Chris Cormier Discusses PMMA Controversy After Viral Instagram Post on ‘The Menace Podcast’

On episode 267 of ‘The Menace Podcast’ host Dennis James wanted to get to the bottom of a controversial image that regular guest Chris Cormier shared on his Instagram account, depicting himself in a Godfather-style pose with four-time Olympia Women’s Physique champion Sarah Villegas behind him. What caught people’s attention was the fact that a fake bottle of PMMA was placed in front of them. But why?

The existence of the counterfeit bottle of PMMA was clearly a nod to recent controversies in the sport of bodybuilding. 2025 Olympia runner-up Derek Lunsford was forced to deny using the muscle filler, while 2025 Olympia runner-up Sarah Villegas raised what she said was hypothetical comments after losing her title to Natalia Coelho. On the November 27, 2025 episode of Prime Time Muscle, Chris Cormier expressed his own concerns about athletes pursuing muscle fullness by any meanswhich leads to the suggestive image.

Denis James presses Chris Cormier on “PMMA” image

“Sarah’s whole point was to shade Natalia for getting hit,” James suggested. “I don’t think there is any other reason,” he added, trying to understand the situation. In response, Cormier said the image was not specifically about Natalia. ‘First and foremost, I want to say: Natalia, to me [in] In a crazy state, she had one of the best poses of the competition,” Cormier replied. “She was the winner of the competition. I don’t want to take any of that away. I just want to get that out of the way because I know she doesn’t deserve that (shade).

Cormier went on to explain that he never plans to target individual athletes, but he does feel a responsibility to raise the issue of fillers because he has seen young bodybuilders damage their bodies by tampering with substances they should stay away from. “It’s very sensitive to me, this whole thing,” Cormier said. “It’s not about what we did in the ’90s, it’s about what we walked away from, what we learned. In the ’90s we tried to convey that to the next generation. It’s not about ‘oh, did something, he did something.’ To me, it’s not about that, but it’s a sensitive subject because I want us to leave this journey, our fitness journey, and leave this thing unscathed as much as possible.”

To watch the full conversation, in which Dennis further questioned James Cormier about his decision to collaborate on the Instagram post, plus the gang discussing other current bodybuilding news, see below.