To some, it feels TikTok star Bella Poarch came out of nowhere.
The creator, most famous for her hypnotic lip-sync videos, became an online sensation after a zoomed-in video of her lip-syncing and rhythmically bouncing went viral. That video, posted on August 17, went on to become the most-liked video on TikTok less than a month later, per In The Know. Now, approximately two and a half months after it was originally posted, the video has over 41 million likes and half a billion views.
In the months since posting that original video, Poarch has become one of TikTok's most popular stars with over 40 million followers despite her earliest video only dating back to April 2020. Her Twitter account also appears to have been created in April 2020, and a YouTube channel bearing her name and approximately 172,000 subscribers was launched in March 2020. On Instagram, where she has approximately 7.4 million followers, her earliest post dates back to December 2016.
Poarch's brand on TikTok is built on a foundation of cuteness with a sprinkle of gaming and other kinds of content. Like any major TikToker, controversies have followed her as well.
Here's how Bella Poarch became one of TikTok's most-viewed, controversial stars in just months.