TechnologyJune 8, 2026

PE Guy: The Viral Satire of Private Equity

Easy Medium Hard

② Start Lesson

Key Vocabulary

private equity/ˌpraɪvət ˈɛkwɪti/

companies that buy and manage other companies for profit

"PE Guy jokes about private equity people."

podcast/ˈpɑd.kæst/

a recorded show you can listen to online

"He has a podcast called Due To My Role."

merch/mɜːrtʃ/

short for merchandise; things sold with a brand or logo

"His hats and shirts are popular merch."

Listening

PE Guy: The Viral Satire of Private Equity

Johnny Hilbrant Partridge is a fitness instructor in Boston who created PE Guy. He started the PE Guy character in March 2025 after seeing the same rich-person bragging at parties. PE Guy uses a Snapchat filter and a silly voice to act like a private equity worker.

His videos became popular and he now has about 200,000 followers. He sells hats and other merch that have often sold out. He also makes paid Cameo videos and has started a podcast called Due To My Role. He still teaches classes at Barry's and SoulCycle. He lives in Wellesley with his husband.

100 words

Quiz

1. Who created PE Guy?

2. When did he start the PE Guy character?

3. Where does he teach fitness classes?

Reading Practice

Read the article from the Listening section aloud. Your AI teacher will give you pronunciation feedback.

Discussion

Do you follow any comedians on social media? Why or why not?

Have you ever met someone who talks only about money or travel? What happened?

What do you think about people selling hats or t-shirts for a joke character?