A TikToker has apologized following backlash for posting a video of himself on a jet ski after fans donated $64,000 when his house burnt down

• Fans raised £47,000 on GoFundMe for TikTokers The Smithy Family after their home burned down.
• After they posted TikToks from a jet ski on Monday, viewers speculated about where the money went.

A TikTok influencer family has responded to social media backlash which occurred when Nick Smith, who runs the @thesmithyfamily account, shared videos of himself on a jet ski after fans raised money for the family following a fire at their home.

The Smithy Family TikTok, which has 3.3 million followers, features Nick, his partner Jess Farthing, and their children. The family gained popularity with their comedic videos, which they began posting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A GoFundMe campaign dedicated to the Smithy Family, which appears to have been organized by a fan, was set up after their home was destroyed in a fire earlier this year. The Metropolitan Police force in London has since been investigating the incident, treating it as an arson attack. Donors raised a total of £47,305 (approximately $64,187).

Two TikToks showing Smith on the jet ski were posted on September 27. The comments section included a number of users speculating that the item was paid for with money viewers donated to the campaign. Smith has said all the funds raised have been donated to charity.

On Wednesday night, Smith posted a TikTok video saying they were "very grateful for the people that gathered around and donated." He also said he donated £13,000 ($17,600) of the money to help a different family from Croydon, in South London, who he said "lost everything" in a house fire. He included footage from videos he posted on Facebook in August of him purportedly visiting the family and appearing to buy the children toys.

He said the rest of the money was donated to a variety of charitable causes and included purported screenshots of emails from various charities and GoFundMe campaigns that appear to confirm that donations were made.

Smith said in the second part of the TikTok that the backlash they'd received from fans following the jet ski videos was "very frustrating."

He said when fans were donating to the crowdfunding campaign, he asked them what they wanted him to do with the money. He said he received messages from fans in response telling him to "go on holiday, take the kids away do whatever you want."

"You knew the house was insured, you knew the house was never going to be done with that money, I said that from dot one," he said.

Smith also said that there is now GoFundMe page where people can see the various charities they have distributed the money to.

"I am once again very thankful for everyone who clubbed together to help," Smith said. "I'm sorry that [the money] wasn't used exactly how you wanted it to."

Dina Rickman, director of Northern Europe at GoFundMe, said in a statement to Insider, "Fans of the Smithy family donated thousands to help them out after an arson attack. The campaigns were fully vetted and within terms. The family has committed to donating £33,000 [$44,782] of the money raised to other good causes."

Representatives of the Smithy Family and the creator of the original campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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