Ethan ‘The Shirtless Wonder’ Renoe: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

One man braved a rainstorm in Chicago on the night of December 13 and became a viral sensation. Jogger Ethan Renoe, who has been dubbed “The Shirtless Wonder,” was running in the rain without a shirt when he was stopped and interviewed for WGN. The station posted the video (above) to their Facebook page where it it garnered more than 1 million views in less than 24 hours.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Renoe Says That Since the Video Aired, He’s Received 1,000 Friend Requests & Been Asked Out on Dates Dozens of Times

In a follow-up interview with WGN the day after his video went viral, Renoe said “It’s really been crazy. I have about 900 friends requests right now.” He added that he’s been asked out multiple times. When asked on TV if he was “looking for love,” he replied “I am.”

2. Jesus Christ Is a Big Part of His Life

According to his website, Renoe is a “student of experiences.” He adds that he is “Not necessarily of a specific institution or denomination, but of life and of the Lord Jesus Christ” and “I’m an artist, a traveler, and the Lord speaks to me in poems.” Renoe is a student at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. In 2014, the school’s website published an article which said that Renoe was offering “Free Prayer” to the public. That piece says that Renoe is a communications major from Littleton, Colorado.

3. He’s a Self-Confessed Porn Addict

(Screengrab via WGN)

Renoe writes regularly about his experiences traveling and living in Chicago on his blog. In two posts, he wrote about his struggles with an addiction to pornography. He says that in watching porn he “lost sight of how love is meant to be reciprocated, not absorbed. I lose the sensation of the warmth, smell, and feel of another human body.” Renoe adds, “porn has taken me further away from other humans, so has it trained my brain to be distant from the Lord.” In a September 2015 posting he explicitly states “I am a porn addict.”

Another regular topic on his website is physical fitness, in the about section Renoe says that he works as a personal trainer. In June 2014, Renoe got official certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine to become a personal trainer.

4. He’s Causing a Storm on Twitter, With Many Users More Interested in His Christianity Than His Body

As his viral star continues to rise, Renoe has become a trending topic on Twitter in Chicago. Many users are more interested in his Christianity than his pecks. On his personal Twitter page, Renoe advises his followers “Don’t be a Nancy.”

Here are some of the best and funniest tweets about Renoe’s sudden rise to fame:

5. He’s a Published Author

Renoe’s book Leaving Weather. (EthanRenoe.com)

On Blurb.com, you can buy Renoe’s book Leaving Weather. It’s described as:

There are no mathematics to the spiritual life. There’s no step-by-step manual to doing life as a human. This is a poetic and artistic journey through several years of my life. Here are pictures and text from my thoughts and experiences the past handful of years.

In a short blurb about the author, it reads:

Ethan Renoe is a student. Not necessarily of any specific school or denomination, but of experience. He has lived on six out of the seven continents, had 19 part-time jobs, and done four consecutive one-armed pull-ups. He has not fallen in love, but he did fall in the pool twice while he was lifeguarding.