The controversies of 19-year-old TikTok star Zoe LaVerne, who apologized for kissing her 13-year-old fan

<ul class="summary-list"><li>20-year-old TikToker <keyword id="12087402" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="zoe-laverne" source="Orion">Zoe Laverne</keyword> gave birth to her first baby at the beginning of October.</li><li>She was criticized when she offered fans "exclusive" photos of her new daughter, Emersyn, for $15.</li></ul><p>20-year-old <keyword id="11894125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tiktok" source="Orion">TikTok</keyword> star <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/zoe-laverne" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zoe Laverne</a> was criticized earlier this month after she gave birth and <a href="https://www.insider.com/tiktok-zoe-laverne-new-baby-emersyn-photos-koji-link-instagram-2021-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offered her fans "exclusive" photos</a> of her new daughter for $15. In an interview with Insider, Laverne said this was a way to earn money while her baby, Emersyn, was in hospital.</p><p>"I knew that when Emersyn came early, I was going to be in the NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] for a while," Laverne told Insider. "Which means my income from socials was going to be put on hold for a little bit."</p><p>Selling the photos "was a way to make money to pay for her extended stay in the hospital and spend more time and focus on her," she added.</p><p>Laverne, who has 21 million followers on TikTok, rose to fame as a teenager. Her on-off relationship with her ex-boyfriend Cody Orlove became a huge part of her internet career. They split for a final time in June 2020. In February this year, Laverne announced she was <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-pregnant-father-13-year-old-kissed-age-dawson-2021-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expecting a baby</a> with her current boyfriend Dawson Day.</p><p>Laverne said she doesn't think people understand the work of <keyword id="11895013" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="social-media" source="Orion">social media</keyword> <keyword id="11894122" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="influencers" source="Orion">influencers</keyword> - how it's her job to make money on the internet.</p><p>"Many celebrities post photos of their children and make a living being 100% available to the public all the time," she said. "I still have to work to make sure I can pay for my child while also going to the ICU every single day."</p><p>In an Instagram post shortly after giving birth, Laverne said she was given an emergency C-section, and almost died. She told Insider this is why she and Day decided to get married earlier this month. Laverne has changed her name on her social media profiles to Zoe Laverne Day.</p><p>"We wanted to get married just so Emersyn could come home to a mom and dad who are married," she said.</p><p>On Monday, Laverne told her followers on Instagram that Emersyn was discharged from the hospital.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVLe3lWp03_" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Zoe LaVerne Day (@zoexlaverne)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime=""></time></p></div></blockquote><p>Laverne <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kiss-13-age-connor-joyce-how-old-fake-arrest-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is no stranger to controversy.</a> In September 2020 she was accused of getting close to a 13-year-old fan called Connor. A video later leaked of the pair kissing, and Laverne said she had developed "feelings" for the boy, but denied allegations of "grooming."</p><p>This spurred an intense backlash against Laverne and her mother, who appeared to be supporting her. Laverne didn't post on social media until she announced her <keyword id="6357793" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pregnancy" source="Orion">pregnancy</keyword> in February.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.insider.com/culture">Read more stories from Insider's Digital Culture desk.</a></strong></p>

TikToker Zoe Laverne says she sold photos of her new baby to pay for hospital care, after almost dying during childbirth

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11894125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tiktok" source="Orion">TikTok</keyword> star <keyword id="12087402" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="zoe-laverne" source="Orion">Zoe LaVerne</keyword> appeared to defend <keyword id="11899148" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kyle-rittenhouse" source="Orion">Kyle Rittenhouse</keyword> following his acquittal last week.</li><li>Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all charges related to a fatal shooting at a BLM protest.</li></ul><p>Controversial TikTok star <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kiss-13-age-connor-joyce-how-old-fake-arrest-2020">Zoe LaVerne</a> has defended Kyle Rittenhouse following his acquittal in court last week, saying during a purported <keyword id="11892996" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="instagram" source="Orion">Instagram</keyword> Live that the 18-year-old was "innocent."</p><p>Rittenhouse faced five charges, including first-degree intentional homicide and attempted homicide. He was <a href="https://www.insider.com/kyle-rittenhouse-verdict-homicide-trial-2021-11">on trial for fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and injuring Gaige Grosskreutz on August 25, 2020,</a> in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during civil unrest that erupted after <a href="https://www.insider.com/jacob-blake-profile-family-history-civil-rights-2021-6">the police shooting of Jacob Blake,</a> a Black man. </p><p>LaVerne, who has 21 million followers on TikTok, rose to fame through the now-defunct lip-syncing app Musical.ly. She previously had a high-profile relationship with Cody Orlove, a fellow internet personality before splitting last year. She gave birth to her first child with her current partner Dawson Day in October. LaVerne has been embroiled in a number of controversies including <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/zoe-laverne-under-fire-for-response-to-tiktok-of-her-using-racial-slur-1416477/">lip-syncing a racial slur</a>, saying she "<a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kissing-13-year-old-fan-apology-livestream-2020-11">caught feelings" for a 13-year-old</a> fan, and selling pictures of her baby, which <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-sold-baby-emersyn-photos-hospital-cost-2021-10#:~:text=20%2Dyear%2Dold%20TikToker%20Zoe,for%20Emersyn's%20extended%20hospital%20stay.">she later told Insider she did to pay her hospital bills</a>.</p><p>Footage from the purported livestream, which appeared to be broadcast from Instagram account @zlpfandom0.2, was posted by internet commentator <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWmYLF2p1go/">DefNoodles</a> on Monday, with online drama YouTuber <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbFUkEoCDrE">Gracious </a>also including the footage in a video posted today. Insider has been unable to verify when the purported livestream took place.</p><p>While many have been critical of Rittenhouse's acquittal — including <a href="https://www.axios.com/democrats-kyle-rittenhouses-not-guilty-verdict-665a944a-20f7-446e-a166-1801da3e9a0b.html">several Democrat senators</a>, Wisconsin's state <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIGOV/bulletins/2fd149d">governor,</a> and <a href="https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/community-activist-react-to-rittenhouse-verdict/2797963/">local activists</a> — LaVerne said in the clip, "I don't see Kyle Rittenhouse as a murderer because he shot by self-defense." She told fans to look at Rittenhouse's reaction to being acquitted, adding, "I don't really think he tried to murder people."</p><p>Along with footage of the livestream, DefNoodles also posted what appeared to be a screenshot of a post from the same Instagram account, which is locked to the public. The purported post includes an image showing the names and faces of the three people Rittenhouse shot. The screenshot also shows a caption, which reads, "These were the people kyle ritten shot. He shot them out of self defense."</p><p>As reported by the <a href="https://www.ibtimes.com/tiktok-star-zoe-laverne-faces-backlash-allegedly-kissing-underage-fan-3071628">International Busness Times</a>, LaVerne appears to have posted content on that same account in the past. </p><p>In further footage, LaVerne can be heard saying, "I'm all for BLM. I love every single race. I'm not racist. It's not fair. I was looking at it as a man was proved not guilty because he shot at self-defense, that's all." </p><p>Representatives for LaVerne did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. </p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/culture"><strong>For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.</strong></a></p>

TikToker Zoe Laverne appeared to defend Kyle Rittenhouse in a livestream from a private Instagram account

<ul class="summary-list"><li>20-year-old TikToker <keyword id="12087402" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="zoe-laverne" source="Orion">Zoe Laverne</keyword> gave birth to her first baby over the weekend.</li><li>Screenshots appear to show she offered fans "exclusive" photos of her baby, Emersyn, for $15.</li><li>Laverne has now released publicly available photos of her new baby.</li></ul><p>Controversial <keyword id="11894125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tiktok" source="Orion">TikTok</keyword> influencer <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/zoe-laverne" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zoe Laverne</a> has given birth to her first child, and purported screenshots of a now-deleted Instagram post suggest she charged fans $15 to see "exclusive" photos of the new baby.</p><p>Laverne, a 20-year-old TikToker with 21 million followers, rose to fame as a teenager. Her on-off relationship with her ex-boyfriend Cody Orlove became a huge part of her internet career, as they made videos together, released a single, and shared every time they broke up and made up. They split for a final time in June 2020.</p><p>In February this year, Laverne announced she was <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-pregnant-father-13-year-old-kissed-age-dawson-2021-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expecting a baby</a> with her current boyfriend Dawson Day, who is also 20.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/defnoodlesspicy/status/1444483625005707266/photo/3">According to a screenshot tweeted by internet reporter Def Noodles</a>, it appears Laverne posted a now-deleted Instagram post announcing her baby Emersyn had been born on October 3. The caption purportedly read, "Link in bio for more exclusive pics."</p><p>The current link in her bio takes users to <a href="https://withkoji.com/@zoelaverne">a page created on Koji</a>, a platform that allows social media users to sell specific pieces of content to fans. One option is titled "Meet Emersyn!" and now links back to a public Instagram post showing two photos of her holding Emersyn, where she thanked her fans for supporting her.</p><p>According to the screenshot, it previously offered followers the option to "unlock" some of their first photos together for $15. A purported screen recording posted on TikTok also appears to show the Instagram post, along with the $15 payment request to see the images.</p><blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@ellisisanaries/video/7014597336433216774" data-video-id="7014597336433216774" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;"> <section> <a target="_blank" title="@ellisisanaries" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ellisisanaries">@ellisisanaries</a> <p>Miss gurl <a title="zoelaverne" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/zoelaverne">##zoelaverne</a></p> <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - Amie Scott" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-6986249469167897350">♬ original sound - Amie Scott</a> </section> </blockquote> <p>In a subsequent Instagram post she thanked her fans for supporting her, and said, "I dropped some exclusive photos in my link that were extra special moments for me during the delivery."</p><p>Laverne also said she was given an emergency C-section, and had almost died during the birth.</p><p>"I am so blessed to be here with Dawson and Emersyn and I am so thankful that God didn't choose to take me away so soon," she wrote. "I'm so blessed I am here with the two people that mean the absolute world to me."</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUivnESJLn5" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Zoe LaVerne (@zoexlaverne)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime=""></time></p></div></blockquote><p>Laverne has been involved <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kiss-13-age-connor-joyce-how-old-fake-arrest-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a string of controversies</a> over the past year. In September 2020 she was accused of getting close to a 13-year-old fan called Connor. A video later leaked of the pair kissing, and Laverne said she had developed "feelings" for the boy, but denied allegations of "grooming." This spurred an intense backlash against Laverne and her mother, who appeared to be supporting her. Laverne didn't post on social media until she announced her <keyword id="6357793" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pregnancy" source="Orion">pregnancy</keyword> in February.</p><p>Laverne did not immediately reply to Insider's request for comment.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.insider.com/culture">Read more stories from Insider's Digital Culture desk.</a></strong></p>

Controversial TikToker Zoe Laverne appeared to charge fans $15 to see 'exclusive' photos of her newborn baby

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="10211545" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="zoe-laverne">Zoe LaVerne</keyword>, a controversial 19-year-old <keyword id="6762469" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="TikTok">TikTok</keyword> star, recently fled the internet after videos that appeared to show her kissing a 13-year-old fan were leaked.</li><li>LaVerne apologized for "catching feelings" for the 13-year-old — who goes by Connor Joyce on TikTok, where he has over 400,000 followers — and denied that she was <keyword id="6521765" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="grooming">grooming</keyword> him.</li><li>After posting on November 2 that she'd check herself into a hospital, LaVerne returned to social media, posting a TikTok about Connor and commenting "I miss you" on his livestream.</li></ul><p>The embattled 19-year-old TikTok star Zoe LaVerne is back online, and she's already causing more controversy.</p><p>LaVerne, who has more than 17.5 million TikTok followers, was seen commenting on posts from the 13-year-old fan she appeared to kiss in a video.</p><p>LaVerne <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kiss-13-age-connor-joyce-how-old-fake-arrest-2020">announced on November 2</a> on a private account that she would check herself "into a hospital" after leaked videos appeared to show her kissing a 13-year-old fan. Before she stopped posting, <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kissing-13-year-old-fan-apology-livestream-2020-11">LaVerne apologized</a> for kissing and for "catching feelings" for the 13-year-old, who goes by Connor Joyce on TikTok, where he has over 400,000 followers.</p><p>LaVerne also denied that she had raped Connor or that she was grooming him. "Grooming" refers to building "a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person" in order to "manipulate, exploit and abuse them," <a href="https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/grooming/">according to</a> the UK's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.</p><p>Though LaVerne said she had stopped talking to Connor, she joined Connor's live Instagram broadcast on Sunday from her verified account and commented "Hi connor.. i miss you" and "I hope you're doing well. Miss you lots!"</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHV_Xbsnx9Y" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">so #zoelaverne joined #connor live</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by  First Ever Tiktok Shaderoom (@tiktokroom) on Nov 8, 2020 at 12:42pm PST<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-11-08T20:42:59+00:00">Nov 8, 2020 at 12:42pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote><p>Connor didn't respond to LaVerne, but <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHV_Xbsnx9Y/">he deactivated his Instagram account</a> the day after screenshots of LaVerne's comments circulated on TikTok gossip pages.</p><p>LaVerne also posted a TikTok on Monday with the Coldplay song "Yellow," which has lyrics about being so devoted to someone that you would do anything for them. In the video, which LaVerne captioned "My happiness and two of them are gone," she included two pictures of herself with Connor.</p><blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@zoelaverne/video/6892819565592595718" data-video-id="6892819565592595718" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;"> <section> <a target="_blank" title="@zoelaverne" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@zoelaverne">@zoelaverne</a> <p>my happiness and two of them are gone </p> <a target="_blank" title="♬ Coldplay - Yellow - ev" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Coldplay-Yellow-6751817550587366150">♬ Coldplay - Yellow - ev</a> </section> </blockquote> <p>LaVerne <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kissing-13-year-old-fan-apology-livestream-2020-11">has said</a> that she and Connor were never in a relationship. LaVerne also said she told Connor's mother about their kiss, <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kissing-13-year-old-fan-apology-livestream-2020-11">writing that</a> "she wasn't happy obviously but she understood that we are both teenagers and that feelings can be caught."</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Def Noodles  (@defnoodles) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1325601433098493953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2020</a></blockquote><p>LaVerne's mother <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kiss-13-age-connor-joyce-how-old-fake-arrest-2020">has defended</a> the kissing video. "Anybody can reach over and kiss somebody. They're best friends," her mother said.</p><p>But LaVerne's former best friend Amber Van Pelt described the interactions between LaVerne and Connor as "pedophilia," <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kiss-13-age-connor-joyce-how-old-fake-arrest-2020">writing in leaked direct messages</a> with LaVerne's ex-boyfriend Cody Orlove that she "left because of her interactions with" Connor.</p><p>"They got very intense and it's something I do not stand by what so ever," Van Pelt said. "It's pedophilia."</p><p>Other <keyword id="8637178" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tiktokers">TikTokers</keyword> <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kiss-13-age-connor-joyce-how-old-fake-arrest-2020#a-false-rumor-spread-that-laverne-was-arrested-but-she-says-she-is-seeking-mental-health-treatment-11">have criticized</a> LaVerne, with <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kiss-13-age-connor-joyce-how-old-fake-arrest-2020#a-false-rumor-spread-that-laverne-was-arrested-but-she-says-she-is-seeking-mental-health-treatment-11">one top comment</a> suggesting she leave TikTok permanently and "check herself into jail." A rumor that LaVerne had been arrested <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kiss-13-age-connor-joyce-how-old-fake-arrest-2020#a-false-rumor-spread-that-laverne-was-arrested-but-she-says-she-is-seeking-mental-health-treatment-11">was shared widely</a> after a prank <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> site posted the false claim, but LaVerne has not been arrested or charged.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kiss-13-age-connor-joyce-how-old-fake-arrest-2020">The controversies of 19-year-old TikTok star Zoe LaVerne, who apologized for kissing her 13-year-old fan</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/ariana-grande-calls-out-tiktokers-for-going-out-during-pandemic-2020-11">Ariana Grande criticized TikTokers for socializing at an influencer hot spot in LA during the pandemic</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/bella-poarch-tiktok-tyga-tattoo-navy-age-military-how-old-2020-10">How mysterious influencer Bella Poarch shot to fame with TikTok's most-liked video in just a few months</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/bryce-hall-video-fight-brawl-leaked-restaurant-waiter-vaping-2020-10">TikTok star Bryce Hall under LAPD investigation for fighting restaurant staff who told him to leave for vaping in a seating area</a></li></ul>

The 19-year-old TikTok star who kissed her 13-year-old fan commented 'I miss you' on his livestream

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Insider surveyed 1,000 people to figure out how well certain influencers are known and liked.</li><li>Data revealed which personalities had high unfavorability rankings.</li><li>Controversial YouTuber-cum-boxer <keyword id="6130340" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jake-Paul">Jake Paul</keyword> topped the list, with his brother Logan in second. </li></ul><p>In the digital influencer world, courting controversy can be an effective business strategy. Some of YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram's biggest names have risen to fame by building their platforms on scandal; in the case of some online personalities like Jake Paul (more on him later) <a href="https://www.insider.com/cancel-culture-youtube-actually-help-a-youtubers-career-2020-12">cancelation actually serves to prolong their career.</a></p><p>Insider polled 1,040 people to <keyword id="15510" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Survey">survey</keyword> their feelings and level of familiarity with over 60 of social media's biggest names, with participants marking whether or not they knew a particular influencer or <keyword id="6355064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Celebrity">celebrity</keyword> and whether their opinion of them was favorable or unfavorable. This included household names like Jake and <keyword id="2199400" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Logan-Paul">Logan Paul</keyword>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-youtube-supervillain-are-made-onision-amberlynn-reid-2020-4">YouTube "supervillains"</a> like <keyword id="9321228" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="onision">Onision</keyword>, and personalities who incorporated controversy into their brand like Instagram influencer and writer Caroline Calloway. We then looked at what percentage of people who knew about an influencer had an unfavorable opinion of them. </p><p>The data reveals influencers who, while known to the general public at varying levels, ranked highest among those whom survey participants had a negative opinion.</p><h2>10. Tana Mongeau</h2><div type="image" title="Tana Mongeau" height="1500" width="2000" msid="81004838" hostid="261"></div><p>Tana Mongeau had become one of YouTube's biggest stars by the time she hit 21 years old, mixing work online with traditional celebrity. <a href="https://www.insider.com/youtuber-tana-mongeau-interview-paris-hilton-gen-z-playlist-live-2020-3">Insider's Kat Tenbarge called her "Gen Z's Paris Hilton,"</a> and amid <a href="https://www.insider.com/tana-mongeau-new-details-season-2-no-filter-mtv-special-2019-12">reality shows</a> and vlogs, she's well-known in online circles. Still, she's been dogged by her fair share of controversy, from her <a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/46651-tanacon-is-the-latest-real-life-consequence-of-the-streaming-economy">disastrous 2018 TanaCon</a>, to a <a href="https://www.insider.com/youtubers-tana-mongeau-and-jake-paul-have-broken-up-2020-1#:~:text=The%20YouTube%20stars%20Tana%20Mongeau,they%20are%20taking%20a%20break.">brief marriage to controversial Youtuber Jake Paul</a>, to <a href="https://www.insider.com/tana-mongeau-responds-to-accusations-of-racism-and-ignorance-2020-6">racist comments that she made in the past</a>. </p><p>Out of those surveyed, 12.1% knew Tana Mongeau. 46% had an unfavorable opinion of her and 18.3% had a positive one. </p><h2>9. Keemstar</h2><div type="image" title="Keemstar" height="475" width="635" msid="81004841" hostid="261"></div><p>Daniel "Keemstar" Keem, was a pioneer of the YouTube drama channel, breaking down influencer shenanigans with the tabloid scrutiny afforded to mainstream celebrities. Since launching his famous DramaAlert channel in 2014, he's become a controversial figure in the community with a brand that, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/youtuber-keemstar-being-half-loved-half-hated-whats-coming-next-1494539">as he told reporter Steven Asarch at Newsweek in 2020</a>, leaves him "half-loved and half-hated by design." In 2020, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/g-fuel-ends-keemstar-sponsorship-h3h3-ethan-klein-etika-2020-5">his sponsorship with energy drink company G Fuel ended</a> (with Keem saying that he "walked away") following a video from h3h3Productions' Ethan Klein that raised claims that Keem had exploited Etika, a YouTuber who died by suicide in 2019.</p><p>Out of those surveyed, 9.3% were aware of who Keemstar was and 47.4% had an unfavorable opinion of him, with 24.7% skewing favorable.</p><h2>8. Caroline Calloway</h2><div type="image" title="caroline calloway essay" height="494" width="659" msid="81004843" hostid="261"></div><p>Caroline Calloway rose as a controversial influencer figure in 2019, garnering mainstream media coverage across the board. An <a href="https://www.instagram.com/carolinecalloway/">Instagram influencer</a> who currently has 678,000 followers on the platform, has turned the accusations that she's a scam artist into a personal brand <a href="https://www.insider.com/caroline-calloway-book-deal-instagram-career-2019-1#the-workshop-series-fell-apart-7">after a workshop she planned went awry in 2019.</a> Later, her former ghostwriter <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2019/09/the-story-of-caroline-calloway-and-her-ghostwriter-natalie.html">authored a story for The Cut</a> about how she used to help Calloway write the stories that appeared on her Instagram.</p><p>Out of those surveyed, 3.2% knew Calloway, a surprise given the widespread <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/11/style/caroline-calloway-explainer.html">mainstream</a> <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-messiness-and-meaning-of-caroline-calloway/2019/09/13/7c84b4fe-d56c-11e9-9343-40db57cf6abd_story.html">media</a> <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/i-get-caroline-calloway/598918/">attention</a> that she's received in the past. 48.5% had an unfavorable opinion of her, while 36.4% had a favorable opinion.</p><h2>7. Zoe LaVerne</h2><div type="image" title="Zoe Laverne visits the Young Hollywood Studio on February 7, 2020 in Los Angeles, California." height="3648" width="4864" msid="81004847" hostid="261"></div><p>19-year-old Zoe LaVerne, a TikToker with over 17.5 million followers, has been <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoe-laverne-kiss-13-age-connor-joyce-how-old-fake-arrest-2020">embroiled in controversy for much of her career</a>. In late 2020, a leaked video appeared to show her kissing a 13-year-old fan that LaVerne said she had "caught feelings" for. Prior to that, she had indefinitely split from her ex-boyfriend Cody Orlove amid abuse allegations and also been called out for making disparaging comments about Charli D'Amelio, TikTok's most-followed creator. In November 2020, she said that she was seeking mental health treatment and took a brief hiatus online, but has since resumed posting.</p><p>Out of those surveyed, 5.8% knew LaVerne, with 55.7% responding that they had an unfavorable opinion of her and 27.9% skewing favorable.</p><h2>6. Jeffree Star</h2><div type="image" title="Jeffree Star" height="593" width="791" msid="81004855" hostid="261"></div><p>Jeffree Star is one of the oldest - and biggest - figures in the beauty YouTube community, building a beauty empire with his company Jeffree Star Cosmetics. He's also one of its most contentious. In 2020, <a href="https://www.insider.com/jeffree-star-sexual-assault-allegations-violence-accused-predator-myspace-payments-2020-9">Insider's Kat Tenbarge investigated claims of sexual assault against Star,</a> with <a href="https://www.insider.com/jeffree-star-sexual-assault-claims-hush-money-insider-investigation-2020-12">documents appearing to show</a> that a Jeffree Star Cosmetics executive had paid one of Star's accusers $45,000 in a hush-money payment. </p><p>Star's tenure as an influencer was reflected in his numbers, with 22.5% of survey respondents knowing who he was. However, his controversies also shone through: 55.7% had an unfavorable opinion of him, while 19.6% had a favorable one.</p><h2>5. Jacob Sartorius</h2><div type="image" title="jacob sartorius milan fashion week" height="4480" width="5973" msid="81004863" hostid="261"></div><p>It's a bit baffling that Jacob Sartorius, the 18-year-old star who rose to fame on Musical.ly in the latter half of the 2010s, is on this list in between Jeffree Star and Onision. Still, even back in 2016 when Sartorius was 13 years old, <a href="https://www.insider.com/who-is-jacob-sartorius-2016-8">one teen told Insider that "everybody either loves him or hates him."</a> Since then, Sartorius has continued making music and <a href="https://www.insider.com/tiktok-relationships-dating-celebrities-david-dobrik-addison-rae-daisy-keech-2020-4#former-musically-star-jacob-sartorius-once-had-an-on-again-off-again-relationship-with-stranger-things-star-millie-bobby-brown-4">was in an on-again, off-again relationship with "Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown</a>. </p><p>Out of those surveyed, 10.1% knew who Jacob Sartorius was. 57.1% had an unfavorable opinion of him while 11.4% had a favorable one.</p><h2>4. Onision</h2><div type="image" title="Onision" height="748" width="998" msid="81004870" hostid="261"></div><p>Onision, a YouTuber who got his start in 2007 and whose real name is James "Greg" Jackson, was a popular creator who <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH5ay10RTGY">went viral for his "Banana Song" in 2009.</a> However, his fall from grace, <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-youtube-supervillain-are-made-onision-amberlynn-reid-2020-4">as Insider's Lindsay Dodgson reported</a>, was one of the most intense in YouTube history. In 2019, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/26/20984785/onision-doxxing-patreon-deplatformed-twitter-youtube">six women accused him of harassment and emotional abuse</a> and he was banned from Patreon; most recently, he was removed from YouTube's partner program, meaning that his videos will no longer be monetized. He's <a href="https://mashable.com/article/onision-in-real-life-documentary-controversy-explained/?europe=true">previously disputed abuse allegations.</a></p><p>While only 6.8% of survey respondents knew who Onision was, he was in the top five of most unfavorable influencers for which Insider surveyed opinion. 59.2% had an unfavorable opinion of him, and 23.9% found him to be favorable.</p><h2>3. <keyword id="8299810" type="AGENCY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Trisha-paytas">Trisha Paytas</keyword></h2><div type="image" title="trisha paytas instagram account deactivated" height="1560" width="2080" msid="81004874" hostid="261"></div><p>Trisha Paytas has been an internet mainstay since the late 2000s, when she got her start on YouTube and furthered her fame through appearances on programs like <a href="https://www.insider.com/ellen-degeneres-show-trisha-paytas-video-appearanace-speed-reading-2021-1">"The Ellen DeGeneres Show"</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/trisha-paytas-americas-got-talent-agt-fake-staged-video-sabotaged-2021-1">"America's Got Talent."</a> A big name on both YouTube and TikTok, <a href="https://www.insider.com/life-and-controversies-of-youtuber-trisha-paytas-2019-8">she's been involved in numerous public feuds over the course of her career</a> and is known for sharing details about her personal life on YouTube.</p><p>An undeniable fixture of the influencer landscape, 11.3% of survey respondents knew who Paytas was. 66.1% had an unfavorable opinion of her, with 15.3% saying that they held her in a favorable light.</p><h2>2. Logan Paul</h2><div type="image" title="Logan Paul" height="1500" width="2000" msid="81004878" hostid="261"></div><p>Logan Paul ascended to online fame in 2013 when he and his brother Jake Paul began posting to short-form video app Vine, later moving onto YouTube after Vine shut down. Known for wild stunt videos, he's a controversial online personality, <a href="https://www.insider.com/youtube-star-logan-paul-apologised-after-filming-a-dead-body-in-japans-suicide-forest-2018-1">due in large part to a January 2018 video that showed Paul filming what appeared to be a dead body in Japan's Aokigahara forest</a>. That video drew widespread backlash, but <a href="https://www.insider.com/logan-paul-podcast-controversies-drama-reputation-jake-2020-12">as Insider's Lindsay Dodgson reported</a>, he's managed to orchestrate a redemption arc of sorts over the past several years and is generally considered to have a better reputation than his brother, Jake, a notion also reflected in Insider's data.</p><p>Logan Paul is the most well-known influencer on this list, with 30.6% of respondents saying that they knew who he was and putting him close to other big-name internet personalities like Joe Rogan, who was known by 37.2% of those surveyed. However, 68% had an unfavorable opinion of him, with 13.5% still holding a favorable one.</p><h2>1. Jake Paul</h2><div type="image" title="Jake Paul" height="1500" width="2000" msid="81004882" hostid="261"></div><p>Controversy has propelled the younger Paul brother, Jake, to greater and greater heights of fame since he and his brother became internet famous in the 2010s. Booted from the Disney Channel show "Bizaardvark" in 2017 <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/07/19/538103866/youtube-star-jake-pauls-neighbors-tell-him-were-not-jake-paulers">after his West Hollywood neighbors said that he had turned the street into a "war zone." </a> He's been <a href="https://www.insider.com/jake-paul-controversies-timeline-looting-scandals-racist-slurs-drama-2020-6">accused of scamming his young followers more than once</a>, come under fire for using slurs, and posting videos some said were inappropriate for his young audience. </p><p>Most recently, he was charged with trespassing in Arizona after footage of him at a mall where looting and vandalism were occurring circulated online; he's also thrown parties at his home in Calabasas, CA during the COVID-19 pandemic and <a href="https://www.insider.com/jake-paul-gun-fbi-search-video-la-police-firearms-mansion-2020-8">law enforcement seized what seemed to be large guns from his home during an August FBI raid</a>. Later in 2020, he <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/youtuber-jake-paul-believes-covid-is-a-hoaxand-i-am-fake-news">told The Daily Beast's Marlow Stern</a> that he thought that COVD-19 was a "hoax." He's <a href="https://www.insider.com/jake-paul-is-far-more-suited-to-boxing-than-youtube-2020-12">currently pursuing a boxing career.</a></p><p>Paul was the most-disliked influencer that Insider polled opinions of and was known by 29.5% of respondents. 71.4% had an unfavorable opinion of him, while 12.7% had a favorable one.</p><p><em>SurveyMonkey Audience polls from a national sample balanced by census data of age and gender. Respondents are incentivized to complete surveys through charitable contributions. Generally speaking, digital polling tends to skew toward people with access to the internet. SurveyMonkey Audience doesn't try to weight its sample based on race or income. Polling data collected 1,040 respondents December 24, 2020 with a 3 percentage point margin of error.</em></p>

Insider poll shows some of the most disliked influencers on the internet, from Jake Paul to Jeffree Star

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Waves of social activism and callout <keyword id="24504" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="culture">culture</keyword> have defined quarantine, starting with the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, followed by viral workplace-inequality stories, and now hundreds of new allegations of sexual harassment and assault being disseminated online.</li><li>The surge of allegations echoes the 2017 #MeToo movement inspired by the Harvey Weinstein accusations, which brought about widespread use of the hashtag.</li><li>This time viral allegations of sexual misconduct against the comedian <keyword id="9445349" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Chris-DElia">Chris D'Elia</keyword> seemed to have sparked a new wave of accusations against A-list teen celebrities, video-game streamers and developers, <keyword id="29554" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Wrestling">wrestling</keyword> professionals, and internet personalities.</li><li>While some allegations have been substantiated and some have had consequences for the accused, the outpouring of allegations on social media has largely been subjected to the court of online opinion — which has so far shifted back and forth rapidly, leading to the rise of an unsubstantiated belief that accusers may be making false accusations as part of a trend or for "clout."</li></ul><p>Multiple industries and internet-adjacent communities appear to be in the middle of a massive #MeToo moment as hundreds of sexual-assault allegations have been amplified on social media in the past week.</p><p>In the gaming industry, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/style/women-gaming-streaming-harassment-sexism-twitch.html">The New York Times reported</a> that more than 70 people, most of them women, have come forward with allegations that include gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.</p><p>Allegations against A-list celebrities — such as the actor <a href="https://pagesix.com/2020/06/21/ansel-elgort-denies-sexual-assault-allegation-through-instagram-post/">Ansel Elgort</a>, the singer <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/3166987/justin-bieber-denies-sexual-assault-allegations/">Justin Bieber</a>, and the "Riverdale" cast member <a href="https://www.insider.com/cole-sprouse-lili-reinhart-deny-sexual-assault-allegations-response-twitter-2020-6">Cole Sprouse,</a> who have all denied the accusations — have trended on Twitter.</p><p>Online celebrities such as Twitter personality <a href="https://twitter.com/00azula/status/1274520455668432896">Jovan Hill</a> and TikTokers <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/tiktok-star-ondreaz-lopez-responds-amid-sexual-assault-allegations-1383055">Ondreaz Lopez</a> and <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/tiktoks-cody-orlove-responds-to-zoe-laverne-abuse-accusations-1383353">Cody Orlove</a> have all responded to accusations of sexual assault and abuse, apologizing to the accusers but also denying the extent of their claims.</p><p>Additionally, stars in the professional-wrestling community have been accused of varying degrees of sexual assault, with the majority of the accusations emerging on social media using the hashtag #SpeakingOut, <a href="https://deadspin.com/metoo-comes-to-pro-wrestling-1844122216">Deadspin reported</a>. Some of the accused faced immediate consequences, <a href="https://deadspin.com/metoo-comes-to-pro-wrestling-1844122216">including firings</a>, as dozens of women in the wrestling community came forward in a matter of days.</p><p><div type="image" title="me too rally stop victim blaming" height="3646" width="5462" msid="76540886" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Some communities appear to be taking the allegations seriously, particularly in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/style/women-gaming-streaming-harassment-sexism-twitch.html">streaming</a> and <a href="https://deadspin.com/metoo-comes-to-pro-wrestling-1844122216">wrestling</a> industries where authority figures can vet claims and hold people accountable.</p><p>But there are other allegations being brought forward by anonymous figures that can't be vetted. Some of these allegations make their way to social media, where they can take hold and influence public opinion.</p><p>The internet moves at lightning speed and a pattern has begun to emerge: Allegations are posted online, they gain traction, the accused posts their denial, and the tide quickly flips on the accuser. The online community seems torn between a desire to "believe women," brought on by the 2017 #MeToo movement, and a desire to believe the well-liked online figures who are being accused.</p><p>This desire to believe the denials from internet celebrities, musicians, actors, and other public figures has led to some people alleging there's a "<a href="https://twitter.com/jamescharles/status/1275146102904287232">false-accusation trend</a>" online. The idea of false accusations is a persistent one, largely rooted in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45565684">unfounded stigma</a> against accusers that <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-we-often-dont-believe-women-who-report-sexual-assault">has trickled down</a> through generations. Now it appears to have reached Gen Z and online communities.</p><h2>Social media has been a defining factor in the new #MeToo wave, starting with a viral thread about the comedian Chris D'Elia</h2><p>While the 2017 #MeToo movement was largely sparked by reports about Harvey Weinstein from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html">The New York Times</a> and <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/from-aggressive-overtures-to-sexual-assault-harvey-weinsteins-accusers-tell-their-stories">The New Yorker</a> — which carried over into physical activism, such as protests — the current resurgence has so far occurred only in online spaces. If it continues to pick up steam, and if the accusations against famous figures like Elgort and Bieber are either supplemented by reporting or elevated to legal action, it seems likely that the recent burst of accusations could be amplified into something more akin to the global 2017 movement. Right now, the most serious claims and consequences appear to have been insulated in their respective communities — gaming and wrestling.</p><p>The surge in accusations can seemingly be attributed to the rise in social-justice activism that's taken place following the killing of George Floyd, which inspired a burst of public protests worldwide. As more people turned to the internet during COVID-19 quarantine, anger over police brutality festered before eventually exploding into action. After Minneapolis burned, and protesters were beaten across the US, some police departments and cities have started to change their policies.</p><p>Recently, internet-driven activism has sprung up elsewhere as people channel their collective outrage toward change. Pay disparities along racial lines and a lack of Black, Indigenous, and people of color representation in workplaces have become <a href="https://www.insider.com/bon-apptit-timeline-allegations-drama-culture-race-andy-alex-sohla-2020-6">trending issues</a> in multiple industries, including media and <a href="https://www.insider.com/kameron-kam-lester-jeffree-star-cosmetics-racist-shane-dawson-token-2020-6">makeup</a>. In line with the anti-racism movement, <a href="https://www.insider.com/celebrity-fight-canceled-quarantine-why-were-seeing-feuds-doja-lana-2020-5">cancel culture</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/celebrity-fight-canceled-quarantine-why-were-seeing-feuds-doja-lana-2020-5">viral callouts</a> have both thrived, from <a href="https://www.insider.com/instagram-meme-account-karensgoingwild-karens-gone-wild-kevins-2020-5">capturing "Karens" on camera</a> to "<a href="https://www.insider.com/la-woman-backlash-posing-drill-protests-facts-with-fiona-moriarty-2020-6">performative activism</a>" backlash.</p><p>The first sexual-misconduct allegations to seemingly break the proverbial floodgates in the past week were against the comedian Chris D'Elia. One of his first accusers gained notoriety by comparing him to his character in the Netflix series "You," a fictional comedian who grooms and rapes women. The accuser alleged that D'Elia preyed on her when she was 16 and he was 24, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/06/22/chris-delia-sexual-harassment-allegations-workaholics/">The Washington Post reported</a>.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—SheRatesDogs  (@SheRatesDogs) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1273057240350552066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2020</a></blockquote><p>Her thread was amplified by the popular Twitter account @SheRatesDogs, which created a thread with <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/06/22/chris-delia-sexual-harassment-allegations-workaholics/">nearly two dozen accounts</a> of women alleging that D'Elia had harassed them as teenagers and young adult women, soliciting both nude photos and physical intimacy during encounters. In <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2020/06/17/chris-delia-responds-sexual-misconduct-allegations-minors-underage-girls/">a statement to TMZ</a>, D'Elia apologized for some of his past behavior, but denied knowingly pursuing "any underage women at any point."</p><p>For the gaming industry and streaming community, the wave of allegations appears to have begun on June 19, when <a href="https://www.insider.com/twitch-saynotorage-apologized-for-sexual-harassment-allegations-2020-6">five women accused</a> Twitch streamer SayNoToRage of sexual harassment. SayNoToRage, who goes by the moniker Lono and does not share his legal name publicly, has since apologized for his action, but his admission of guilt is the exception, not the norm, in responses to the current #MeToo wave. While many of the allegations against famous men like Elgort and Bieber have gone viral, most of the accused who have acknowledged the allegations, including those two A-listers, have denied them.</p><h2>So far, most of the allegations have been met with denials, and without any objective vetting of the claims, the idea that there's a 'false-accusations trend' has emerged</h2><p>Without an admission of guilt, the denials have been met largely with acceptance — although a few counterarguments have been posed, as in Bieber's case. Two women have most recently made accusations about Bieber, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/3166987/justin-bieber-denies-sexual-assault-allegations/">MTV reports</a>, including one woman, Kadi, whose claims Bieber has not responded to, and an anonymous Twitter account created the day the accusations were posted under the name "Danielle."</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Pop Crave  (@PopCrave) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1274604749233537024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2020</a></blockquote><p>Both accounts have been subjected to investigations by random Twitter users, and the sentiment that Bieber was guilty — perpetuated, in part, by "antis," or people who dislike Bieber for fan-related purposes — until Bieber posted his counterclaims, which seemed to largely sway opinion in the other direction. That said, there are still viral tweets and large discussions over whether Bieber and his team are lying, including in the replies to his own tweets.</p><p>Bieber issued 15 tweets countering the viral allegations against him, including articles, screenshots of purported emails about his Airbnb reservation, and a photo of a purported receipt for a hotel reservation. The thread of his own evidence, along with his statement that the allegations against him "were factually impossible" and that he would "be working with twitter and authorities to take legal action," seemed to convince many of the social media users who were interested.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Justin Bieber  (@justinbieber) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1274869663151747072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2020</a></blockquote><p>Most of the allegations and the denials have occurred so quickly that there hasn't been very much reporting, and little to no legal action, to vet the claims. Rather, the court of online public opinion has been the ecosystem where the current #MeToo wave is occurring. And because the personalities being accused have huge platforms and a legion of fans, there's an impetus to believe them over the accusers, many of whom are anonymous and have claims that would require more thorough vetting to stand up in court or in an article.</p><p>Given the anonymous nature of many of the allegations, a narrative seems to be developing online that there is a "trend" of false accusations against celebrities, even though some of the accusers — like Lopez's — have <a href="https://twitter.com/iirascibility/status/1275194605026209792">doubled down</a> to say they aren't lying, and the accused is.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—James Charles  (@jamescharles) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1275146102904287232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2020</a></blockquote><p>There's an established danger in immediately believing anonymous and unsubstantiated claims.</p><p>As Sprouse and Lili Reinhart said in response to claims about various "Riverdale" cast members that trended on Twitter, several of the allegations against various "Riverdale" stars were shown to <a href="https://www.insider.com/cole-sprouse-lili-reinhart-deny-sexual-assault-allegations-response-twitter-2020-6">seemingly have originated</a> from the same IP address, suggesting that one person was making multiple anonymous unsubstantiated claims against multiple teen celebrities. That same Twitter user <a href="https://www.insider.com/cole-sprouse-lili-reinhart-deny-sexual-assault-allegations-response-twitter-2020-6">implied in a later tweet</a> that they made false accusations to prove that a social-media mob would believe anything and Sprouse was innocent.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Pop Crave  (@PopCrave) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1274898680831782913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2020</a></blockquote><p>But there's also a danger in assuming that because a handful of accusations aren't true, the rest aren't, an assumption that's silenced or delegitimized accusers throughout history.</p><p>The idea that allegations are made to gain online fame is an especially dangerous mentality, because it contributes <a href="http://www.drcandacevlove.com/women-sexual-assault-reporting/">to a stigma</a> that dissuades victims to come forward. The idea that accusers become famous themselves for making false accusations against famous figures ignored the backlash and hate from the accused person's fans and from online communities dedicated to attacking women, such as those that organized campaigns during <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gamergate-the-growing-divide-between-gamers-and-journalists-2014-9">Gamergate</a>. </p><p><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45565684">Official figures suggest</a> that the number of rapes and sexual assaults that are never reported or prosecuted far outweigh the number of men who are wrongfully charged for sex crimes they didn't commit, and while fake rape accusations get a lot of attention, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45565684">studies suggest</a> that between only 2% and 10% of accusations are actually unfounded. But most of these statistics are based on accusations submitted to law enforcement, not social media, so the landscape may be skewed differently online. Without more research into the online environment that many accusers have turned to in 2020 to disseminate allegations, it's unclear how likely social-media allegations are to be false.</p><p>While social media offers a place where accusers, who are predominantly women, can quickly disseminate claims to a wide audience, it also serves as an often toxic environment where people can side with one party only to quickly change their mind. Until more claims are vetted by reporters, investigators, law enforcement, and other neutral parties, it's unclear how far the #MeToo resurgence will go.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/kpop-trump-tulsa-rally-hashtags-fancams-donations-activism-online-stan-2020-6">A timeline of K-pop fandom's viral digital activism, from reserving no-show tickets for Trump's Tulsa rally to spamming racist hashtags</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/blm-george-floyd-protests-influencers-political-meghan-rienks-swoozie-fousey-2020-6">BLM protests have flipped the script for influencers used to walking the line between losing followers and political expression. Now, creators say the landscape has shifted.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/virtue-signaling-social-media-george-floyd-protests-racism-2020-6">Politicians and influencers have been accused of 'virtue signaling' during police brutality protests, but the callouts could do more harm than good</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/bon-apptit-timeline-allegations-drama-culture-race-andy-alex-sohla-2020-6">Bon Appétit's week from hell: How a deluge of allegations depicting a 'toxic' work culture left the magazine in chaos</a></li></ul>

You Searched For "cody orlove" and got 7 results

The controversies of 19-year-old TikTok star Zoe LaVerne, who apologized for kissing her 13-year-old fan

Kat Tenbarge

TikToker Zoe Laverne says she sold photos of her new baby to pay for hospital care, after almost dying during childbirth

Lindsay Dodgson

TikToker Zoe Laverne appeared to defend Kyle Rittenhouse in a livestream from a private Instagram account

Charlotte Colombo

Controversial TikToker Zoe Laverne appeared to charge fans $15 to see 'exclusive' photos of her newborn baby

Lindsay Dodgson

The 19-year-old TikTok star who kissed her 13-year-old fan commented 'I miss you' on his livestream

Kat Tenbarge

Insider poll shows some of the most disliked influencers on the internet, from Jake Paul to Jeffree Star

Palmer Haasch

A new #MeToo movement is erupting online as allegations of sexual misconduct hit celebrities, influencers, and streamers

Kat Tenbarge