Ryan Lochte Appears To Shade His Estranged Wife During Messy Divorce By Sharing This Kanye West Song

Olympian Ryan Lochte appears to be sharing a shady message amid his contentious divorce from his estranged wife, Kayla Lochte. On Instagram, the gold medalist and father of three shared a post to his Stories, revealing an old-school song may be hitting closer to home for him right now than when it was released in the early aughts. Check it out below.

Ryan uploaded a screenshot of himself listening to Kanye West's 2005 single "Gold Digger" to his Instagram Stories.

The post highlighted the words, "Oh, she's a gold digger," while the remaining lyrics appeared blurred out.

Ryan also captioned the post, "Always [a] good time to listen to the classics."

Ryan's post comes just months after his estranged wife, Kayla, announced online that she was filing for divorce from the elite athlete after trying to navigate their challenging relationship, per The Blast.

"Sometimes we face trials we didn't choose or see coming. And in those moments, we're forced to make the hardest decisions to protect our peace, our children, and our future. I've come to the understanding that staying isn't always the most loving decision someone can make. For me, leaving was an act of love — for those around me and for myself," she said.

Since announcing their plans to separate, details of Kayla and Ryan's explosive legal battle have come to light.

According to an earlier report from The Blast, Kayla recently requested that the court share any and all documents related to Ryan's bank accounts from January 2019 to the present. Further, Kayla, a former Playboy Playmate, asked the court for information regarding any new credit cards and loans in Ryan's name.

Subpoenas were also served to online platforms, including Cash App and Cameo, to determine whether Ryan had received electronic payments and to learn how much he reportedly earned from selling custom videos to fans.

In June 2025, additional reports about Ryan and Kayla's finances surfaced, revealing the pair had amassed over $270,000 in debt, including a $99,696.09 balance owed to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for 2021 and 2022.

And that's not all. The local homeowner's association in their Florida neighborhood filed a nearly $3,000 lien on their home in December 2024 for "unpaid" fees, including "special assessments, late fees, costs of collection [and] attorney's fees."

In September 2025, Kayla filed additional documents with the court, requesting sole custody of their three children and citing Ryan's alleged "history of substance abuse." Elsewhere in the papers, Kayla made even more shocking allegations, such as claiming to have found "mostly empty baggies of cocaine" in their home and in their child's bathroom.

Kayla expressed genuine concern about leaving her three children alone with Ryan, claiming the swimmer has displayed irresponsible behavior in front of their kids, including dozing "off during the day" and passing "out in the driver's seat" of their family vehicle. To make matters worse, Kayla claimed she even saw Ryan "inhaling nitrous oxide" in front of their kids.

While Ryan denied using drugs in front of his children in a separate statement, he shared a post on Instagram, admitting that "depression [and] loneliness" led him down a "road of substance abuse."

"I checked myself into a Florida recovery center. The staff has been incredible. They helped me realize substance abuse isn’t a solution. It’s just a distraction that makes things worse,” Lochte shared before saying he's feeling “much better, thinking clearly, motivated and moving forward.”

Kayla, for her part, shared a message of her own on Instagram, reintroducing herself to her nearly 340,000 followers.

In the caption of her post, the Florida real estate agent shared some details the public might not have known about her before addressing her dramatic split from the "Traitors" star.

"I’m currently navigating a complex divorce and let me tell you — divorce can feel like being frozen in time," part of the post's caption read. "I’m using this season to rebuild, rediscover who I am, and chase my dreams with clarity and courage."