Garrett Gee is responding to his critics.
The social media personality, famous for the The Bucket List Family page, has addressed the criticism he received after posting a video of him encouraging his son, Cali, age 7, to jump off a cliff into Lake Powell, even though the boy was initially reluctant.
I’d agree with anyone who only saw that video,” Garrett told People in an interview published on September 27. “They might think, ‘This looks awful, and this dad is pushing his kid too hard.’ But people who have been following our story for a while know how careful and considerate we are as parents.
The travel vlogger-who shares children Dorothy, age 12, and Manilla, age 11, with his wife Jessica Gee-admitted that he was a little disappointed when he read the unkind comments.
He observed that many people hadn’t been encouraged by their families to step outside of what they were used to, and therefore remained in their comfort zones. He explained, “When viewers were strongly affected – either very upset or frightened by the video – I saw that as a sign that I’d enjoy going on an adventure with them and helping them experience something new.” It seemed those strong reactions indicated a desire for new experiences.
In the video’s description, Garrett made it clear that he didn’t recommend anyone attempt this themselves.
He also mentioned, “This isn’t a consistent approach we’ve taken with every child.” He explained, “Each child is unique, so our parenting style, how we discipline, and even how we teach HOW TO CLIFF JUMP varies accordingly 🙂 Our top priority is always safety. Second, we want them to learn YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS. And third, we want them to HAVE FUN.”
He also described his reasoning for pushing his youngest son into the water. “We brought our youngest, Cali, to a cliff we knew was safe. The real risk would have been if he’d paused, not jumped far enough, and slipped down the side,” he explained. “So, to be absolutely sure he was safe – he *wanted* to jump but was feeling unsure – I gave him a push.”
As a lifestyle expert, I often talk about letting go and encouraging growth, and it reminds me of baby eagles. Eventually, they *have* to leave the nest – sometimes with a little push! – to learn they can fly! It’s amazing to watch, but a word of caution: nurturing bravery in your kids is wonderful, but it can sometimes backfire as they get older and start taking risks you wouldn’t even dream of!! /// BE SAFE OUT THERE, TopMob! YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS! HAVE FUN!
Look back at several of the biggest influencer scandals over the years…
While her YouTube character might sing, it was Colleen Ballinger dealing with serious issues in 2023. The internet personality, famous for her deliberately clumsy Miranda Sings character, was accused of grooming and having inappropriate relationships with young fans.
In a June video that has since been removed, titled “why I left the colleen ballinger fandom…”, YouTuber KodeeRants shared screenshots of what they claimed was a text conversation between Colleen and her followers, alleging she had been forming harmful relationships with fans who were underage.
According to NBC News, the screenshots showed a group text called “Colleeny’s Weenies,” where the performer supposedly asked fans about their “favorite position.” NBC News couldn’t confirm if the screenshots were real.
Days later, content creator Adam McIntyre-who started a fan account for Miranda Sings when he was 10 years old-responded with videos on his own YouTube channel, claiming Ballinger emotionally manipulates her fans.
Ballinger hasn’t publicly addressed his claims, nor did she respond to a request for comment from TopMob News. However, on June 28, the mother of three responded to the accusations with a 10-minute song played on the ukulele, posted to her personal YouTube account. In the video, Ballinger compared the accusations to a damaging rumor mill, saying it was headed toward “manipulation station” while the internet “tie me to the tracks and harass me for my past.”
In July, the remaining dates of her Miranda Sings tour were canceled. She hasn’t posted anything on social media since.
It all began when the author of Girl, Wash Your Face shared a story about her house cleaner, and things quickly escalated.
A clip of a post that was later deleted, brought to light by Angie Treasure, references a livestream from April 2021. In it, Hollis talked about a cleaner and mentioned someone commented, saying, “You’re privileged AF.” She responded, “You’re right. I’m super freaking privileged, but I also worked really hard to be able to afford someone to clean my toilets twice a week.” The commenter then said she was “unrelatable.”
Hollis countered by saying she didn’t *want* to be relatable, pointing out that icons and historical figures like Harriet Tubman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Marie Curie, and Oprah Winfrey were “all unrelatable AF.”
However, while selling a lot of books is successful, she isn’t comparable to a celebrated abolitionist.
A few days later, Hollis apologized on Instagram, stating, “I know I’ve caused a lot of pain by mentioning prominent women-including women of color-whose experiences and accomplishments I can’t fully grasp.” She added, “I overlooked the people whose hard work doesn’t give them financial security, often because of unfair and biased systems.”
The author of Girl, Stop Apologizing concluded, “What I need to do now, and what I should have done all along, is honestly, be quiet and listen.”
In March 2020, the founder of the Something Navy clothing line and the original blog shared with her Instagram followers that she had tested positive for COVID-19, promising to isolate in her Manhattan apartment with her husband Brandon Charnas and their daughters Ruby and Esme. However, just eight days later, she and her entire household-including their nanny-left for the Hamptons.
To put it mildly, this didn’t go over well. Comments on her Instagram page became increasingly critical as she talked about going for walks outside for “fresh air” instead of practicing social distancing.
When her husband cracked that only “hot” people were getting the virus, emotions boiled over.
She followed up with a detailed apology, explaining several points-their nanny was also sick with the virus; they had building staff disinfect the lobby before leaving, avoided stopping for gas, and had groceries brought to them; and their home in the Hamptons was on a quiet street-but the negative reaction continued.
Nordstrom, which had previously carried Charnas’ clothing line, announced it would not be renewing their contract, which had ended in 2019. Charnas, who had a third daughter named Navy in 2021, then decided to sell directly to customers, stating, “I wanted more control,” and is now again sharing her favorite items from Shopbop and partnering with A Pea in the Pod.
In an interview on The Glossy Podcast, she said her biggest lesson was, “People wanted me to be more understanding about what was happening in the world, and I should have been.”
As a long-time follower of health and wellness, I remember when fashion influencer Emily Gellis Lande really shook things up in 2020 by publicly criticizing registered dietitian Zuckerbrot. She shared stories – though TopMob News didn’t verify them – from dieters claiming they’d spent a lot – some reportedly over $20,000 – on the New Yorker’s F-Factor Diet, and experienced some really frightening side effects. People reported things like rashes, bad cramps, signs of metal poisoning, and, tragically, even a miscarriage. This all gained a lot of attention, and The New York Times ended up publishing an article about it.
Zuckerbrot quickly hired lawyer Lanny Davis, who used to be special counsel to Bill Clinton, and strongly denied everything. She said that out of over 176,000 purchases of her snacks and powders, she’d only received 50 health complaints. She even released a Certificate of Analysis to prove her products didn’t contain heavy metals, and went on Today to defend her program further.
But Zuckerbrot isn’t a fan of Gellis Lande. She told The Times, “I believe in her mind she thinks she’s helping people and that the lifestyle I lead is poisoning everyone and giving them anorexia,” adding, “But she’s a fashion blogger.”
Zuckerbrot has since filed two lawsuits against Gellis Lande, claiming she started a campaign to ruin her brand. Both of those suits are still ongoing, and Gellis Lande has denied everything.
In 2020, the world experienced a significant increase in awareness regarding racial issues. However, it was stylist-and Meghan Markle friend-Jessica Mulroney who personally faced a moment of reckoning. In a nearly 12-minute Instagram video, lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter explained that problems began when Mulroney reacted negatively to Exeter’s request for her followers to “use their voice for good and help combat the race war and what’s happening to the Black community.”
Exeter stated that Mulroney believed the message was directed at her and subsequently engaged in what Exeter described as “very problematic” behavior, including allegedly speaking negatively about Exeter to other brands and “sending me a threat in writing.” While Mulroney initially apologized in a comment on Exeter’s video, she later sent a direct message that Exeter shared, in which Mulroney wrote, “Liable [sic] suit. Good luck.”
After posting an apology to her own followers, announcing her plans to amplify “Black voices by having them take over my account and share their experience,” CTV announced they were canceling her reality show I Do, Redo.
Speaking “about the situation surrounding my wife, Jessica,” her husband Ben Mulroney stepped down from his position as co-host of CTV’s eTalk, expressing, “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.” However, the mother of three did manage to retain her close friendship with Meghan, writing in a now-deleted post, “Meghan and I are family. She is the kindest friend.”
Known for popular videos like “I DUCT TAPED My Brothers $400,000 Dollar TRUCK!” and his departure from Disney Channel’s Bizaardvark, this Vine star turned YouTube creator reached a new level of attention in 2020.
On August 5th, the FBI searched his home in Calabasas, California, related to an incident that happened on May 30th at a mall in Scottsdale, Arizona. According to police, Paul illegally entered and stayed inside the Fashion Square Mall after officers told everyone to leave while he was live-streaming a Black Lives Matter protest. (Paul responded on Twitter, stating that while documenting the protest, “neither I nor anyone in our group was engaged in any looting or vandalism.”)
Discussion about the reason for the FBI raid grew alongside his large YouTube audience. Video from a local ABC station showed several firearms being taken into a police vehicle. Paul explained in a now-deleted video from August 12th that the search was “entirely related to the Arizona looting situation.” He added that rumors linking it to other issues were untrue and “absurd.”
Although no charges were filed, Paul’s lawyer told TopMob News that they would cooperate with the investigation.
Following accusations of infidelity that led to his departure from the YouTube comedy group The Try Guys-originally consisting of Ned, Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, and Eugene Lee Yang-Ned recently spoke out about the situation for the first time, three years after the initial announcement.
I was intentionally portraying myself as someone in a loving marriage, often sharing details about our sweet relationship,” he told People. “Fans really connected with that image, and I deliberately played it up. It was a genuine aspect of my life, too.”
He explained that the situation caused such a large scandal because of the irony and the feeling that people were misled. He continued, “That must have been really painful and devastating for viewers.”
Over a year after reconciling with beauty vlogger Tati Westbrook, the popular YouTuber found himself in a couple of new disagreements. It started in August 2020 with a subtle tweet “about thinking some celebrities shouldn’t create makeup lines,” where he hinted that Alicia Keys, who rarely wears makeup, shouldn’t have a skincare line. He later apologized, saying he didn’t want to control who could launch beauty products.
But just two weeks later, the host of Instant Influencer had to address another error when he criticized Lauren Conrad‘s new beauty line. In a series of Instagram Stories, he showed his 22 million followers empty packaging he received “from a new makeup brand created by someone who shouldn’t be making makeup.”
Luckily, the LC Lauren Conrad fashion designer took it in stride, playfully admitting her mistake on Instagram. She explained that the person responsible for assembling the gifts (meaning herself) had accidentally included empty samples in a bag while testing if they would fit. “When the beauty products arrived and it was time to fill the makeup bags, she (again, me) accidentally included the bag full of empties with the others and it was sent out,” Conrad shared. “She will be let go immediately.”
Charles later apologized, saying the videos were intended as humor and that “Lauren and I spoke privately about the misunderstanding & are both good.” However, it’s pretty obvious he knows what he did.
When The Stauffer Life vlogger and YouTuber began a video in May 2020 by saying, “This is by far the hardest video James and I have ever publicly had to make,” it was clear she wasn’t going to share typical parenting content. Instead, she and her husband revealed they had placed their 4-year-old son Huxley, whom they adopted from China in 2017, with “his now new forever family” after finding it difficult to manage his autism.
Their nearly 1 million subscribers reacted with outrage, with many debating whether the couple-who have four other children-were simply unaware of the challenges involved, or if they had used Huxley to gain views and donations before giving him up when his care became too difficult. They lost followers and partnerships with brands like Fabletics, Suave, and Danimals, all of whom announced they were ending their collaborations. Even Ohio’s Delaware County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to TopMob News that they were looking into Huxley’s welfare.
Authorities announced in late June that they had closed their investigation “without any charges,” but Myka’s online presence remains inactive. Once a frequent poster on social media, she hasn’t shared anything on YouTube or Instagram since she released a long statement, apologizing for “being so naive when I started the adoption process,” and stating that they were “not under any type of investigation.”
Following a video posted by TikTok user Kaitlyn Teaches-showing her opening her husband’s packed lunch, which playfully included a bag of dog food with a note saying, “Because you’re my dawg,” and some leftover Chipotle from two days prior-she responded to the strong negative reaction the video received. She addressed the criticism they faced as a result of the prank.
“I need to clarify what went down this weekend,” she stated in a TikTok video from September 2025. “Many of you are really upset that he referred to me as a dog.”
“He didn’t call me a D-O-G,” she went on, speaking more slowly. “He didn’t call me that. D-A-W-G. ‘Dawg’ – it’s like ‘homie,’ American slang for a friend. That’s how we refer to each other. It’s a joke, J-O-K-E, joke.”
What a journey! When Hall mentioned in May 2020 that he and another popular TikTok creator might take a cross-country road trip soon, the response was more than just suggestions for places to visit. Hall’s followers on Twitter were upset that they were ignoring stay-at-home orders to travel, prompting Hall to respond, “most states lifted quarantine, the boys are driving across country staying out of contact from everyone… it’s not that deep.”
However, things got worse just five days later when they drove through Lee County, Texas. The sheriff’s office confirmed that Hall was arrested and charged with marijuana possession, and Hossler was arrested and charged with possessing controlled substances. (Both posted bail the following day. TopMob News contacted both representatives for a statement; Hall’s rep declined to comment, and Hossler’s didn’t respond.)
In an essay published in People in June, Hall shared that he had “started on the path” toward sobriety: “While I’ve messed up in the past, I’m learning and growing… and I will make you proud. I promise.”
While some pranks are harmless fun – like imagining George Clooney and Brad Pitt playfully covering Julia Roberts‘ door with shaving cream – this was something else entirely. In October 2019, the Stokes Twins, a pair of YouTubers, dressed in black and pretended to be bank robbers. They then called an Uber, intending to use it as their ‘getaway car’ while filming the stunt. The Uber driver was not amused and refused to drive, and a passerby even called the police.
“Irvine police arrived and ordered the Uber driver out at gunpoint,” the Orange County District Attorney’s Office revealed in a press release. Once authorities confirmed the driver wasn’t involved, they let him go, but “police issued a warning to the Stokes brothers about the dangers of their conduct.”
Just four hours later, the twins allegedly repeated the prank at the University of California, Irvine, which led to their arrest. They faced up to four years in prison if convicted on charges of false imprisonment and swatting. This angered Orange County D.A. Todd Spitzer, who stated, “These are crimes that could have resulted in someone getting seriously injured or even killed.”
In 2020, their lawyer insisted, “We can say without hesitation that our clients are in fact not guilty of any crimes.” However, they ultimately pled guilty to lesser charges of misdemeanor false imprisonment and reporting false emergencies, receiving 160 hours of community service and a year of probation.
Known as the “King of YouTube” for his long-form videos and a following of around 34 million, Dawson’s prominence ended in June 2020 after a controversial tweet led to his departure from the online beauty world. He complained, “They are all attention seeking, game playing, egocentric, narcissistic, vengeful, two-faced, ticking time bombs ready to explode. And I’m OVER it,” specifically calling out James Charles as “a young, egocentric, power-hungry guru who needed to be served a slice of humble pie in the size of the fking Empire State Building.”
His fans reacted negatively, pointing out the hypocrisy of criticizing others while having his own flaws. Soon after, Dawson released a 20-minute video titled “Taking Accountability,” where he apologized for his past actions, admitting “I have done a lot of things in my past that I hate,” including using blackface, making racist comments and jokes about pedophilia, and posting a video that sexualized a then-11-year-old Willow Smith.
“This video is coming from a place of just wanting to own up to my st, wanting to own up to everything I’ve done on the internet that has hurt people, that has added to the problem, that has not been handled well,” he explained. “I should have been punished for things.” And he was – YouTube suspended his ability to earn money from his three accounts.
He began creating content again in 2021, stating, “I’m so grateful that I got cancelled, because it really changed my life.”
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2025-09-29 18:49