Dale Jr. explains: 'My jewelry phobia is real'
Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he suffers from a jewelry phobia. Seriously, he gets grossed out by metal jewelry the same way some people react around spiders.
"(My wife) Amy thought that I was making it up and that there's no such thing as a jewelry phobia," Earnhardt explained on his Dale Jr. Download podcast this week. "But there is a word. It's one of them long, crazy words, but it's real. There's people that have it.
"I don't like wearing it, and I don't like being close to it," he added.
The word is kosmemophobia, and Earnhardt has it. He said that's why he has a unique wedding ring and the root of his and Amy's new deal with a company that sells silicone rings - a popular option for a variety of athletes.
He continued to explain his jewelry issues on the podcast:
"The reason why that fits in our brand is because we're married, but I also have a jewelry phobia and don't want to wear metal rings. My wedding ring is actually a wooden ring. I don't want to wear that too much because it could get scratched or broken, and so I wear Qalo rings, which are like a rubber composite sort of material, and they're very comfortable. …
"I've been wearing their product for a good damn reason because my jewelry phobia is real."
Earnhardt made a squealing-esque voice when someone asked him about the idea of hanging out with Mr. T, and Junior responded: "I would be almost nauseous next to him."
Back in 2015, he told Dan Patrick that his phobia was "the biggest hold up" for him not getting married. He and Amy got married after dating for several years and a nearly 18-month engagement.
Before the 2015 Daytona 500, Earnhardt explained why his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, is to blame for his odd phobia. Via NBC Sports:
"My sister used to chase me around the house with necklaces and stuff," he said with a laugh. "It's creepy to me.
"(Earnhardt Miller) made it worse. She definitely antagonized me and terrorized me when I was younger."
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