interview with Motherly, Johnson reflected on life with three young kids, describing it as both demanding and deeply rewarding.

“Three kids is a lot,” she said. “But the baby is the sweetest, most amazing little man ever. And our kids are obsessed with him.”

Earlier this year, Johnson opened up on the BetterHelp podcast “Mind If We Talk” about the emotional challenges following Barrett’s birth, revealing she suffered from postpartum depression and felt “disconnected” in her marriage during that time.

She recalled feeling like she was “losing control of myself” and “drowning,” explaining that she did not know how to seek help because she was focused on caring for her baby first.

Johnson said the experience created tension with her husband until he suggested they seek therapy together. “It was the very first thing that started healing me,” she shared. “The greatest gift Andrew gave me was therapy.”

The gold medalist also spoke about her perfectionist personality, admitting, “I never had doubt in us, and I never had doubt in Andrew, but I always doubt myself because I am a perfectionist and I want to succeed.”

As her latest post continues to circulate online, comments remain mixed, with some calling the outrage “much ado about nothing” and others agreeing with critics that the clip was uncomfortable to watch.

Despite the online noise, many fans are standing by Johnson, insisting the moment was nothing more than an expression of a mother’s love for her toddler.

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