Viral Male ‘Karen’ Video Shows Irate Tennessee Man Breaking Teen’s Fishing Rod

A video has gone viral on TikTok that shows an older man breaking the rod of a teenage fisherman in Tennessee.

The video was first published on the TikTok page, @Fishn_shi, which dubbed the man a “Karen.” The video’s caption reads, “Drunk Karen breaks my $200 @St.CroixRods #karen #fishing #fishtok #viral.” The video, which has more than 18 million views, also used the hashtag #karensgonewild and #karensoftiktok. You can watch the video below. The page has more than 65,000 followers. “Bass, inshore, nearshore, and surf fisherman,” it says.

However, it could not verified that the man in the videos was actually intoxicated. He may not have been, although, in part 3, he says, “You’re right, I had a drink. Is that against the law dumb [expletive].” In one of the videos, the man angrily tells the teens they are fishing on “private property.” Be forewarned that the videos – there are three versions – contain graphic language.

The New York Post described the man as an “HOA president” in a July 6 article.

The TikTok video gives the location as Tennessee, and people in the comment thread said it happened in Knoxville.

The video has more than 800,000 likes on TikTok. In a comment, the TikTok page owner said the incident occurred “in a neighborhood called Admirals Landing.” The TikTok creator also wrote, “I know it was wild. Cops came.” It’s not clear whether the police took any action against the man or the teens.

People on X and in the comment thread have named the man, but Heavy has not been able to verify his identity and is not printing the name that is circulating. Heavy has contacted Knoxville police for further details.

The Man Tells the Teen Boys to ‘Get Out of Here’ After Snapping a Fishing Rod, the Video Shows

In the first video, the man, wearing khaki pants and a green T shirt that says “Tennessee Strong,” approaches the teens as they fish. An affluent subdivision is seen in the background of the video.

“Don’t [expletive] take my rod,” one of the teen says as the man breaks the rod.

“You’re trespassing on private property, young man. Leave, leave,” the man says, getting close to one of the boys and saying, “You want that phone to go in the lake? Get out of there.”

One of the boys says he’s waiting for the police to come, and the man says, “Leave.”

“I’m not assaulting you,” the man continues. “Get out of here. Get out of here. You’re fishing in a private lake. Get the hell out of here now.”

The man adds: “Your parents are going to be real proud of that. We’re going to prosecute you and you’re going to pay all kinds of money because you’re being a dick.” The man continues to rage, “Get out of here.”

The TikTok page, which contains many videos of fishing, also posted a second video. In the second video, the man asks, “Your parents live in this neighborhood?

“He knows everybody,” a woman says of the man, adding, “what’s your real name, buddy.”

“I’ll tell the police that,” the boy responds.

“He’s the president, and he’s lived there for years. He knows every family in here,” says the woman.

“Your parents will be proud of you,” the man says. The teens say they are 15.

People in the Comment Thread Have Dubbed the Man ‘HOA Larry’

People rushed to the teens’ defense in the comment thread.

“‘Why don’t kids play outside anymore.’ Because of HOA Larry that’s why,” wrote one comment writer.

“What happen to old grandpas saying, ‘did ya catch anything??’” commented another. “Why pick on kids who are just fishing,” another person lamented.

“That man is out of control,” wrote another user.

“These kids are so respectful! Proud of you boys for remaining polite in this situation (and filming it). This is insane,” another person wrote.

But some people sided with the man. “As they should have. You’re trespassing. Good luck with the charges” wrote a woman.

Another person wrote, “It’s his property and his liability should something happen to those kids. He has every right to make them leave.”

But another comment writer noted. “I just found a house for sale in that area. Their quarterly hoa fee is $514./00. These are nearly million dollar homes. They don’t care about ‘regular kids.’ You’d be welcome on my pond any day.”

Jessica McBride is a news, sports, and entertainment reporter covering breaking news, politics sports, entertainment, and crime for Heavy. She is a former reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Waukesha Freeman newspapers in Wisconsin and is a senior journalism instructor at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. More about Jessica McBride