Hemsley, who founded the popular cookie franchise in 2017, revealed that he’s faced online speculation about people “trying to define me, twist things, and share conversations in ways that feel harmful” and instead sharing his news “in my own words.”

“The truth is, over the past few years I’ve come to understand and accept that I’m gay,” Hemsley captioned in a social media post that showed him hugging one of his dogs on Monday. “It’s taken me a long time to really process this part of myself and even longer to feel comfortable enough to say it out loud.”

Crumbl co-founder Sawyer Hemsley came out as gay in an Instagram post. Sawyer Hemsley/Instagram

Hemsley’s Instagram post came days after influencers on TikTok went viral for posting videos that speculated about his personal life.

Influencer Grant Gibbs sparked a viral conversation on Aug. 21 when he posted a TikTok video alleging “that man is so gay.”

The video received over 1.5 million views and caused other social media users to create their own content that speculated about Hemsley’s sex life.

“For most of my life, I didn’t have the clarity to answer the questions or respond to the rumors,” Hemsley continued. “Coming to terms with it has been overwhelming and, at times, scary — but it has also brought me peace, joy, and authenticity that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

Hemsley shared that uncovering his truth was not an easy path.

“I grew up with values and beliefs that I still deeply love and respect, which made this journey more complicated,” Hemsley added. “But I remain grateful for my foundation, even as I’ve worked to embrace this truth about myself.”

Hemsley addressed his sexuality after rumors about his personal life spread online. Sawyer Hemsley/Instagram

Hemsley co-founded Crumbl Cookies with his cousin in 2017. Getty Images for The Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation

Hemsley grew up in Southeastern Idaho and served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico while in college at Utah State, according to a 2022 interview in the school’s magazine.

The baking businessman hoped that coming out as gay would be met with “kindness, empathy and love.”

Hemsley continued, “At the end of the day, I’m deeply thankful: for the opportunities I’ve had, for the people who support me, and for the chance to live and share my story. It’s a journey of growth and honesty, and one I’ll never stop being grateful for.”

During his senior year at Utah State, Hemsley and his cousin Jason McGowan created the idea for Crumbl Cookies.

The businessman said “coming to terms” with his sexuality has brought him “peace” and “joy.” Sawyer Hemsley/Instagram

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The duo opened up their first shop in 2017, a year before Hemsley graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies with minors in marketing and multimedia development.

The cousins had “zero experience” in baking before they pursued the sweet venture, according to McGowan’s Instagram post on Aug. 11.

Crumbl has 1,071 locations worldwide and sells 1 million desserts daily, per the Crumbl website.

Hemsley has since opened businesses like Crust Club, Polar Bear Eats Drive-In and Rockhill Cheese.

The post Crumbl boss Sawyer Hemsley comes out as gay after rumors about his sexuality surged online appeared first on Our Story Insight.

The auto industry witnessed a different kind of March madness last month as buyers flocked to dealerships to lock in deals before President Trump’s auto tariffs lift prices by thousands of dollars, several carmakers said.

“This past weekend was by far the best weekend I’ve seen in a very long time,” Randy Parker, the chief executive of Hyundai Motor North America, told reporters on Tuesday. The company reported a 13 percent increase in March sales on Monday compared with a year earlier.

Ford Motor said Monday its March sales at dealerships rose 19 percent. However, Ford’s sales during the overall quarter slipped 1 percent, to about 500,000 vehicles, because of a decline in sales to fleet customers, the company said.

General Motors did not provide a separate figure for March, but reported that sales in the first quarter rose 17 percent from a year earlier, to 693,000 vehicles.

Mr. Trump said last week that he would impose 25 percent tariffs on imported vehicles, effective Thursday. The tariffs will be extended to imported auto parts on May 3. Many cars made in U.S. factories contain parts made abroad, frequently exceeding 50 percent of the vehicle’s value. Analysts estimate that carmakers will have to increase prices of some models by more than $10,000 to compensate for the new levies.

G.M., Ford and Hyundai reported increases in sales of electric vehicles and hybrids. G.M. said its sales of vehicles powered solely by batteries almost doubled, to 32,000 cars, as the electric version of the Equinox sport utility vehicle became widely available. With a starting price of about $35,000, the Equinox is one of the most affordable electric vehicles available in the United States.

Ford said that sales of hybrid vehicles rose 33 percent and that sales of electric vehicles like the Mustang Mach-E rose 12 percent. Sales of cars with internal combustion engines during the quarter fell 5 percent.

Hyundai said that sales of hybrids soared 68 percent while sales of pure electric vehicles rose 3 percent.

Mr. Parker of Hyundai said he could not estimate what impact tariffs would have on the company’s prices. Hyundai and its sister company, Kia, have factories in Georgia and Alabama but they import substantial numbers of vehicles from South Korea.

“We haven’t made any firm decisions yet,” Mr. Parker said. But he added, “Don’t wait to buy tomorrow what you can buy today.”

The post Auto Sales Surged in Anticipation of Trump’s Tariffs appeared first on Our Story Insight.