A TikTok influencer who built a large following with his wood-chopping videos has been widely praised after revealing that he is pro-choice.
Thoren Bradley, who goes by the username @bradley.thor on the app and has accumulated more than 5.2m followers, shared his stance on abortion this week after the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v Wade.
In a video posted on 24 June, the lumberjack, who works as a strength and conditioning coach at a university and has his master’s degree in exercise physiology, chopped wood as he joked about some of the “thirsty” comments he receives from viewers. Bradley frequently receives comments from TikTok users proposing marriage or claiming that his videos made them “pregnant”.
In the comments under the video, which has been viewed more than 3m times, Bradley addressed the pregnancy comments while simultaneously sharing his pro-choice views.
“Let’s say my video DID get somebody pregnant. It would be her choice to keep it or not,” the TikToker, who lives in Northern California, wrote in a comment that has been liked more than 38,000 times. In a follow-up comment, Bradley added: “If you don’t FW [f**k with] that, block me. On all platforms.”
The comments prompted praise from Bradley’s followers, with one person writing: “I am officially in love with you for this,” while another said: “This means so much.”
In a video created by user @simplysimone, she further shared Bradley’s views, with the TikToker telling her followers: “So if y’all were wondering, your favourite lumberjack on TikTok is pro-choice. And he said if you didn’t f**k with his choices, block him.”
The video prompted a response from Bradley, who wrote that he would “drive and pay for [his] sister’s visit to a clinic” and would “do the same for [his] daughter, if [he] had one”.
“Bare minimum,” he continued, before urging those “praising” him to support a “legally educated woman to get the right voices boosted” and tagging attorney @rebmasel, who has been using her platform to share information about abortion rights.
Bradley’s comments also circulated on social media platforms such as Twitter, where one screenshot of his comments was shared by Ryan Aguirre alongside the caption: “Breaking news: the hot wood chopping guy is good!” As of 28 June, the tweet has been liked more than 212,000 times.
In a video shared to TikTok on Monday, Bradley further clarified his belief “in a woman’s right to choose,” with the lumberjack then urging his followers to tag creators speaking knowledgably about the topic of abortion rights, so that he could use his page to spread awareness.
“If you are just now following my page because you recently learned about my belief in a woman’s right to choose, then I actually owe you an apology,” the TikToker said. “An apology that there was even an inkling or a doubt in your mind that I would feel any other way.
“I am educated in human exercise physiology, which is what I got my master’s degree in. But let’s not turn to me for your political education. Let’s turn to some people who deserve those eyes right now, on that specific topic.”
Bradley then encouraged his followers to “tag some of [their] favourite creators on that topic” in his comments. “Let’s throw them those views,” he added.
The video sparked renewed applause from Bradley’s followers, with one person writing: “This is the you we need.”
The comment prompted a response from the influencer, who expressed his disappointment that his stance on abortion would ever be in question. “The unfortunate thing is this was ever a question? With my following?! Like 75 per cent LGBTQ and women,” he wrote.
Bradley also responded to a comment from a viewer who urged him to leave “politics” off his TikTok account, with the creator explaining that his views on abortion don’t “feel like politics” to him. “These feel like inalienable rights to me. Decency,” he added.
As the comments under his video filled up with recommendations of creators using their platforms to speak about abortion rights in the US, Bradley continued to use his own TikTok account to amplify the voices of the fellow creators.
“Don’t leave this comment section without following one tagged page!” he wrote. “Let’s actually make this video count for more than me.”
With his comments and support, which comes as abortion is projected to be banned in 23 states, Bradley joined countless others who are using the platform to advocate for women’s rights. After the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v Wade, hundreds of users took to the app to offer their homes as safe spaces for women seeking abortions.
The Independent has contacted Bradley for comment.
