Woke Team USA members expressed “mixed emotions” about representing the Stars and Stripes at the Winter Olympics, sparking calls by some Americans to boycott the Games.

Freestyle skier Hunter Hess ignited the firestorm Friday after telling reporters that wearing the American flag doesn’t mean he backs everything “going on” in the US.

“It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now,” Hess said at a press conference ahead of competition.

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Olympic freestyle skier Hunter Hess told reporters he has “mixed emotions” about wearing the Stars and Stripes, prompting calls for him — and other outspoken athletes — to be pulled from Team USA.Reuters

“It’s a little hard, there’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of and I think a lot of people aren’t,” he added. “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the US.”

Fellow Team USA freestyle skier Chris Lillis also chimed in, griping about immigration enforcement and protests in the Land of the Free.

“I’m heartbroken about what’s happening in the United States,” Lillis said. “I think that as a country we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we are treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect.”

“I hope that when people look at athletes compete in the Olympics they realize that that’s the America that we’re trying to represent,” he added.

Team USA figure skater Amber Glenn also weighed in earlier in the week, expressing concern about the Trump administration.“Politics affects us all,” Glenn told reporters. “It is something I will not just be quiet about.”

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Hess, 27, is a veteran of the U.S. freestyle circuit, hailing from Bend, Oregon, with multiple World Cup and X Games podiums. He has been on the national team since 2017 and competes in the halfpipe.Getty Images
The remarks, especially from Hess, rocketed across social media like a bobsled Saturday, with critics accused the Olympians of trashing the country they’re supposed to represent and vowing to boycott the Games.

“This privileged athlete’s comments clearly show that he puts himself far above his country in this competition,” one user on X wrote. “His comments are an insult to Team USA and the spirit of the Olympics. Cut.”

“When you wear the Stars and Stripes, you represent ALL of us — not just the parts you like,” another commenter wrote.

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Mike Eruzione, US hockey team gold medal winner in the Men’s ice hockey tournament, the ‘Miracle on Ice’, at the 1980 Winter Olympics / XIII Olympic Winter Games, Olympic Fieldhouse.Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
“’Mixed emotions?’ Then stay home and let someone who loves this country shine.”

Another fumed that Hess’ “whole purpose in being there is to REPRESENT the USA,” adding that if he has mixed feelings, “there are other skiers that would love to be there.”

Others said the comments were enough to make them stop watching altogether.

“You know what? I’m going to go on ahead and turn it off right now,” one critic on X wrote, tagging the Olympics’ official account.

“I was already planning not to watch; this just seals the deal!” another added.

“YOU chose to wear our flag. YOU chose to represent our country. YOU chose to compete at the @Olympics,” Donalds (R-Fla.) wrote on X. “If that’s too hard for you, then GO HOME. Some things are bigger than politics. You just don’t get it.”

The woke takes also enraged Mike Eruzione, the former “Miracle on Ice” captain from the iconic gold medal 1980 U.S. men’s hockey team.

“Hunter Hess US snowboarder saying he doesn’t represent his country but his family and friends,” Eruzione wrote on X. “Then don’t put on the USA uniform maybe just put for family and friends some athletes just don’t get it.”

Hess, 27, is a veteran of the U.S. freestyle circuit, hailing from Bend, Oregon, with multiple World Cup and X Games podiums. He has been on the national team since 2017 and competes in the halfpipe.

Lillis, 27, of Rochester, N.Y., won gold in the mixed team aerials event in the 2022 Beijing Olympics; Glenn, 26, the three-time reigning U.S. figure skating champion, hails from Plano, Texas.
Critics suggested they pack their skis and skates.

“All these athletes should be pulled from the team,” another wrote. “You don’t go to the Olympics and trash your country.”

The backlash comes as the Milan-Cortina Games are already under scrutiny, with protests and political tensions spilling into Olympic venues and broadcasts.