“It Changed My Life for the Worse”: How Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Trip to South Korea Made Him Realize One of His Underlying Fears

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has frequently spoken about his kosmemophobia — a deep-seated aversion to jewelry, particularly metal. The phobia has been prominent enough for him to address candidly, several times on his podcast. However, he recently opened up about how that fear has extended beyond jewelry to metal crockery, and what set it off.

On a recent episode of Bless Your ‘Hardt, the podcast he co-hosts with his wife Amy, Dale Jr. traced the root of this unease to a trip to South Korea during the Olympics. Recalling the moment vividly, he shared how a restaurant visit turned into a trigger:

“They popped down beside us an entire tray of metal chopsticks. There were probably a hundred in there And I was like “All right! It changed my life for the worse.”

He went on, “So, I’m looking at that bag box of a little tray of metal utensils, and I’m like hundreds and hundreds of people hundreds of people have used every one of those, and I do not want to use them. I want the wooden pull-out of the paper bag break in half, use and throw away. I want the wooden chopsticks.”

Reflecting on his deeper fear, Dale Jr. admitted the thought snowballed into a broader realization — that he’s been doing this his entire life. Using shared forks, spoons, and plates everywhere he’s gone.

Now, every time he sits down to eat, his eyes go straight to that neatly wrapped bundle on the table — the fork, spoon, and knife folded tightly in a napkin — and he can’t help but dwell on it.

The veteran driver even walked listeners through his thought process when staring at a set of silverware, confessing that a flood of questions races through his mind — Did they really clean this properly? Did the person running them through the scalding water, the one that’s supposed to kill all the germs and bacteria, actually do the job? Or did they cut corners? And just like that, his anxiety spirals out of control.

His phobia even spilled over into their wedding planning, prompting an unconventional yet fitting solution for his wedding ring. In collaboration with Qalo, a company known for its silicone alternatives, Dale and Amy created a custom ring that suited his sensitivities.

On a 2018 episode of his podcast, Earnhardt Jr. revealed that instead of a traditional metal band, he wears one crafted from wood — an intentional and deeply personal choice.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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