{"id":855433,"date":"2025-06-14T00:12:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T05:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/14\/youtuber-piper-rockelle-denies-dark-side-of-kidfluencing-allegations\/"},"modified":"2025-06-14T00:12:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T05:12:44","slug":"youtuber-piper-rockelle-denies-dark-side-of-kidfluencing-allegations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/14\/youtuber-piper-rockelle-denies-dark-side-of-kidfluencing-allegations\/","title":{"rendered":"YouTuber Piper Rockelle Denies Dark Side of Kidfluencing Allegations"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div data-hook=\"video-only-text\">\n<p>Influencer Michael Duvall Responds to Backlash Over Filming OnlyFans Content at a Daycare<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/influencer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Piper Rockelle<\/strong><\/a> is speaking out.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After her mom <strong>Tiffany Smith<\/strong> was accused of subjecting the other members of her former YouTube &#8220;Squad&#8221; to horrifying working conditions in <em>Down Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing,\u00a0<\/em>the 17-year-old addressed the allegations in the three-part <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/netflix\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noopener noreferrer\">Netflix<\/a> docuseries, calling them &#8220;mean, untrue, and honestly all about money.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Honestly, I just want to move on from all of this because it\u2019s really painful to deal with every day,&#8221; Rockelle said in an April 9 statement to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2025\/04\/09\/youtuber-piper-rockelle-now-bad-influence-documentary\/82740253007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noopener noreferrer\"><em>USA Today<\/em><\/a>. &#8220;And not surprisingly, my mental health has suffered more than anyone knows.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Alleging that her mom &#8220;did not do any of those things that they said,&#8221; the influencer added, &#8220;I\u2019ll stand by my mom to the end.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And that&#8217;s not the only message Rockelle shared regarding the documentary, in which several of her former influencer collaborators\u2014who were all minors at the time\u2014alleged that Smith forced them to work 15-hour shifts without breaks in order to produce dozens of videos daily.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p>Ahead of the series&#8217; April 9 release, the <em>Dance Twins<\/em> alum\u2014who has amassed over 12.1 million subscribers on YouTube since joining the platform in 2016, when she was 8 years old\u2014offered a glimpse into how she felt about the project.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Will you still be my friend if I watch the doc?&#8230;&#8221; Rockelle posed as a hypothetical question in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@piperrockelle\/video\/7490340571245186350?_r=1&#038;_t=ZT-8vOfi1VfVhy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noopener noreferrer\">April 7 TikTok video<\/a>, before replying by mouthing along to the lyric from <strong>Lady Gaga<\/strong>&#8216;s &#8220;Bad Romance&#8221; that reads, &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to be friends.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section>\n<p><span data-hook=\"thumb\"><\/span><span data-hook=\"adp-photo-agency\">Instagram <\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p><span>E! News reached out to reps for Smith and Rockelle, as well as Netflix, for comment but has not heard back.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Down Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing <\/em>isn&#8217;t<em>\u00a0<\/em>the first time allegations against Smith have made headlines.<\/p>\n<p>Back in 2022, 11 plaintiffs\u2014aged 10 to 16\u2014filed a civil lawsuit against the matriarch and Piper Rockelle Inc. accusing Smith of physical and emotional injuries from &#8220;harassment, molestation and abuse,&#8221; as well as failing to compensate them and &#8220;intentionally interfer[ing] with and sabotag[ing] Plaintiffs\u2019 individual YouTube channels by driving subscribers and video &#8216;views&#8217; down&#8221; once they left the squad, according to court documents viewed by E! News.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p>Shortly after, Smith filed a countersuit seeking $30 million, which was obtained by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/tech\/piper-rockelle-mom-youtube-settlement-deal-rcna174615\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noopener noreferrer\">NBC News<\/a> at the time, but voluntarily abandoned her suit before the mothers of the plaintiffs responded. In October 2024, the parties settled the lawsuit for $1.85 million, attorneys for the plaintiffs confirmed to the outlet.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And Smith has continued to deny any wrongdoing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have always strived to comply with the laws,&#8221; she told the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/story\/2022-12-18\/piper-rockelle-youtube-child-labor-lawsuit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noopener noreferrer\"><em>Los Angeles Times<\/em><\/a> in December 2022, &#8220;and never considered myself an \u2018employer\u2019 when kids get together voluntarily to collaborate on making videos.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p>To learn about more controversies surrounding influencers, keep reading.<\/p>\n<p>(E! News and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section>\n<figure data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-item\">\n<div data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-img\">\n<p><span data-hook=\"thumb\"><\/span><span data-hook=\"adp-photo-agency\">Photo by Jeff Kravitz\/FilmMagic<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-title\">\n<h2>\n<p>Colleen Ballinger<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p>Her YouTube alter ego may sing, but it&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1379250\/colleen-ballingers-team-sets-the-record-straight-on-blackface-allegations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Colleen Ballinger<\/strong><\/a> who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1379239\/untangling-all-the-controversy-surrounding-colleen-ballinger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">faced the music<\/a> in 2023. The Internet star known for her intentionally awkward Miranda Sings persona found herself facing allegations of grooming and forming inappropriate relationships with underage fans.<\/p>\n<p>In a since-deleted June video titled &#8220;why I left the colleen ballinger fandom\u2026&#8221;, YouTuber <strong>KodeeRants<\/strong> shared screenshots of an alleged text exchange between Colleen and her followers, accusing the comedian of forming exploitative relationships with underage fans.<\/p>\n<p>Per NBC News, the unverified group text was named &#8220;Colleeny&#8217;s Weenies,&#8221; with the performer allegedly asking her fans their &#8220;favorite position&#8221; during one conversation. NBC News was unable to verify the screenshots.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Days later, content creator <strong>Adam McIntyre<\/strong>\u2014who first began running a fan account for Miranda Sings when he was 10\u2014responded with videos on his own YouTube claiming Ballinger grooms her fans emotionally. <\/p>\n<p>Ballinger has yet to directly respond to his claims, nor did she respond to E! News&#8217; request for comment. But on June 28, the mother of three addressed the accusations in a 10-minute ukulele song posted to her personal YouTube account. In the video, Ballinger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1378572\/miranda-sings-youtuber-colleen-ballinger-breaks-silence-on-grooming-allegations-with-ukulele-song\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">likened the accusations<\/a> to a &#8220;toxic gossip train&#8221; headed for &#8220;manipulation station&#8221; as the rest of the internet &#8220;tie me to the tracks and harass me for my past.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In July, the remaining dates of her Miranda Sings tour were canceled. She hasn&#8217;t posted to social media since.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-item\">\n<div data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-img\">\n<p><span data-hook=\"thumb\"><\/span><span data-hook=\"adp-photo-agency\">Nicholas Hunt\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<p data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-title\">\n<h2>Rachel Hollis<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p>Girl, watch your mouth. It all started when the\u00a0<em>Girl, Wash Your Face<\/em> author posted about her house cleaner and it got increasingly dirty.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In a clip of the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/snark_tank\/status\/1377782322091618306\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">since-deleted post<\/a> resurfaced by <strong>Angie Treasure<\/strong>, Hollis referenced an April 2021 livestream where she spoke about a woman who &#8220;cleans the toilets,&#8221; noting that &#8220;someone commented and said, &#8216;You&#8217;re privileged AF&#8217; and I was like, &#8216;You&#8217;re right. I&#8217;m super freaking privileged, but also I worked my ass off to have the money to have someone come twice a week and clean my toilets&#8217; and I told her that. And then she said, &#8216;Well, you&#8217;re unrelatable.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Hollis&#8217; response was to explain she had no interest in being relatable pointing out that icons and historical figures like <strong>Harriet Tubman<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1189606\/inside-ruth-bader-ginsburgs-life-legacy-and-the-hope-she-leaves-for-all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ruth Bader Ginsburg<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>Marie Curie<\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/oprah_winfrey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oprah Winfrey<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0were &#8220;all unrelatable AF.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Exceptwhile selling millions of copies of her books is great, a revered abolitionist she is not.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Days later, Hollis issued an Instagram apology, explaining, &#8220;I know I&#8217;ve caused tremendous pain in mentioning prominent women\u2014including several women of color\u2014whose struggles and achievements I can&#8217;t possibly understand.&#8221; Moreover, she continued, &#8220;I disregarded the people whose hard work doesn&#8217;t afford them financial security, often due to inherently racist and biased systems.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Added the <em>Girl, Stop Apologizing<\/em> author, &#8220;The important thing for me to do now, something I should have already done, is honestly, be quiet and listen.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-item\"><figcaption>\n<p data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-title\">\n<h2>Arielle Charnas<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<div>\n<p>In March 2020, the founder of the Something Navy clothing line and the OG blog told her Instagram followers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1132093\/influencer-arielle-charnas-tests-positive-for-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">she had tested positive<\/a> for COVID-19,\u00a0vowing to quarantine in her Manhattan apartment with husband\u00a0<strong>Brandon Charnas<\/strong>\u00a0and their daughters\u00a0<strong>Ruby<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Esme<\/strong>. But eight days later, her whole crew\u2014including her nanny\u2014decamped to the Hamptons.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s just say, it wasn&#8217;t her best look. The comments on her Instagram page grew increasingly heated as she boasted about taking walks outdoors for &#8220;fresh air&#8221;rather than maintain social distance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>When her husband cracked that only &#8220;hot&#8221; people were getting the virus, emotions boiled over.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>She later posted\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1136960\/influencer-arielle-charnas-hits-back-at-claims-she-falsified-her-coronavirus-test-results\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a lengthy apology<\/a> addressing many concerns\u2014their nanny was with them because she, too, had contracted the virus; they had doormen clear out the lobby of their building before departing, hadn&#8217;t stopped for gas and had groceries delivered; her Hamptons pad was on a relatively isolated street\u2014but the damage lingered.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Nordstrom, who had been carrying Charnas&#8217; line, announced they wouldn&#8217;t renew the contract that had expired in 2019. In response, Charnas, who welcomed third daughter <strong>Navy<\/strong> in 2021, pivoted to a direct-to-consumer relaunch, explaining, &#8220;I wanted more control,&#8221; and is now back to posting about her favorite Shopbop picks and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CMzYnP-Db3m\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">collabs<\/a> with A Pea in the Pod. <\/p>\n<p>Her valuable takeaway, she shared on <em>The Glossy Podcast<\/em>, &#8220;People wanted me to be more sensitive about what was going on in the world, and I should have been.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-item\">\n<div data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-img\">\n<p><span data-hook=\"thumb\"><\/span><span data-hook=\"adp-photo-agency\">Nicholas Hunt\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<p data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-title\">\n<h2>Tanya Zuckerbrot<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p>In 2020 fashion influencer <strong>Emily\u00a0Gellis Lande<\/strong>\u00a0dished out a healthy serving of criticism to registered dietitian Zuckerbrot. In a series of posts,\u00a0Gellis Lande\u00a0shared anonymous tales from dieters, not verified by E! News, at least one of which\u00a0who said she had paid upwards of $20,000 to follow the New Yorker&#8217;s high-fiber F-Factor Diet only to experience rashes, intense cramps, indications of metal poisoning and\u2014in the most extreme allegation\u2014a miscarriage.\u00a0Gellis Lande&#8217;s\u00a0crusade caught the attention of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/08\/24\/style\/f-factor-diet-instagram.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>The New York Times<\/em>\u00a0which published a piece<\/a> detailing the saga.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Having hired lawyer <strong>Lanny Davis<\/strong>, once White House special council to former president <strong>Bill Clinton<\/strong>, Zuckerbrot denied the claims and the suggestion that her plan led to disordered eating, telling the paper that across upwards of 176,000 purchases of her snack bars and powders she had received just 50 health complaints. She later released a\u00a0Certificate of Analysis to dispute\u00a0concerns the products contained heavy metals and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/f-factor-diet-founder-responds-claims-products-caused-severe-side-t190300\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">went on <em>Today<\/em><\/a> to further defend her program.<\/p>\n<p>As for Gellis Lande, Zuckerbrot is hardly impressed. &#8220;I believe in her mind she thinks she&#8217;s helping people and that the lifestyle I lead is poisoning everyone and giving them anorexia,&#8221; Zuckerbrot, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aol.com\/article\/lifestyle\/2017\/11\/26\/megyn-kelly-says-she-doesnt-exercise-and-swears-by-the-f-factor-diet-to-stay-trim-heres-the-science-behind-it\/23284520\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">who&#8217;s worked<\/a> with <strong>Megyn Kelly<\/strong>,\u00a0sniped to the <em>Times<\/em>. &#8220;But she&#8217;s a fashion blogger.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Zuckerbrot <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insider.com\/f-factor-founder-tanya-zuckerbrot-suing-influencer-emily-gellis-2020-10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">filed two lawsuits<\/a> against Gellis Lande, claiming she &#8220;began a smear campaign to destroy&#8221; her brand. Both suits are pending. Gellis Lande has denied the claims.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-item\">\n<div data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-img\">\n<p><span data-hook=\"thumb\"><\/span><span data-hook=\"adp-photo-agency\">Raymond Hall\/GC Images; George Pimentel\/WireImage<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<p data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-title\">\n<h2>Jessica Mulroney<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p>Much of the world underwent a long overdue racial awakening in 2020. But it was stylist\u2014and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/meghan_markle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Meghan Markle<\/strong><\/a> friend\u2014<strong>Jessica Mulroney<\/strong> who got a wake-up call. In a nearly 12-minute Instagram video, lifestyle blogger <strong>Sasha Exeter<\/strong> explained her issues with her acquaintance began when Mulroney &#8220;took offense&#8221; to Exeter&#8217;s plea that her followers &#8220;use their voice for good and help combat the race war and what&#8217;s happening to the Black community.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Believing the message target her, Exeter continued, Mulroney engaged in &#8220;very problematic&#8221; behavior, allegedly speaking poorly about Exeter to other brands and &#8220;sending me a threat in writing.&#8221; Though Mulroney commented on Exeter&#8217;s video with an apology, she later sent a DM that Exeter shared, Mulroney writing, &#8220;Liable [sic] suit. Good luck.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Though Mulroney posted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1160478\/jessica-mulroney-apologizes-after-using-her-white-privilege-to-threaten-influencer-sasha-exeter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a mea culpa<\/a> to her own followers, announcing her intentions to promote &#8220;Black voices by having them take over my account and share their experience,&#8221; CTV announced they were dropping her reality show <em>I Do, Redo<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking &#8220;about the situation surrounding my wife, Jessica,&#8221; her husband <strong>Ben Mulroney<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1163713\/jessica-mulroneys-husband-ben-steps-away-from-talk-show-following-sasha-exeter-controversy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stepped down from his role<\/a> as co-host of CTV&#8217;s <em>eTalk<\/em>, stating, &#8220;It is my hope that the new anchor is Black, Indigenous, or a person of color who can use this important platform to inspire, lead, and make change.&#8221; But\u00a0the mom of three\u00a0<em>did<\/em> get to keep her high-profile friendship, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1189650\/jessica-mulroney-explains-where-her-friendship-stands-with-meghan-markle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">writing in a since-deleted post<\/a>, &#8220;Meghan and I are family. She is the kindest friend.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-item\">\n<div data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-img\">\n<p><span data-hook=\"thumb\"><\/span><span data-hook=\"adp-photo-agency\">Allen Berezovsky for Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<p data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-title\">\n<h2>Jake Paul<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p>Known for such cinematic greatness as &#8220;I DUCT TAPED My Brothers $400,000 Dollar TRUCK!&#8221; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/hollywood\/2017\/07\/jake-paul-disney-bizaardvark-neighbors-controversy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">getting fired<\/a> from Disney Channel&#8217;s\u00a0<em>Bizaardvark<\/em>, the Vine star turned YouTube personality graduated to the big leagues in 2020. <\/p>\n<p>On the morning of Aug. 5, FBI authorities <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1176663\/youtube-star-jake-pauls-home-raided-by-fbi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">executed a federal search warrant<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0Paul&#8217;s Calabasas, Calif., home, the bureau confirming it was in connection to\u00a0a May 30 incident at a Scottsdale, Ariz., mall. Broadcasting live from a Black Lives Matter protest that ended at the city&#8217;s Fashion Square Mall, Paul unlawfully entered and remained inside the shopping center after cops ordered everyone to leave, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1158611\/youtuber-jake-paul-charged-with-criminal-trespass-and-unlawful-assembly\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">police\u00a0insisted in a statement<\/a>. (Paul responded on Twitter that while he was documenting the protest, &#8220;neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism.&#8221;)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Conversation\u00a0about the reason for the FBI raid grew as outsized as his YouTube following,\u00a0as <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7.com\/jake-paul-calabasas-fbi-search\/6355330\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video<\/a> from a local ABC station showed\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2020-08-05\/fbi-serves-search-warrants-at-calabasas-mansion-of-controversial-social-media-influencer-jake-paul\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">multiple firearms\u00a0being carried into a police vehicle<\/a>, Paul <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1178666\/youtube-star-jake-paul-breaks-his-silence-on-fbi-raid-and-slams-absurd-rumors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">insisted in a since-deleted<\/a> Aug. 12 video that the search was &#8220;entirely related to the Arizona looting situation that happened. It&#8217;s an investigation. There are rumors about it having to do with so many other things that have nothing to do with me or my character and the s&#8211;t that people are making up is absolutely absurd.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>While no charges were filed, Paul&#8217;s attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1178666\/youtube-star-jake-paul-breaks-his-silence-on-fbi-raid-and-slams-absurd-rumors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told E! News<\/a> in a statement that they intended to\u00a0&#8220;cooperate with the investigation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-item\">\n<div data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-img\">\n<p><span data-hook=\"thumb\"><\/span><span data-hook=\"adp-photo-agency\">John Salangsang\/January Images\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<p data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-title\">\n<h2>James Charles<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p>More than a year after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1166549\/tati-westbrook-claims-shane-dawson-and-jeffree-star-fed-her-quot-poisonous-lies-quot-about-james-charles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">making up with<\/a> fellow beauty vlogger <strong>Tati Westbrook<\/strong>, the YouTube sensation started falling into some new feuds. First, in an August 2020 subtweet &#8220;about how I thought some celebrities shouldn&#8217;t launch makeup lines,&#8221; he insinuated that perpetually bare-faced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/alicia_keys\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Alicia Keys<\/strong><\/a> had no business having a\u00a0skincare collection, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1177047\/james-charles-apologizes-for-childish-subtweet-about-alicia-keys-beauty-brand\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">later apologizing<\/a> because he&#8217;s &#8220;not the gatekeeper of makeup.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But not two weeks later the\u00a0<em>Instant Influencer<\/em> host was forced to cover up another mistake when he came for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/lauren_conrad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Lauren Conrad<\/strong><\/a>&#8216;s new beauty line. Slamming <em>The Hills<\/em> alum in a series of Instagram Stories, he showed his\u00a022 million followers the empty packaging he&#8217;d received &#8220;from a new makeup brand from somebody who has no business having a makeup brand.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately the LC Lauren Conrad fashion designer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1180769\/lauren-conrad-speaks-out-after-james-charles-says-she-has-no-business-launching-a-beauty-brand\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">didn&#8217;t shed a single\u00a0mascara tear<\/a>, hilariously copping to her\u00a0misstep\u00a0on Instagram by blaming the &#8220;woman who put together the gifts&#8221;\u00a0(read: the winged eyeliner expert herself). Having put empty samples into a bag to test if they would fit,\u00a0&#8220;When beauty products arrived and it was time to fill all the makeup bags she (again, me) accidentally included the bag full of empties with the others and it was sent out,&#8221; Conrad shared. &#8220;She will be let go immediately.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Charles later apologized, saying the videos were meant to be funny and sharing that &#8220;Lauren and I spoke privately about the misunderstanding &#038; are both good.&#8221; Still,\u00a0it&#8217;s pretty clear he <em>knows<\/em> what he did.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-item\">\n<div data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-img\">\n<p><span data-hook=\"thumb\"><\/span><span data-hook=\"adp-photo-agency\">Instagram<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-title\">\n<h2>\n<p>Myka Stauffer<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p>When <em>The Stauffer Life<\/em> vlogger and YouTuber kicked off a May 2020 video by saying, &#8220;This is by far the hardest video <strong>James<\/strong> and I have ever publicly had to make,&#8221; it was evident she wouldn&#8217;t be sharing her newborn nighttime routine or her daily diet. Instead, she and her husband revealed they had placed their then-4-year-old son <strong>Huxley<\/strong>, adopted from China in 2017, with\u00a0&#8220;his now new forever family&#8221; after struggling to manage his autism.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The reaction from their nearly\u00a01 million subscribers\u00a0could best be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1156996\/youtuber-myka-stauffer-s-lawyers-speak-out-after-facing-backlash-for-rehoming-adopted-son\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">categorized as outraged<\/a>, fans debating whether the couple\u2014parents to\u00a0four other children\u2014were simply naive or had exploited Huxley for clicks and donations only to discard him when\u00a0his care\u00a0became too challenging. The two lost followers and brand collaborators, the likes of Fabletics, Suave\u00a0and Danimals <a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/parents\/brands-speak-out-following-myka-stauffer-s-adoption-controversy-t182747\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announcing that they were severing ties<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Ohio&#8217;s Delaware County Sheriff&#8217;s Office even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1158315\/investigation-launched-into-youtuber-myka-stauffer-s-adopted-son-s-welfare\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">confirmed to E! News<\/a> that they were investigating the well-being of Huxley.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Authorities\u00a0announced\u00a0in late June that they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1166556\/youtuber-myka-stauffer-will-not-face-charges-after-investigation-into-adopted-sons-welfare#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20new%20report,safe%20in%20his%20new%20home.&#038;text=YouTube%20stars%20James%20and%20Myka,into%20their%20adopted%20son's%20welfare.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">had closed their case<\/a> &#8220;without any charges,&#8221; but Myka&#8217;s brand remains shut down as well. A once constant Internet presence, she hasn&#8217;t posted to YouTube or Instagram since she issued a lengthy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CB1b6ExAv0R\/?utm_source=ig_embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a>, apologizing for &#8220;being so naive when I started the adoption process,&#8221; and noting that they were &#8220;not under any type of investigation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-item\">\n<div data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-img\">\n<p><span data-hook=\"thumb\"><\/span><span data-hook=\"adp-photo-agency\">Instagram<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<p data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-title\">\n<h2>Bryce Hall &#038; Jaden Hossler<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p>Quite the ride. When\u00a0Hall\u00a0announced in May\u00a02020 that he and his fellow TikTok star &#8220;might do a whole road trip all the way across country in the next few days&#8230;&#8221; they received more than just the sightseeing recommendations they were after. Hall&#8217;s Twitter followers were already less than thrilled that the two were flouting stay at home recommendations to take a trip, causing the Gen Z idol\u00a0to shoot back, &#8220;most states lifted quarantine, the boys are driving across country staying out of contact from everyone&#8230; it&#8217;s not that deep.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But they dug an even deeper hole when they passed through\u00a0Lee County, Tex.\u00a0five days later, the sheriff&#8217;s office confirming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1155808\/tiktok-stars-bryce-hall-and-jaden-hossler-arrested-for-drug-offenses-during-road-trip\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">that Hall was arrested<\/a>\u00a0and charged\u00a0with possession of marijuana and Hossler arrested and charged with possession of controlled substances. (They both posted bail the next day. E! News reached out to both reps for comment at the time. Hall&#8217;s rep declined to comment; Hossler&#8217;s didn&#8217;t respond.)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In a June essay, Hall <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tv\/bryce-hall-learning-growing-after-arrest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told <em>People<\/em><\/a> he&#8217;d &#8220;started on the path&#8221; toward getting sober: &#8220;While I&#8217;ve messed up in the past, I&#8217;m learning and growing&#8230; and I will make you proud. I promise.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-item\">\n<div data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-img\">\n<p><span data-hook=\"thumb\"><\/span><span data-hook=\"adp-photo-agency\">Chris Delmas \/ AFP) (Photo credit should read CHRIS DELMAS\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<p data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-title\">\n<h2>Alan &#038; Alex Stokes<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p>Some pranks are cute. Say, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/george_clooney\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>George Clooney<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/brad_pitt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Brad Pitt<\/strong><\/a> covering\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/julia_roberts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Julia Roberts<\/strong><\/a>&#8216; dressing room door in shaving cream. This is not that. In October 2019, the YouTube personalities, known as the Stokes Twins clad themselves in black and, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1176846\/youtubers-the-stokes-twins-charged-in-connection-with-bank-robbery-pranks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pretending as if they&#8217;d just robbed a bank<\/a>, called an Uber to serve as a getaway while a camera rolled. Definitely <em>not<\/em> in on the joke, the Uber driver refused to peel away and a bystandercalled the cops.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Irvine police arrived and ordered the Uber driver out at gunpoint,&#8221; the Orange County District Attorney&#8217;s Office later shared in a press release. The driver was released once authorities determined he was not involved, the release continued, and &#8220;police issued a warning to the Stokes brothers about the dangers of their conduct.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Four hours later the twins allegedly recreated the routine on the University of California, Irvine campus, resulting in their arrest. Facing up to four years in prison if convicted on false imprisonment and swatting charges, they received the ire of Orange County D.A. <strong>Todd Spitzer<\/strong>, who said in a statement, &#8220;These are crimes that could have resulted in someone getting seriously injured or even killed.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/09\/11\/entertainment\/stokes-twins-youtubers-swatting-case-trnd\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a 2020 news release<\/a>, their lawyer said, &#8220;We can say without hesitation that our clients are in fact not guilty of any crimes.&#8221; Still, they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2021\/4\/1\/22362685\/stokes-twins-bank-prank-guilty-youtube-alan-alex-sentence-robbery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pled\u00a0guilty<\/a> to lesser charges of misdemeanor false imprisonment and reporting false emergencies, receiving 160 hours of community service and one year of probation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-item\">\n<div data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-img\">\n<p><span data-hook=\"thumb\"><\/span><span data-hook=\"adp-photo-agency\">YouTube<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<p data-testid=\"adp-vgallery-title\">\n<h2>Shane Dawson<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"segment-text-only\">\n<p>Crowned the &#8220;King of YouTube&#8221; for his lengthy videos that earned him some 34 million followers, Dawson saw his reign end in June 2020 after he posted a since-deleted explosive tweet about why he was leaving the online beauty community. &#8220;They are all attention seeking, game playing, egocentric, narcissistic, vengeful, two-faced, ticking time bombs ready to explode. And I&#8217;m OVER it,&#8221; he griped, calling out James Charles in particular as &#8220;a young, egocentric, power-hungry guru who needed to be served a slice of humble pie in the size of the f&#8211;king Empire State Building.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>His followers were not impressed, noting that those that live in glass glam rooms shouldn&#8217;t throw stones. And within days Dawson had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1165597\/youtuber-shane-dawson-says-hes-willing-to-lose-everything-as-past-controversies-resurface\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted a 20-minute video<\/a> titled &#8220;Taking Accountability&#8221; in which he apologized for his own bad behavior, noting &#8220;I have done a lot of things in my past that I hate,&#8221; including using blackface, making racist remarks and jokes about pedophilia and posting a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1165680\/jada-pinkett-smith-and-son-jaden-react-to-clip-of-shane-dawson-sexualizing-11-year-old-willow-smith\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video<\/a> that sexualized a then-11-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/willow_smith\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Willow Smith<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This video is coming from a place of just wanting to own up to my s&#8211;t, wanting to own up to everything I&#8217;ve done on the internet that has hurt people, that has added to the problem, that has not been handled well,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I should have been punished for things.&#8221; Which he was, YouTube <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeednews.com\/article\/tanyachen\/youtube-has-suspended-monetization-on-all-shane-dawson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suspending his ability<\/a> to monetize his three accounts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He returned to creating content in 2021, saying, &#8220;I&#8217;m so grateful that I got cancelled, because it really <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1379346\/youtubers-shane-dawson-and-ryland-adams-expecting-twins-via-surrogate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">changed my life<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n<section><a href=\"https:\/\/eonline.onelink.me\/ItsS\/1b3e9f57\" data-analytics-linklocation=\"article-text-block-tune-in\" data-analytics-linkname=\"for-the-latest-breaking-news-updates-click-here-to-download-the-e-news-app\"><\/p>\n<p>For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App<\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1415907\/dark-side-of-kidfluencing-piper-rockelle-denies-allegations-against-mom?cmpid=rss-syndicate-genericrss-us-top_stories\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Influencer Michael Duvall Responds to Backlash Over Filming OnlyFans Content at a Daycare Piper Rockelle is speaking out.\u00a0 After her mom Tiffany Smith was accused of subjecting the other members of her former YouTube &#8220;Squad&#8221; to horrifying working conditions in Down Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing,\u00a0the 17-year-old addressed the allegations in the three-part [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":855434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24526,104640,1394],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-855433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-piper","category-youtube-videos","category-youtuber"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=855433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/855434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=855433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=855433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=855433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}