Jay Shetty is a popular life coach. He has been praised by several celebrities, including Michelle Obama, Matt Damon, and Gwyneth Paltrow
The well-known life coach Jay Shetty gathered a sizable fan base in 2016 when he started posting motivational films. Shetty was born in London and raised there by his Indian parents.
His website says, “During his school years, Jay Shetty spent vacations living with monks in India, immersing himself in their wisdom and teachings.”
Shetty is famous among and has been complimented by several celebrities, including Michelle Obama, Matt Damon, and Gwyneth Paltrow. He even officiated the wedding of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.
Shetty’s claims had discrepancies
Recently, however, journalist John McDermott has asserted that Shetty’s background is not as amazing as it appears to be. In an article released in The Guardian, McDermott claimed he was commissioned to compose a profile for Esquire, and during his research, he noticed that many of Shetty’s claims had discrepancies.
Shetty has often shared his life’s story on talk shows. He has also written about it in two of his best-selling books. During his time in business school, he had a major spiritual awakening after attending a talk by Gauranga Das, a monk. He also said he studied at an ashram in India for three years.
‘Changes his age..’
However, McDermott found many discrepancies in the story. He said that Shetty’s ages differ in his talks. At times, he says he was 18, and on other occasions, he claims that he was 21 or 22. Shetty’s legal team and Gauranga Das confirmed that the talk took place in 2007, which would mean Shetty was 19 or 20 at the time.
Travel to India??
Many people who knew Shetty at the time said he did stay in India, but not for as much time as he claims. According to some of his former associates, he did not spend the majority of his time as a monk in Mumbai, but rather at Bhaktivedanta Manor, an estate outside of London. As per Das and Shetty’s legal team, he was only there for a few months before relocating to India.
Nonetheless, Shetty referred to Bhaktivedanta as his primary ashram in a trip journal he maintained at the time. He discussed in a 2011 post about returning from “almost four months in India” before hanging out at London’s City University and “distributing flyers and books on the streets all over the UK and enjoying festivals!”
‘Saw him in sweatpants more’
Shetty has personally claimed that, at one point in time, he became completely disconnected from society. So much so that, when he rejoined civilization, he had no idea who the prime minister was.
Some people have dismissed these claims, saying Shetty spent a lot of this time filming viral YouTube videos in London. “I saw him in sweatpants more than I saw him in robes,” one associate said.
Accused of plagiarism
Shetty has also been accused of plagiarism over several years. Several creators claimed he did not ask permission to repost their content on Instagram or pay for it.