Toxic Masculinity Saved This Flight

Summary

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The Brett Cooper Show — Toxic Masculinity Saved This Flight

Date: June 5, 2026
Host: Brett Cooper

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Episode Overview

Brett Cooper tackles the theme of “toxic masculinity” and its place in today’s cultural discourse. Using a recent, dramatic Frontier flight incident—where an MMA-trained passenger heroically restrained a dangerous man mid-flight—Brett challenges prevailing negative stereotypes about masculinity, especially in contexts like MMA and UFC. She contrasts mainstream media’s critiques with the real-world value of strong, capable men stepping up in crises, all while infusing the discussion with humor, viral internet reactions, and uplifting personal stories of heroism.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Incident: Frontier Flight Heroism

• Flight Details: A Frontier flight from Miami to Puerto Rico was disrupted when a 50-year-old passenger, Juan Reyes, attempted to open the aircraft doors, attacked crew and passengers, and had to be subdued multiple times ([00:30]–[04:16]).
  • “According to this report from Fox News, police said that this man allegedly attempted to open the aircraft's two exit doors in midair before he assaulted another passenger on the flight…” ([00:30])
  • “Ray's lunged at the flight attendant, grabbed him by the head and choked him, which prompted passengers and another flight attendant to restrain [him] with flight flex cuffs and seatbelt extenders.” ([01:36])
• The Rescuer’s Identity: The situation was brought under control by a passenger who turned out to be an MMA fighter, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Josh Longgood, whose calm and friendly demeanor (“the happy warrior”) quickly became an internet sensation.
  • “It was not just any passenger. It's an MMA fighter, a Brazilian Jiu jitsu black belt who set women on the Internet ablaze.” ([02:44])

2. Viral Reaction & Internet “Thirst”

• Internet Fame: The viral video of the incident focused less on the airborne danger and more on the unassuming, calm hero chewing gum, which Brett found hilarious and indicative of society’s craving for real, capable masculinity.
  • “People were less interested in what actually happened on the aircraft, and they were more interested in knowing about the other man in the video. The man chewing the gum calmly, wearing a jujitsu T shirt. That is the embodiment of masculinity—calm, cool, collected, strong, stepping in when people need help, and possibly even better, happy.” ([04:16])
• Comments: Brett reads out several internet comments, pointing out a near-universal outpouring of female appreciation—“thirst”—for the MMA hero.
  • “One woman commented and said, ‘Sir, I'm being difficult over here too.’ Another ... ‘I was just wondering why my wife bought me a jujitsu shirt and asked me to chew gum last night.’” ([04:35])
  • “As a nurse, I am sick, salivating over this.” ([04:49])
• Josh Longgood Responds: Josh created a TikTok to respond, humbly thanking everyone and inviting Chicago-area fans to his BJJ gym.
  • Josh Longgood ([05:56]): “Hi, everyone. I just wanted to take a moment, say thank you for all the kind messages and comments that you've been sending me today...But I do truly appreciate all the support. More than anything, I'm grateful I was in the right place at the right time and able to handle the situation without anybody getting injured.”

3. Media Narrative vs. Reality: Critiques of MMA & “Toxic Masculinity”

• Mainstream Criticisms: Brett outlines how MMA fighters are persistently labeled by mainstream media as “toxic,” “misogynistic,” “violent,” and even politically aligned with conservatism or “fascism.”
  • “For so long...MMA fighters, UFC fighters, they have had to push through for years, like, over a decade now, all of these screeching accusations about them being toxically masculine, and they're contributing to harmful stereotypes about women and the patriarchy.” ([06:43])
  • “Bloomberg said that MMA was, quote, testosterone fueled and a haven for misogynistic behavior...the sport's embedded racism and toxic masculinity appeal to white supremacist fascist groups.” ([07:06])
  • “So if you are a fan of UFC and MMA, you're a white supremacist fascist, don't forget it.” ([07:17])
• Brett’s Counterpoint: She argues that the very traits labeled as “toxic” are often precisely those needed in emergencies and that such masculinity, when directed constructively, saves lives.
  • “Those who people see as being violent and toxic and harmful and dangerous to society, are actually the ones who step in time and time again to save innocent people.” ([11:46])

4. Other Examples of Heroic MMA Fighters

• Kevin Holland ([12:12]): UFC fighter who twice subdued dangerous criminals—once disarming a gunman in a sushi restaurant, previously stopping a carjacking, both by using his fighting skills.
• Mark Coleman ([12:42]): Retired champion who rescued both elderly parents from a house fire, suffering severe injuries in the process.
• Derrick Lewis ([13:24]): During Houston’s Hurricane Harvey, personally rescued over 100 people using his own truck, independent of any organization.
• Other Notable Incidents: Fighters intervening in hit-and-runs and pulling families from burning cars.
  • “There are so many stories just like this and we should not be surprised because yes, these are strong elite athletes, but they are also used to this kind of adrenaline. They are not afraid of running into situations where they can use their strength to help people.” ([14:08])

5. Contrasting with NFL and “Performative” Masculinity

• NFL Critique: Brett contrasts the UFC’s unapologetic celebration of strength and resolve with the NFL, which, despite messaging like “End Racism,” is plagued by negative scandals.
  • “Football is the American sport...the NFL is desperate to be loved on a global scale. They want to be politically correct...NFL makes their players wear helmets that say love is love. And like, hate has no place here. And end racism. Meanwhile, that league...has a documented track record of their players getting in trouble with the law, being in domestic abuse disputes, cheating...” ([14:38])
• Authentic Masculinity: She appreciates the UFC and similar sports for not “softening their image” and points to repeated real-world examples of fighters using their prowess for good.

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Memorable Quotes

• On the MMA Fighter's Calm Demeanor:
  “Look at this photo that came out after the fact. This is him after restraining this ridiculously drunk, awful man. He's sitting there, thumbs up, smack, like, who does not love a happy warrior?” ([04:24])
• On the Media’s Framing of MMA:
  “So if you are a fan of UFC and MMA, you're a white supremacist fascist, don't forget it.” ([07:17])
• On the Value of Strength:
  “The reason why they are able to do that is because of their strength, because they are used to getting in the ring, fighting essentially to the death, being in these high adrenaline intense situations so they can run in and take down an active shooter...So, yeah, if that is toxic masculinity, then I am here for it.” ([15:46])
• On UFC vs. NFL:
  “But love is love. Hate has no place here. Ignore the fact that he was beating up people and abusing them, like, it's just ridiculous. But yeah, yeah, UFC, really? That's the toxic league out there.” ([15:30])

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Notable Moments & Timestamps

• [00:30] — Description of the flight incident and first officer attempted attack
• [02:44] — Reveal: Hero was an MMA fighter, Josh Longgood; internet buzz begins
• [04:16] — Discussion of viral comments and women’s online “thirst” for masculinity
• [05:56] — Josh Longgood’s TikTok response to going viral
• [06:43] — Critique of MMA “toxic masculinity” narratives in media
• [11:46] — Segment pivot: positive examples of “toxic masculinity” in action
• [12:12–13:24] — Other stories: Kevin Holland, Mark Coleman, Derrick Lewis, and more
• [14:38] — Comparison between NFL’s image vs. UFC’s unapologetic masculinity
• [15:46] — Brett’s concluding reflection: “If that is toxic masculinity, then I am here for it. We all should be.”

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Tone & Style

Brett Cooper leverages her trademark mix of sarcasm, humor, and blunt analysis. She is irreverent about stereotypes (“is this Spirit Airlines behavior?”), candid about double standards, and supportive of authentic, positive masculinity—never shying away from taking aim at mainstream media narratives or embracing the “hope core” of real heroism.

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Conclusion

This episode of The Brett Cooper Show is both a defense and a celebration of what society often labels “toxic masculinity”—arguing that the capabilities and courage often derided by critics are, in reality, critical to social resilience and safety. Through a blend of viral culture, critique, and uplifting real-life stories, Brett challenges the audience to reconsider their assumptions about gender, strength, and who we need in a crisis.

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Transcript

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[Flight Restraint Helper 1]

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[Brett Cooper]

So are UFC fighters the modern vigilante for our society? I personally would argue yes, and I would also argue that that is objectively a very good thing for our culture. But of course, millions of people around the world still see them and their supporters as being harmful and toxic. Now if you remember, last week I did an episode about Dana White talking about masculinity and mental health in his Time magazine profile. And in that same article he talks about this toxic masculinity and he says, what is toxic masculinity? Who has it? Who's too masculine? The author then suggested that when this attitude begets unjustified violence, then you can call a toxic no. And then Dana White responded and said, then you're just a douchebag. There's a difference between being a douchebag and being masculine. Now, on a Frontier flight on Sunday evening, the difference between being a douchebag and being a masculine man was very obviously on display. And this also points to a broader trend of MMA and UFC fighters stepping in when the world needed them. On this Frontier flight that was going from Miami to Puerto Rico on Sunday night, a 50 year old man named Juan Reyes, hopefully I'm saying his last name correctly, started freaking out. Now, according to this report from Fox News, police said that this man allegedly attempted to open the aircraft's two exit doors in midair before he assaulted another passenger on the flight. A flight attendant also told authorities that they heard him say that he wanted to get off the plane following multiple alleged attempts to open the flight deck door. They said that he sat down in a seat that was not assigned to him and attacked a 33 year old off duty flight attendant who was seated nearby. According to court documents. Witnesses told police that Ray's lunged at the flight attendant, grabbed him by the head and choked him, which prompted passengers and another flight attendant to restrain raise with flight flex cuffs and seatbelt extenders. Before we dive into the masculine part of the story I just do have to ask, like, was this man originally booked on a Spirit Airlines flight before they shut down? Because this does feel like Spirit Airlines behavior now. Okay, all jokes aside, I do have to come clean here. Two of the best flights that Alex and I have taken over the last two years were on Spirit. The cleanest, the nicest, happiest people, easiest travel day from point A to point B. No delays. So maybe I should shut my trap about Spirit Airlines and start grieving. And I do also have to say that I've never flown on Frontier because it seems like it has even worse of a reputation. So maybe this is all just par for the. The course on a Frontier flight. Anyway, back to the point. This is where our story gets more interesting and exciting for the ladies out there. The article goes on and says Grays allegedly broke free from the restraints multiple times until a passenger stepped in to contain him. Video of the confrontation showed passengers working to restrain him. Oh, a passenger. A passenger. Okay, well, guys, it was not just any passenger. It's an MMA fighter, a Brazilian Jiu jitsu black belt who set women on the Internet ablaze. Just watch this video that went viral of the entire event.

[Flight Restraint Helper 1]

Yes, it's right there. Chill out, bro.

[Flight Restraint Helper 2]

Okay, I need this hand. I need this hand behind his back.

[Advertiser/Host]

Behind his back?

[Flight Restraint Helper 2]

Yeah, so he doesn't untie his.

[Flight Restraint Helper 1]

Okay, you got. You got. You got to turn around like this.

[Brett Cooper]

He's.

[Josh Longgood]

He's strapped too tight.

[Flight Restraint Helper 2]

He's stra.

[Brett Cooper]

Too tight.

[Flight Restraint Helper 2]

Okay, just put in the front again. Okay, we'll just. Him in the front again. Let's just see that one first.

[Brett Cooper]

All right, I just have to pause for a second because this is just like the perfect embodiment of our country right now. You have this one man who's trying to restrain a drunken guy that's trying to kill everybody on the flight. Jump out of the flight through the exit door. He's holding him down. His veins are pumping. He's calm, cool, collected, and he's like, lady, we gotta do it this way. And then into frame comes a fat woman wearing a mask in 2026. It's like, oh, my God. Like, you have this. You have the toxic masculine man, the MMA fighter, and then you have. I don't even know what to call it. I mean, it's just so perfect. Anyway, I'll let the video continue.

[Flight Restraint Helper 1]

You're not gonna die.

[Josh Longgood]

What was your fucking doing?

[Flight Restraint Helper 1]

Another strap.

[Brett Cooper]

All right, so that two minute video went viral. It racked up millions of views. It was the first video that came out of this incident. You know, it was the firsthand witness account way before Fox News was writing about it, or people knew that this man had then been arrested. You know, was facing Facebook, 50 years in prison, whatever it is. But people were less interested in what actually happened on the aircraft, and they were more interested in knowing about the other man in the video. The man chewing the gum calmly, wearing a jujitsu T shirt. And I mean, who can blame the Internet. Like, that is the embodiment of masculinity. You know, calm, cool, collected, strong, stepping in when people need help, and possibly even better, happy. Like, look at this photo that came out after the fact. This is him after restraining this ridiculously drunk, awful man. He's sitting there, thumbs up, smack, like, who does not love a happy warrior? That is, like, the best thing. And shockingly, not shockingly at all, women online ate it up. One woman commented and said, sir, I'm being difficult over here too. Another person said, I was just wondering why my wife bought me a jujitsu shirt and asked me to chew gum last night. Love a cool, confident, strong man who can take control of any situation while chewing his gum casually and calmly. The woman said, is this a service provided by the airline? And then this one was just hilarious. This girl said, as a nurse, I am sick, salivating over this. And then showed a picture of his veins. But you guys get the point. I don't need to read all these comments. There are literally 10,000 of them, and 95% of them are thirsty. They are feral for this man. Now, following the video, people online were debating who this man was. They had a couple of different, like, jujitsu guys, MMA guys that they were like, I think it's Justin this. No, I think it's Alex this. Whatever it was. But not to worry, because the man made a TikTok account after seeing that video go viral, and he posted a response. So just watch. This is him. His name is Josh Longgood.

[Josh Longgood]

Hi, everyone. I just wanted to take a moment, say thank you for all the kind messages and comments that you've been sending me today. It's been a very overwhelming social media day, but I honestly wasn't expecting things to get this much attention. But I do truly appreciate all the support. More than anything, I'm grateful I was in the right place at the right time and able to handle the situation without anybody getting injured. So for those of you that don't know me, I'm Josh Longgood. I'm a jiu jitsu black belt, and I train out of Valco BJJ in Chicago. So if you're in the Chicago area, feel free to stop by and train with me sometime. Thanks again for all the love and support. Means a lot to me.

[Brett Cooper]

I just think it's so funny. Like, this man is obviously so sweet. He's captivated by all of this. I love that at the top of the video, he's like, I've seen all the nice messages and comments. Like, they're nice messages and comments. It's like thirsty women being like, please, like, who is this man? But obviously he's not gonna be like, I see all of you sex freaks out there trying to get my attention. Sorry, should have put a warning. Anyway, after that video, women were once again on hands and knees, crawling into his comment section. Like, one girl, Amanda, said, oh, hi, louder than everybody else. And then right after that, a girl commented and said, hi, louder than Amanda. Somebody else said, I could be in the Chicago area to go train at his jiu jitsu gym. And then another woman said, I'm in California. I've never done jujitsu, nor have I ever been to Chicago, but you bet your ass I am on my way now. And I love this for so many reasons. Number one, because it seems like a good guy who's being celebrated for doing a great thing. I love that he's getting this kind of attention. But it's also interesting and, like, perfectly hysterical to me, because for so long, and you guys know this, but MMA fighters, UFC fighters, they have had to push through for years, like, over a decade now, all of these screeching accusations about them being toxically masculine, and they're contributing to harmful stereotypes about women and the patriarchy. Well, like, whatever the problem was that some journalists created on a random Wednesday, like, for example, years ago, Bloomberg said that MMA was, quote, testosterone fueled and a haven for misogynistic behavior. Another example of this is from a report that was done on MMA and UFC's fandom, and it said that the sport's embedded racism and toxic masculinity appeal to white supremacist fascist groups. So if you are a fan of UFC and m, you're a white supremacist fascist, don't forget it. And then even more recently, I think this was published, like, last week, a substacker connected all of these fighters in the UFC back to Trump, arguing that one could use MMA and what represents MMA to define the second Trump administration because of how awful they both are. So in this article, the man said, MMA is a perfect expression of the world that they want it to be. AKA Conservatives, Republicans, Trump admin. They say they want it to be brutal, exploitative, built on the nexus between masculinity and violence. And then he goes on and he says that the attraction to MMA also makes it a place where men upset about social change can find a temporary haven in a world where just being a man doesn't deliver the benefits they think it should. And when they turn on the ufc, they can revel in a world where physical strength and the capacity for violence rule. The liberals may run the rest of popular culture, but this is one corner they will never control. So all of that to say that is how they see the sport. They see it as violent and toxic and fascist, even that it represents a Republican Party president. I do want to be fair here because that subsector did throw the fighters a bone. He admitted that yes, it was a demanding sport. They are elite athletes. He gets that. But he obviously could not hide his disdain for what they represent. But all that aside, yes, they are elite athletes. I'm sure they have elite diets that hopefully consist of Good Rancher's Steak. Now Father's Day is obviously coming up and Good Dads in Life teach us not to cut corners in work or in life. So don't go halfway with dinner. Give him 100% American meat that actually meets his high standards, which obviously means that you are going to be shopping with Good Ranchers. Good Ranchers partners with local farmers to deliver pasture raised meat with no antibiotics or added hormones straight to your door. Gifting Good Ranchers is so easy. 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[Brett Cooper]

All right, now back to the story. And this is where things really get fun for me. This is like the hope core part of the episode. But interestingly, not interestingly, it's not surprising at all. But there are so many stories, just like the one that we talked about today, where these men who have been trained to fight, trained to beat each other within an inch of death, who people see as being violent and toxic and harmful and dangerous to society, are actually the ones who step in time and time again to save innocent people. Men like Kevin Holland, for example, who back in 2022 was dining at a sushi restaurant with his training partner when a man opened fire into the ceiling. And so Kevin and his training partner, without skipping a beat, they rushed at the man. Kevin choked him unconscious. He got the gun taken away from him. He secured him until the police could arrive. He did that within like two minutes. But that wasn't Kevin's only heroic effort because before that I think it was only like three months earlier, Kevin stopped and attempted carjacking in his neighborhood in the same way, chased the guy down, choked him out, but yeah, yeah, so dangerous, so toxically masculine and obviously an awful white supremacist. I mean, come on. Now, in another story, just to further the argument here, another fighter by the name of Mark Coleman, he's a former champion, he was visiting his parents house, his elderly parents, and his dog woke him up in the middle of the night to crazy barking and he realized that there was a fire in the house. So he immediately jumped into action. He ran into his parents bedroom, pulled them out, he was worried that they were already dead. He was able to carry both of his 83 year old parents out of the house. And he turned around, realized his dog had not followed him out, rushed back in the house, was searching the entire burning building for this dog. Unfortunately he was not, not able to save his dog. So he stumbles out of the building, he gets airlifted to a hospital because of his injuries. He was in a medically induced coma for over a month. They didn't think he was gonna survive, but he pulled through. And he did all of that again without skipping a beat, without even questioning it. I mean, he's a fighter, he's strong. Why would he not use his strength and his penchant for working in these huge adrenaline fueled situations to save his parents? And then there's fighter Derrick Lewis, who during Hurricane Harvey in Houston saved over 100 people just by himself. He wasn't working for any organization. It wasn't like the UFC was like, hey guys, let's all go out and save people. No, he literally just saw what was happening, got in his truck, started driving around and pulling people out of their homes and getting them to safety. Another very dangerous white supremacist, obviously. And then there's another champion who chased down and subdued the man behind a hit and run in his neighborhood who would like run into his neighbor's home. That took place in 2025. Again, he got him into a chokehold. He was able to hold him down until the cops arrived. Another fighter stopped on a freeway to pull a family out of their burning SUV after the dad had run the car into an 18 wheeler in this mur suicide attempt. He saved all of their lives. I mean, I could go on and on and on. There are so many stories just like this and we should not be surprised because yes, these are strong elite athletes, but they are Also used to this kind of adrenaline. They are not afraid of running into situations where they can use their strength to help people because they beat people up for a living. So, like, obviously they are comfortable with that. And it's so funny to me because I would ask you guys to look at the difference between, say, the NFL and the ufc, because football is the American sport. I know that we say that baseball is the all American pastime, but in my opinion, in 2020, football definitely is. You know, it is normalized, it's average. Everybody likes it. You know, the NFL is desperate to be loved on a global scale. They want to be politically correct. I mean, for crying out loud, the NFL makes their players wear helmets that say love is love. And like, hate has no place here. And end racism. End racism. How do we do? How does Gen Z to the hearts these days? End racism, whatever it is. Meanwhile, that league that is so hell bent on being loved by the media has a documented track record of their players getting in trouble with the law, being in domestic abuse disputes, cheating on their 10 million different baby mamas. While the UFC is obviously not perfect, and I'm not trying to paint the picture that they are, obviously they have their own domestic abuse disputes. There are athletes there that are outliers. But in general, I do appreciate the fact that honestly, like many of the hockey teams out there, the UFC does not feed into that performative bullshit. They're not actively trying to soften their image and make the elite screeching media class like them. Or to cover up for the fact that a man accused by 24 women who has 134 documented arrests got the biggest NFL deal in history at the time. But love is love. Hate has no place here. Ignore the fact that he was beating up people and abusing them, like, it's just ridiculous. But yeah, yeah, ufc, really? That's the toxic league out there. Like, instead of all that bs, these fighters, they show up, they work, and in many cases, they use their strength for good, to try to make the world a better, safer place. And the reason why they are able to do that is because of their strength, because they are used to getting in the ring, fighting essentially to the death, being in these high adrenaline intense situations so they can run in and take down an active shooter, so they can run into it a burning building, so they can stop a man who is trying to crash a plane on Frontier Airlines. So, yeah, if that is toxic masculinity, then I am here for it. We all should be.

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