Tony Hawk is, inarguably, one of the biggest names in pro sports.
The iconic skater—the only skate boarding legend lots of people outside the sport know by name—has moved beyond just his sport and into video games, TV, voice work, etc... As much as the world knows Tony Hawk's name, most people have no idea what he looks like unless he's got a skateboard in his hands.
Seriously.
i'm so confused that people know what tony hawk looks like\n\nlike, if you pointed at any random dude and was like "YO THAT'S TONY HAWK" convincingly enough i'd probably believe you, knowing nothing about him but his name— Eniko Fox (@Eniko Fox) 1589620463
He really does pull off the "generic white guy" look.— Kirsten @ Video Games as Literature | she/her (@Kirsten @ Video Games as Literature | she/her) 1589621493
i refuse to believe anyone is actually recognising tony hawk bcos who tf even knows what he looks like— ezza\ud83c\udf42 (@ezza\ud83c\udf42) 1649409913
I still have no idea what Tony Hawk looks like— bumi (@bumi) 1649364165
Tony Hawk having people tell him he "kinda looks like Tony Hawk"—even when looking at his ID—is a thing that happens so often his fan-base has turned it into a recurring joke.
It might be everyone's favorite thing.
It\u2019s so funny how everyone tells tony hawk he looks like tony hawk but I genuinely don\u2019t know what he looks like no matter how many pics of him I see— thee miss mary mack \u03b5\u0457\u0437 (@thee miss mary mack \u03b5\u0457\u0437) 1649383919
tony hawk really gets \u201cmistaken\u201d for tony hawk like it\u2019s nobody\u2019s business and my favorite part is that so many people who say he looks like tony hawk take way too long to realize that\u2019s exactly who he is lmfao— lo (@lo) 1649350789
I love that people think Tony Hawk only looks vaguely like himself, not enough for people to believe they\u2019ve actually met him, but enough for them to tell him he looks a bit like himself— Georgia (@Georgia) 1649426612
It happened again.
This time, the joke circled back on itself when he was recognized by some fans in an elevator. They played into the joke, but it confused a third person—who then informed Tony Hawk he looks like Tony Hawk.
As he always does when this happens, Tony told Twitter.
This just happened, and maybe this is where it all ends:\nGot an elevator with 3 people.\nOne guy (with his wife), sarcastically: \u201canyone ever tell you you\u2026\u201d and stops.\nMe (amused): yes, but you\u2019re the first today.\nHis wife: \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I tried to stop him from doing the joke\u201d— Tony Hawk (@Tony Hawk) 1649306465
(elevator stops, couple exits to their floor)\nOther guy: \u201cwhat\u2019s the joke?\u201d\nMe: I get mistaken identity a lot\nHim: \u201cmistaken for who?\u201d\nMe: Tony Hawk\nHim: \u201chaha you do look like him!\u201d\nElevator stops again, he exits on his floor. I am left alone, heading upwards & feeling perplexed— Tony Hawk (@Tony Hawk) 1649306466
Here we go again...
You need to sell a T-shirt with your picture on it that says \u201cThis is what Tony Hawk looks like\u201d. Send the proceeds to your favorite charity.— Scott (@Scott) 1649310299
At this point I\u2019ve just started calling every white male stranger I see Tony Hawk just in casehttps://twitter.com/tonyhawk/status/1511927017431785472\u00a0\u2026— El (@El) 1649419899
pic.twitter.com/7qmivlCBQs— \ufe0e\ufe0e (@\ufe0e\ufe0e) 1649306882
I regularly look at photos of Tony Hawks face just in case I ever accidentally run into him.https://twitter.com/tonyhawk/status/1511927017431785472\u00a0\u2026— Ed (@Ed) 1649357502
You almost have to be holding a Skateboard to believe it\u2026 you know\u2026 like when it\u2019s pouring rain but that lighting strike confirms the storm— Kangtut (@Kangtut) 1649326047
This is something else the joke has become apart of the proplem. I just want to give him a hug at this point, but I might hug the wrong guy by mistakehttps://twitter.com/tonyhawk/status/1511927017431785472\u00a0\u2026— Thomas Watters (@Thomas Watters) 1649404603
I'm really enjoying "The Tony Hawk Paradox" in which you simultaneously are and are not Tony Hawk at any given time.— The Greek Geek (@The Greek Geek) 1649350812
have an irrational fear i\u2019ll see him in public and not know its himhttps://twitter.com/tonyhawk/status/1511927017431785472\u00a0\u2026— diego (@diego) 1649336170
The real Tony Hawk just grinds his skateboard up the side of the building.— KingSalmon (@KingSalmon) 1649316273
Tony Hawk kind of looking like Tony Hawk enough that he regularly gets told he looks like Tony Hawk—but not actually being recognized as Tony Hawk—is one of those things that highlights how surreal celebrity life really is.
But part of the reason fans love Tony Hawk so much is because he happily shares that sort of stuff with them.
His Twitter account is a window into the weird, and we can't get enough.
