Viral drama spills across TikTok in a fragmented mess. These are the best 'tea' or gossip channels that you should follow.
Geoff Weiss
- While YouTube "tea" channels have faded, a new wave of commentators is taking up the mantle on TikTok.
- They chronicle influencer and celebrity conflicts, as well as the viral shakeups du jour.
While they now mark something of a bygone era, a fleet of YouTube "tea" channels rose to renown in the 2010s, breathlessly covering the resident conflicts of the video giant's beauty community and beyond, all while drumming up substantial traffic and revenues.
Today, a new wave of creators has taken that baton to TikTok, recapping the interpersonal conflicts of prominent creators and chronicling the viral shakeups du jour.
But if YouTube drama was squarely focused on a set cast of characters, TikTok is more scattered and saturated, as everyone has a unique "For You Page." That said, Lia Haberman, a brand advisor and influencer marketing professor, previously told Insider that the platform's duet and stitch features make it uniquely suited for callout commentary and pot-stirring.
Keeping the day's developments succinct has become a calling for a new wave of drama TikTokers. Here are 5 of the most successful, up-to-date ones on the platform.
Noah Glenn Carter
Noah Glenn Carter, a 26-year-old based in Alabama, is one of the biggest drama creators on TikTok, with 8.2 million followers. Carter actually started out posting dance and lip-sync videos before transitioning to covering the goings-on of early breakout stars like Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae.
His videos typically harness an objective tone and deliver tidbits to viewers in less than a minute. He also fires off videos rapidly, sometimes at a clip of 10 posts per day.
Kaelee Overfield
Crowned "the lesbian Perez Hilton of TikTok" by The New York Times last year, Kaelee Overfield (or @kales_0 on the platform) has carved out a specific niche as a drama creator squarely focused on queer news and gossip.
Overfield, 25, started on TikTok in early 2020 as a senior in college, according to the Times, but had her big break in 2021 posting about her resemblance to an ex-girlfriend of YouTube star Jojo Siwa, which Siwa then re-shared, garnering tens of millions of views. She now counts 561,000 followers.
In addition to covering Siwa's love life, Overfield also rose to renown for covering the "lesbian breakup curse" of 2022, per the Times, which was a viral event comprising the dissolution of several prominent lesbian couples.
Hannah Kosh
Prolific tea-spiller Hannah Kosh works in sports PR and marketing by day, according to Tubefilter, but launched her TikTok amid the pandemic as a side hobby after becoming enraptured by the conflicts at the Sway and Hype Houses (which dominated the discourse on early TikTok).
Today, her coverage treads beyond the influencer space into traditional celebrities like the Kardashians.
She told Tubefilter last year that her videos take roughly 20 minutes to film, and she has amassed 1.2 million followers while holding down a corporate job. Kosh also puts her commentary skills to use in a podcast called "Break from Reality," where she recaps reality shows like "Love Island" and "Big Brother."
Russell Ellis (Jolly Good Ginger)
Russell Ellis, known to his 4.9 million TikTok followers as Jolly Good Ginger, was raised in the mountains of North Carolina, where he said in a 2022 Ted Talk that casual racism proliferated.
Now, he uses his platform to teach other white people to deconstruct their own racism.
His platform is also dedicated to spilling tea — all while brewing actual cups of tea from his own brand. He begins each video with his signature catchphrase: "Get your motherfucking tea ready."
Ellis' videos tend to steer clear of bold-faced celebrities and influencers, instead focusing on the quotidian dramas faced by everyday TikTokers, such as infidelity and tattoo mishaps.
Meredith Lynch
Meredith Lynch's investigations have occasionally earned her the ire of her subjects, according to Glossy, including two cease-and-desist letters amid her investigations into Rachel Zoe's Curateur subscription box and former "Real Housewives" star Bethenny Frankel's various businesses.
Lynch launched her TikTok account doing beauty reviews during the pandemic after moving across the country from Los Angeles to Boston, where most of her friends and family reside, per Glossy.
Today, she has amassed 251,000 followers, with content focused on fashion and beauty as well as celebrity diets and business drama.
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