VisuWell CEO Sam Johnson Denies Harassing Boy Over Prom Dress in Viral Video

The CEO of a telemedicine company has denied harassing a teenage boy over his prom dress in a viral video of the confrontation, which has prompted accusations of homophobia and renewed outrage over intolerance for men choosing to wear dresses.

In the video filmed by the teenager's boyfriend, VisuWell CEO Sam Johnson can be seen arguing with a visibly upset high schooler wearing a floor-length red tulle gown at a hotel in Tennessee.

High school senior Dalton Stevens can be heard telling Johnson: "I chose what I wanna wear so you can f*** off," to which the man retorts: "Is that right?" Stevens then walks away from Johnson, who subsequently follows, stands near the high schooler and says: "You look like an idiot."

The distressed teenager shouts "F*** off" at Johnson and "Get the f*** away from me."

Johnson then appears to try smacking the phone of Stevens' boyfriend Jacob Geittmann. In a pair of TikTok videos giving his side of the story, Geittman said Johnson swung at his phone and missed, instead hitting Stevens on the back.

The video ends with off-camera voices of appears to be adults pleading with a smiling Johnson to stop, with one telling him: "It's just prom. It's kids, it's a bunch of kids. Come on, dude."

Also off-camera, Stevens can be heard saying "I'm sorry, I'm gorgeous," to which Johnson replies: "Are you?"

Geittmann, a college student, said Stevens decided to wear a dress to prom in an effort to "break the stigma around men wearing dresses."

"He looked gorgeous, everybody loved it, nobody had a problem with it," he said on TikTok.

Geittmann said Johnson began harassing his boyfriend with "homophobic banter" as the couple was about to leave the hotel, where they took photos.

"This man comes up, stands about an inch behind my boyfriend and asks 'What are you wearing?' and he's like 'A dress, why?' and he's like 'Well why are you wearing that? You shouldn't be wearing that,'" Geittmann said.

After Stevens stood by his outfit choice, Johnson began going "on and on" about the boy looking "disgusting," "ridiculous" and "an idiot," according to his boyfriend. It is unclear what happens before, during or after the video that has gone viral.

Geittmann said he first recorded the incident on his phone, but the VisuWell CEO successfully hit the device out of his hand. The video that is now viral appears to show Geittmann's second attempt at filming.

Geittmann said once hotel staff intervened, Johnson feigned ignorance and denied accosting the couple.

"He pretends like he has absolutely no clue what's going on, he's standing there, he's like 'I've just been standing here the whole time, I don't know what's going on, I didn't try to talk to them, I didn't hit them, I didn't try to smack his phone out of his hand,'" Geittmann recounted.

"I'm like, 'Dude, I have a minute-long video of you harassing us, you can't just blatantly deny it like that.'"

Geittmann, who alleged Johnson was visibly intoxicated, said hotel staff eventually expelled him from the premises and called the police.

Geittmann first posted his video of the incident, which reportedly took place on Saturday, on TikTok, but said the platform took it down twice over "harassment and bullying."

In response to a Newsweek inquiry, Johnson denied the allegations as "entirely false," saying the confrontation "wasn't anything personal or involving a dress," rather "about obnoxious, loud behavior by this group of teens."

Johnson said he had approached the teenagers to request they "tone down the vulgarities around the families and children who were present," including his own.

"We had just sat down for dinner at this restaurant that we frequent, and I was returning from the restroom when I was presented with their loud cursing," Johnson told Newsweek. "Making it about the dress was their idea and they edited out most of the exchange."

"I have no ill will towards anyone or their personal choices, so long as it does not harm me or my family," he added.

Johnson added his family left the establishment of their own free will.

The controversy recalls an online firestorm that took place late last year, when conservative commentators—chief among them Candace Owens—repeatedly lambasted British singer Harry Styles over his choice to wear a dress for a Vogue photoshoot.

Tennessee has also provoked the ire of LGBTQ+ advocates, as it has joined multiple states in a recent wave of legislation targeting transgender people.

Last month, Tennessee banned transgender female athletes from competing on gender-affirming teams. The state is also considering a bill that allows students to sue schools if they encounter a person using facilities—such as bathrooms or changing rooms—designated for the gender "opposite" to the one they were assigned at birth.