Influencer Clavicular Abruptly Exits ‘60 Minutes’ Interview After Reporter Brings Up Incels
A 60 Minutes Australia interview with Clavicular, one of the internet’s most prominent looksmaxxing influencers, ended abruptly on April 12 after correspondent Adam Hegarty asked the 20-year-old whether he identifies as an incel.
The question, rooted in the origins of the term “looksmaxxing” itself, didn’t sit well with the influencer.
Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, is widely viewed as a leading figure in the looksmaxxing community, an online movement of young men pursuing methods to maximize their physical attractiveness.
The interview, which came two days before Peters was hospitalized over a suspected overdose, lasted for 50 minutes. The tense exchange caused Peters to walk off set.
What Does ‘Looksmaxxing’ Mean?
Clinical psychologist Dr. Rachel Needle described the practice to NBC Miami earlier this month.
“Looksmaxxing is basically trying to maximize physical attractiveness. There’s the less extreme, and then it goes to extreme. I call it soft maxxing and hard maxxing.”
The word “looksmaxxing” originated in incel communities online before spreading to mainstream social media platforms.
The Anti-Defamation League defines incels as “heterosexual men who blame women and society for their lack of romantic success.” It was that lineage Hegarty was asking about when he put the question to Peters directly.
“Do you identify with that group? How do you feel about being linked to that group of people?” Hegarty asked.
Peters first objected to the placement of the question, which came after Hegarty had asked about his relationships with women.
“Do I identify as an incel? How could you ask me that question as a follow-up after you asked me about my relationships to women? I mean, that’s quite literally the worst sequence of questions I think I’ve ever heard,” Peters said.
Clavicular Says ‘Looksmaxxing’ Is ‘Self Improvement’
Hegarty rephrased the question, noting that “looksmaxxing” originated as a term in the incel community and asking how Peters felt about the association.
Peters denied any connection and framed looksmaxxing as a practice designed to help men move beyond that label.
“I’m not linked to that group in any way,” Peters said. “Looksmaxxing is self improvement, right? So it’s about potentially even ascending out of that category. So that would be kind of one of the goals is to disassociate from being an incel and overcome that. So that doesn’t make sense.”
Clavicular Walks Out After Andrew Tate Question
Hegarty followed up by asking Peters why he spends time with controversial figures like Andrew Tate.
Peters accused the correspondent of trying to make the interview political, then made a hostile personal remark — suggesting he could have researched “who your wife cheated with.”
Peters had used the same tactic in a previous interview with Piers Morgan. Hegarty clarified on camera that he is not married.
Peters then offered a sarcastic parting line and left the set.
“So I could teach you about looksmaxxing, and then maybe you could switch that up. Thanks for the time, appreciate the interview,” Peters said before having his microphone removed.
Response From Braden Peters’ Team
A spokesperson for Peters defended the walkoff in a statement to People, framing it as a deliberate response to a line of questioning the influencer considered out of bounds.
“When the journalist pressed him on a topic that isn’t of his expertise, Clavicular shut him down. Clavicular is young, but he understands the media, and he can spot a dishonest reporter when he sees one,” the spokesperson told People.
The spokesperson said Clavicular is an expert on looksmaxxing, not politics, and ended the interview when pressed outside that expertise.
The exchange has drawn attention to the unresolved question of how the looksmaxxing community — now reaching millions of young men through mainstream platforms — relates to the incel forums where its vocabulary first took hold.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
