YouTuber Piper Rockelle Denies Allegations in ‘Dark Side of Kidfluencing’

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Piper Rockelle is speaking out. 

Following accusations made against her mother Tiffany Smith for reportedly subjecting her former YouTube team to distressing working conditions as depicted in the documentary “Down Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing“, the 17-year-old responded to these claims in a three-part Netflix docuseries, labeling them as “malicious, unfounded, and essentially driven by financial gain.

Rockelle expressed a desire for moving past the situation as it’s emotionally taxing on a daily basis, and she noted that her mental well-being has been affected more than people realize in a statement to USA Today on April 9.

The influencer stated, “She didn’t perform the actions they claimed. Regardless, I will always support my mother unwaveringly.

Besides this revelation, Rockelle also disclosed additional insights about the documentary, where some of her past collaborators (all underage) claimed that Smith compelled them to work for long hours without any breaks, aiming to create numerous videos every day, totaling 15 hours per shift.

Prior to its April 9 premiere, the former Dance Twins star, who boasts over 12.1 million subscribers on YouTube since joining in 2016 at the age of 8, shared her feelings about the upcoming project.

In a hypothetical scenario, are we still able to remain friends if I choose to watch this movie? Rockelle subtly hinted in her April 7 TikTok video by mimicking the lyrics from Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” saying, “I don’t want to be friends.

We attempted to contact representatives for both Smith and Rockelle, along with Netflix, seeking their comments, however, no response has been received so far.

Title rephrased: Negative Impact: Unveiling the Shadowy Aspects of Kid Influencing isn’t the initial instance where Smith has been under controversy.

11 plaintiffs between ages 10 and 16 filed a lawsuit against the matriarch and Piper Rockelle Inc in 2022. They claimed that Smith caused them physical and emotional harm through alleged harassment, molestation, and abuse. Additionally, they accused Smith of not paying them and intentionally damaging their individual YouTube channels by decreasing subscribers and video views after they left the group, as stated in court documents reviewed by TopMob News.

Following this, Smith initiated a counterclaim seeking $30 million. However, she later chose to withdraw her claim before the defendants responded. In October 2024, the two parties reached a settlement in their lawsuit, agreeing on a sum of $1.85 million. This settlement was confirmed by attorneys representing the plaintiffs to the media outlet.

And Smith has continued to deny any wrongdoing. 

She informed the Los Angeles Times in December 2022 that she has consistently aimed to follow the law and that she never viewed herself as an ’employer’ when children gather spontaneously to work together on creating videos.

To learn about more controversies surrounding influencers, keep reading.

In 2023, it was Colleen Ballinger, not her YouTube persona, who had to confront serious accusations. Known for her character Miranda Sings, she found herself under fire for allegedly grooming underage fans and forming inappropriate relationships with them.

In a now-deleted video titled “why I left the Colleen Ballinger fandom…”, YouTube content creator KodeeRants shared screenshots of an alleged text conversation between Colleen and her followers, accusing her of exploitative behavior.

NBC News reported that the group chat, named “Colleeny’s Weenies,” had screenshots showing Colleen allegedly asking fans about their favorite sexual positions. However, NBC News could not verify the authenticity of these screenshots.

Following this, content creator Adam McIntyre, who initially ran a fan account for Miranda Sings when he was 10, released videos on his own YouTube channel accusing Ballinger of emotionally grooming her fans.

Ballinger has not directly responded to these claims, nor did she respond to TopMob News’ request for comment. However, she addressed the allegations in a 10-minute ukulele song posted to her personal YouTube account on June 28. In this video, Ballinger compared the accusations to a “toxic gossip train” destined for “manipulation station,” with the rest of the internet “tie[ing] me to the tracks and harass me for my past.”

In July, all remaining dates of her Miranda Sings tour were canceled. Since then, she has not posted anything on social media.

The controversy arose when the writer of “Girl, Wash Your Face” made a post about her house cleaner, which led to a heated discussion. In a resurfaced clip by Angie Treasure, Hollis referenced an earlier live stream where she spoke about a woman who cleans her toilets, stating that someone commented she was privileged and Hollis agreed, adding that she works hard to afford this luxury. She also mentioned that she finds it unnecessary to be relatable, using examples like Harriet Tubman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Marie Curie, and Oprah Winfrey who are all considered “unrelatable.” However, it’s important to note that while her book sales may be impressive, Hollis is not an abolitionist like Harriet Tubman.

A few days later, Hollis issued an Instagram apology, acknowledging the pain she caused by mentioning prominent women, including several women of color, whom she cannot understand. She also expressed regret for disregarding people who work hard but do not have financial security due to systemic racism and bias. Finally, she stated that it is important for her to listen more honestly now, something she should have done earlier.

In March 2020, the creator of Something Navy clothing line and original blogger shared with her Instagram followers that she had tested positive for COVID-19 and planned to quarantine in her Manhattan apartment with her husband Brandon Charnas and their daughters Ruby and Esme. However, eight days later, her entire household – including the nanny – moved to the Hamptons. This decision raised eyebrows, as it wasn’t considered a good move during the pandemic. The comments on her Instagram page grew more intense as she posted about going for walks outdoors for “fresh air” instead of practicing social distancing.

When her husband cracked that only “hot” people were getting the virus, emotions boiled over.  

Later on, she issued a detailed apology addressing various issues – their nanny had also fallen ill with the virus, they ensured that doormen cleared their building lobby before departure, avoided stopping for gas, and had groceries delivered; their Hamptons residence was situated on a relatively secluded street. However, the consequences of her actions lingered.

After Nordstrom decided not to renew the contract for Charnas’ line that ended in 2019, Charnas, who welcomed her third daughter Navy in 2021, switched to a direct-to-consumer relaunch, stating “I wanted more control.” Now, she is back to sharing her favorite Shopbop picks and collaborations with A Pea in the Pod.

Reflecting on this experience on The Glossy Podcast, Charnas acknowledged, “People expected me to be more mindful of global events, and I should have been.

In 2020, fashion influencer Emily Gellis Lande publicly criticized registered dietitian Lisa Zuckerbrot on social media. She posted unverified stories from anonymous dieters who claimed to have spent thousands of dollars on Zuckerbrot’s F-Factor Diet and experienced various health issues such as rashes, intense abdominal pain, signs of metal poisoning, and even a miscarriage. This controversy was covered by The New York Times.

After hiring lawyer Lanny Davis, who once served as White House special counsel to former president Bill Clinton, Zuckerbrot denied the allegations and said that only 50 health complaints had been reported out of over 176,000 sales of her snack bars and powders. She also released a Certificate of Analysis to address concerns about heavy metals in her products and appeared on Today to defend her diet program.

Zuckerbrot expressed little regard for Gellis Lande’s criticism. “I think she believes she’s helping people, but in her mind she thinks the lifestyle I promote is harmful and gives people anorexia,” Zuckerbrot told The Times. “But she’s just a fashion blogger.”

Zuckerbrot has since filed two lawsuits against Gellis Lande, accusing her of starting a smear campaign to damage her brand. Both lawsuits are still ongoing, and Gellis Lande has denied the claims.

2020 saw a significant racial awakening across the globe, and my close associate, Jessica Mulroney, was not left untouched by this wake-up call. In an almost 12-minute Instagram video, lifestyle influencer Sasha Exeter detailed her issues with Jessica, which began when Jessica “took offense” to Exeter’s request for her followers to use their voice for good and help address the racial strife and the impact on the Black community.

Exeter claimed that Jessica’s behavior was problematic, alleging that she spoke disparagingly about Exeter to other brands and even sent a threatening message in writing. Although Jessica issued an apology in her comments on Exeter’s video, she later sent a DM that Exeter shared, which read, “Liable [sic] suit. Good luck.”

In response to the situation involving her wife, Jessica, Jessica’s husband, Ben Mulroney, stepped down from his role as co-host of CTV’s eTalk, expressing hope that a replacement, who could be Black, Indigenous, or a person of color, would use this important platform to inspire, lead, and bring about change.

However, Jessica managed to keep her high-profile friendship, writing in a since-deleted post, “Meghan and I are family. She is the kindest friend.” But CTV announced they were dropping Jessica’s reality show, I Do, Redo.

Renowned for blockbuster movies like “I DUCT TAPED My Brothers $400,000 Dollar TRUCK!” and dismissed from Disney Channel’s Bizaardvark, the Vine star turned YouTube celebrity transitioned to major stardom in 2020.

On August 5, FBI agents executed a federal search warrant at Paul’s home in Calabasas, California, confirming it was linked to an incident on May 30 at a Scottsdale, Arizona mall. During a live broadcast from a Black Lives Matter protest that concluded at the city’s Fashion Square Mall, Paul disobeyed police orders to leave and remained inside the shopping center after the cops had instructed everyone to depart, according to the police statement. (Paul defended himself on Twitter, stating that while he was recording the protest, “neither I nor anyone in our group were involved in any looting or vandalism.”)

The reason for the FBI raid became a topic of significant discussion as Paul’s YouTube fanbase grew, with video from a local ABC station showing multiple firearms being loaded into a police vehicle. In an August 12 video that has since been deleted, Paul claimed that the search was “entirely related to the Arizona looting situation” and that it was an investigation. There have been rumors about its connection to other matters unrelated to him or his character, which he finds preposterous.

Although no charges were filed, Paul’s attorney told TopMob News in a statement that they would “cooperate with the investigation.

After reconciling with beauty vlogger Tati Westbrook over a year ago, the popular YouTube personality found himself embroiled in fresh disputes. In an August 2020 tweet that could be interpreted as criticizing certain celebrities for launching makeup lines, he seemingly implied that Alicia Keys, who rarely wears makeup, shouldn’t have a skincare collection. He later apologized for this remark, acknowledging he wasn’t the arbiter of beauty.

However, not even two weeks had passed when he found himself in another controversy regarding Lauren Conrad’s new beauty line. On Instagram Stories, he criticized Conrad and her new makeup brand in a series of posts, showing his followers the empty packaging he received from the brand, implying that it was unfit for sale.

Fortunately, Conrad took the matter humorously on Instagram, admitting to her mistake by blaming the individual responsible for assembling the gifts (read: the winged eyeliner expert herself). She explained that she had put empty samples into a bag to test their fit and accidentally included them in the shipment sent out. Conrad jokingly threatened to fire this person, but later it was revealed that it was all a joke between her and Charles.

Charles eventually apologized for his videos, stating that they were meant to be humorous and sharing that he and Conrad had privately discussed the misunderstanding and were on good terms once again. It is evident, however, that he knew he had overstepped boundaries in his criticism of Conrad’s beauty line.

In a May 2020 video, vlogger and YouTuber Myka Stauffer, known as The Stauffer Life, began by stating that the video was the hardest they had ever made publicly. It quickly became clear that she wouldn’t be discussing her newborn routine or diet, but instead, she and her husband were announcing that they had placed their 4-year-old son, Huxley, whom they adopted from China in 2017, with his permanent adoptive family. The decision was made due to difficulties managing Huxley’s autism.

The response from the couple’s nearly one million subscribers was primarily outrage, with viewers questioning whether the parents, who already had four other children, were either misguided or had used Huxley for clicks and donations, only to abandon him when caring for him became too difficult. The backlash led to a loss of followers and brand collaborations, with companies such as Fabletics, Suave, Danimals ending their partnerships, and even the Ohio Delaware County Sheriff’s Office confirming an investigation into Huxley’s wellbeing.

Authorities closed their case without filing charges in late June, but Myka’s brand has remained inactive since then. She hasn’t posted on YouTube or Instagram since issuing a lengthy statement, expressing regret for her naivety during the adoption process and clarifying that they were not under any investigation.

The journey turned out to be more eventful than expected for Hall and his TikTok companion when they declared their cross-country road trip plan in May 2020. Instead of just getting travel advice, their announcement met with less enthusiasm from Hall’s Twitter followers, who were displeased about the duo potentially violating stay-at-home recommendations. To counter this criticism, Hall responded that many states had lifted quarantine measures and they would maintain social distance during their trip, emphasizing it wasn’t a significant issue.

However, things escalated when they traveled through Lee County, Texas, five days later. The sheriff’s office confirmed that Hall was arrested and charged with marijuana possession, while Hossler was also charged with controlled substance possession. Both posted bail the following day, but neither of their representatives commented on the situation at the time (Hall’s representative declined to comment, and Hossler’s didn’t respond).

Later in June, Hall wrote an essay for People magazine, sharing that he had begun working towards sobriety: “I’ve made mistakes in the past, but I’m learning and growing… and I will make you proud. I promise.

In October 2019, YouTube personalities known as the Stokes Twins, dressed in black and pretending to be robbers, hailed an Uber as their supposed getaway car while filming. The unsuspecting driver was not part of the prank and refused to leave, prompting a bystander to call the police.

When the Irvine police arrived, they pointed a gun at the driver and released him once they confirmed he was innocent. The police then warned the Stokes Twins about the potential dangers of their pranks.

Later that day, the twins repeated the prank on the University of California, Irvine campus, which led to their arrest. If convicted of false imprisonment and swatting charges, they could face up to four years in prison. However, Orange County D.A. Todd Spitzer was critical of their actions, stating that these pranks could have resulted in serious injury or death.

In a 2020 press release, their lawyer asserted that the twins were not guilty of any crimes. Nevertheless, they pleaded guilty to lesser charges of misdemeanor false imprisonment and reporting false emergencies, receiving 160 hours of community service and one year of probation.

In a turn of events, the individual often referred to as the “King of YouTube” due to his extensive videos garnering him over 34 million followers, Dawson, experienced the decline of his reign in June 2020. This followed a controversial tweet he posted, which was later removed, criticizing the online beauty community and specifically calling out James Charles. In this tweet, Dawson expressed frustration with what he perceived as self-centered, manipulative, and vindictive behaviors within the community, labeling them as potential time bombs waiting to explode.

The reaction from his followers was less than positive, with many pointing out that those living in glass houses should not throw stones. Shortly after, Dawson posted a 20-minute video titled “Taking Accountability,” where he apologized for past actions, admitting, “I have done things in my past that I regret.” He mentioned various instances of his own wrongdoing, such as using blackface, making racist remarks and jokes, sexualizing an 11-year-old Willow Smith, and posting a video with pedophilic undertones.

He further stated, “This video is a step towards taking responsibility for my actions, admitting to everything I’ve done online that has caused harm, added to the problem, or was not handled appropriately.” As a consequence, YouTube suspended his ability to monetize his three accounts.

Dawson returned to content creation in 2021, expressing gratitude for the cancelation, stating, “I’m thankful that I was cancelled because it truly changed my life.

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2025-04-10 01:18