Former NFL player JJ Watt has stirred up some controversy online after asking a question about tipping culture. The Houston Texans alum shared a scenario on his social media platform and asked his followers to weigh in.
JJ Watt isn’t the only professional athlete who has opened up about tipping culture in the United States. LiAngelo Ball and Michael Porter Jr. were blasted on social media in 2025 for saying they were against tipping service workers under certain circumstances.
JJ Watt Poses A Question About Whether A Person Should Tip A Service Worker In A Certain Scenario
On March 11, 2026, Watt posed a “genuine question” to his X followers and asked for their opinions.
“You walk up to a counter to order. You find your own table and seat yourself,” he wrote before adding, “If you order food, they hand you a buzzer and when it goes off, you go pick it up yourself.”
He continued, “The iPad has a ‘20%, 25%, 30%, Other’ tip option, with 20% already preselected. What’s your move?”
JJ Watt Sparks Mixed Response About Tipping Culture After Posing Question On Social Media
Social media users were quick to respond to the athlete, with one advocating for tipping underpaid service workers.
“I tip simply because I know that servers live in poverty,” the user replied. “With your vast wealth, you should do so also.”
Watt replied to the impassioned social media user, clarifying that he tipped the employee. “But there are no servers in this situation, which is why I asked the question. It was fully self-service,” he added.
The user replied, apologizing to Watt for sounding “snarky” before explaining their position.
“I just meant that even if they aren’t serving, like Starbucks baristas, I still tip. Even though I think it’s stupid, I know it makes a difference for them,” they added.
Some Other Social Media Users Seem To Agree With JJ Watt About Tipping Culture In The United States
Other social media users seemed to agree with Watt, suggesting that tipping culture had gone too far.
“The tipping is for ‘servers’ who make $2.19/hr, not a counter clerk making $12/hr period. Stop the guilt,” someone shared.
Another user also replied to Watt’s scenario and said, “[I’d be] hitting [the] ‘other’ [option] and typing in $0.00 becase you got me f-cked up if you think that should be normalized.”
A third netizen added, “Bro did everything himself, and the iPad still had the audacity to preselect 20%… what exactly am I tipping for? The buzzer experience? I hit ‘other’ and type in $0 every single time. The entitlement of counter service tipping is actually wild to me.”
Watt Isn’t Alone In His Feelings
Watt isn’t the only one with strong feelings around tipping, according to new research shared by Fox News.
In a WalletHub survey, 9 in 10 Americans said tipping culture has gotten “out of control.” The survey also revealed that 3 in 5 believe businesses are replacing employee salaries with tips.
Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, said that Americans are “fed up with increased tipping obligations,” referring to some consumers’ disdain for mandatory service fees.
“Tips have gone far beyond traditional establishments, which had been places like sit-down restaurants, bars and hair salons,” Lupo said. “Now, it’s everywhere you look. That’s part of the frustration, because people are at a point where they don’t know who to tip and how much to tip.”
A restaurant owner, however, shared an opposing viewpoint and explained why they were hesitant to remove the option to tip at their establishment.
“There’s no incentive for the servers to be attentive and give extra-good service. … I’m not interested in doing that here,” Vicki Parmelee, owner of Jumby Bay Island Grill in Jupiter, Florida, said.
Other Celebs Receive Backlash After Revealing Their Thoughts About Tipping
According to a previous report from The Blast, celebrities LiAngelo Ball and Michael Porter Jr. also faced backlash after saying they weren’t fans of tipping.
“I mean, if I’m at a restaurant, I’ll leave a little tip,” Ball said. “I ain’t going to Chipotle and leaving tips, or McDonald’s — none of that… But I can get, like, a $400 meal, and I’m only giving a $10 or $20 on how you was on that night. That’s how I rock, for real.”
Ball explained, though, that there was one way to get him to tip above his standard $10-20.
“Unless I really like you — like, I’m trying to flatter some sh-t — I’ll leave a little hundo out there or something,” he said. “I ain’t doing 20%, I’m not gonna lie. It’s either a $10 or $20…You was great … you get a $20. You was cool, I’ll shoot you a $10 just for being there.”
Porter Jr. also chimed in, saying that tipping 20% should be reserved for big orders.
“If the Uber Eats order is $250, why are you still tipping 20% when they’re doing the same amount of work as if you ordered a $20 meal, you know what I mean? They’re still just bringing the meal to you. So I would say that tipping culture is definitely out of control, to me. But I’m a bad tipper. I’m not gonna lie,” he added.