Conor Murphy’s close friend Austin Wayne says the late fitness influencer’s controversial persona was largely an act created for content. Remembering Murphy as calm, kind and honest, Wayne urged people to stop clout-chasing after his death and prioritize mental health instead, saying: “That’s a lot more important than looking big.”
The death of fitness influencer Connor Murphy has sparked a wave of tributes, but it has also reignited conversations about the public image he built online. As speculation continues to spread across social media, one of Murphy’s closest friends is urging people to separate the viral character from the man they know in real life.
Speaking after Murphy’s drowning was reported in Thailand, Austin Wayne painted a very different picture of the influencer, describing a calm and thoughtful friend rather than the unpredictable character many viewers thought they were watching.
Connor Murphy’s friend says the seemingly maxxing viral character wasn’t his real personality
Austin Wayne, who said he has been friends with Murphy for nearly three years, addressed the growing online discussion in a poignant YouTube video. He admitted that it was difficult to watch people reduce Murphy’s life to the controversial content that dominated his final years.According to Austin, many online comments focused on the belief that Murphy had become unstable. He rejected this opinion, explaining that the version that appears on social media does not reflect the person he spends time with every day.“A lot of people just say, ‘For the last six years or so, he’s been absolutely crazy,'” Austin said.
But he insisted that this was not the friend he knew.“You guys have seen me. You guys have seen my behavior. I’m not going to be friends with someone who acts crazy all the time,” he explained.
Instead, Austin described Murphy as someone who remained remarkably calm even in stressful situations. He referred to an incident in Thailand, and said someone else tried to provoke a fight, but Murphy refused to respond.“Connor had a lot of impulse control to not end up wanting to fight this guy, and he was very calm. That’s how he always was. He was very calm.”Austin added that Murphy’s kindness left a lasting impression on him.“He was a very kind and genuine person.”He also thought about one of their last moments together.“I remember my last thought was how good of a person Connor is. Like, I love this guy.”Austin revealed that his friendship with Murphy holds special meaning because he was a fan of the influencer years before they met.“I grew up watching his videos, and I wanted to be like him. I wanted to have a body like him, and I wanted to have girls like him.
“And I wanted to be a famous YouTuber like Connor Murphy.”“For me, to be able to build a relationship, a friendship with this person, that meant a lot to me,” he added.
Friend Conor Murphy urges people to focus on Mental health Instead of paying attention online
Austin also highlighted how Murphy created content, saying that much of his unusual behavior was intentional and designed to entertain viewers rather than reflect his everyday personality.He remembers filming at a wax museum where Murphy would dress up as Maleficent for comedy videos.“And he was acting really crazy. Then he started pacing around. Like, he was trying to make people worry about him. And he was just doing it for the camera. And then he would just stop, and he was very normal after that.”According to Austin, the ability to switch between a larger-than-life internet persona and his own persona was something he experienced time and time again while filming together.He also criticized people who, in his opinion, were using Murphy’s death to gain online buzz rather than show respect.“What I find really sad about this whole situation is how many people seem to be using it just for leverage.”Concluding his message with broader appeal, Austin encouraged people to pay more attention to those around them rather than being preoccupied with online appearances.“Make sure you take care of your mental health. Check in on your brothers. Check in on your friends. Make sure everyone is okay mentally. That’s a lot more important than looking impressive.”His remarks added a more personal perspective to the conversation, reminding many followers that the individual behind a viral online identity can be very different from the character the audience sees on screen.