C. T. Ali Fletcher (born June 8, 1959) is an American
vlogger
A vlog (), also known as a video blog or video log, is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one ta ...
, media personality, actor, personal trainer, and former powerlifter and bodybuilder. He is a three-time World Bench Press Champion and three-time World Strict Curl Champion.
Early life
Fletcher was born in
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff, officially the City of Pine Bluff, is the List of municipalities in Arkansas, tenth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, Jefferson County. The population of the city wa ...
, on June 8, 1959, the son of Ogie Rea and Walter Fletcher. He has an older brother named Walt. At the time of his birth, his mother was a housewife and his father was a field worker. When he was one year old, he and his family moved to
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...
, where they settled in
Watts
Watts is plural for ''watt'', the unit of power.
Watts may also refer to:
People
*Watts (surname), a list of people with the surname Watts
Fictional characters
*Albie Watts, a fictional character in the British soap opera ''EastEnders''
*Angie ...
and later
Compton. He grew up with an abusive father who, at the time, was preaching in a four-car garage. When he began junior high, they had moved to nearby
Lakewood, where his father invested in his own church. At age 12, Fletcher acquired a job at a gas station.
In 1977, aged 18, he joined the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
and was stationed in Germany. While there, he became interested in martial arts. In 1979, he started to take
Karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
classes and earned a second degree black belt. In 1980, he began
weightlifting
Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells, barbells or machines. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can ...
and
bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is the practice of Resistance training, progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's skeletal muscle, muscles via muscle hypertrophy, hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to a ...
. At first, he was interested in bodybuilding, but then
powerlifting
Powerlifting is a competitive strength athletics, strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: Squat (exercise), squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athle ...
caught his interest.
Career
In 2013, Fletcher started his
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel. In 2016, he opened his own gym called Iron Addicts Gym.
Personal life
Fletcher resides in
Signal Hill, California
Signal Hill is a city in area in Los Angeles County, California. Located high on a hill, the city is an enclave completely surrounded by the city of Long Beach. Signal Hill was incorporated on April 22, 1924, roughly three years after oil was ...
. He was previously married to his high school sweetheart, with whom he had children. The marriage ended in the early 1990s, and he later married a woman he had met while working at the post office. In 1995, they had a child named Samson. In total, he and his wife have seven children.
Health
In 2001, Fletcher received a phone call from his doctor regarding his hypertension and how it could be life-threatening. His body had taken a major hit and he was disabled at age 42. In 2004, his mother died from
congestive heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood.
Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...
. The following year, he was admitted to a hospital in
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
; from there, he was transported to
UCI Medical Center for open-heart surgery. He inherited a heart condition from his mother that has heavily impacted his life; his mother and all nine of her siblings died from heart problems.
In 2005, he underwent life-saving
open heart surgery. On an episode of ''
The Joe Rogan Experience
''The Joe Rogan Experience'' is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It was initiated on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban, who was its sole co-host and produce ...
'', he revealed that he had suffered another heart attack in June 2017, and was hoping to get on the waiting list for a heart transplant.
On May 5, 2018, he announced via
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
that a heart had been found for him. The next day, he underwent a heart transplant surgery that lasted for over 11 hours.
Filmography
* 2002 – ''Gangster Party'' as Sam
* 2004 – ''I Accidentally Domed Your Son'' as Ray Ray
* 2004 – ''
Bank Brothers'' as Clarence's Father
* 2007 – ''The Hit'' as Big G Rock
* 2013 – ''Just Kidding Films'' as CT
* 2015 – ''CT Fletcher: My Magnificent Obsession'' as CT Fletcher
* 2016 – ''
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' as Inmate Thug
* 2017 – ''Maxx Yeager: Black Ops'' as Big Rich
See also
*
List of world championships medalists in powerlifting (men)
This is a list of IPF world championships medalists in classic powerlifting
Powerlifting is a competitive strength athletics, strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: Squat (exercise), squat, bench press, ...
*
Powerlifting at the World Games
Powerlifting has been part of every World Games since the inaugural World Games 1981, 1981 World Games held in Santa Clara, California.
Medalists Men Lightweight
Middleweight
Heavyweight
Super Heavyweight
−52 kg
−56 kg
−60 kg
−75 ...
Bibliography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, C.T.
American powerlifters
American Internet celebrities
American male bodybuilders
American male film actors
American video bloggers
Living people
1959 births
American male bloggers
20th-century American sportsmen