24 Times Being an Influencer Went Wrong

Let's get one thing straight: the world needs no more influencers. The good news is that some of them are adept at self-cancelation, choosing to participate in inappropriate conduct, cultural faux pas, and occasional arrests. To many people's glee or despair, being an influencer can sometimes go wrong.

1. Kendall Offers the Police a Pepsi

One of the most tone-deaf-yet-hilarious publicity stunts was Pepsi's outlandish Kendall Jenner-inspired advertisement campaign. In 2017, during a tumultuous standoff between the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, Pepsi dropped an ad that trivialized both alleged police brutality and the BLM protests that preceded it. It starts innocently enough: several unfamiliar youngsters struggle to focus on their arts, then join a moving street protest in an unnamed city.

Cue Kendall Jenner, sporting a blonde public-disguise wig, flings her hairpiece away to join the people. Jenner then approaches a nearby riot cop with a Pepsi, offering the now-tamed officer a drink to broker a truce. Following a meme-heavy backlash of ridicule, Pepsi pulled the ad, extending a bashful apology.

2. Influencer Gets World Stadium Ban

A YouTuber named Vitaly Zdorovetskiy has had several run-ins with law officials at major events, namely live sporting ones. He has a litany of pitch invasions, but none had such consequences as his latest at the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals between Argentina and the Netherlands. Sadly for Zdorovetskiy, he should hope that Elon Musk builds a soccer stadium on Mars; the influencer earned a lifetime ban from every other stadium on Planet Earth for this episode.

3. Chinese Influencer Loses Hand

In tragic events, a young Chinese TikTok influencer and his wingman were live streaming from a public downtown area in Xiamen, Fujian Province, when their worst nightmares came true. Following an online argument on an app, Douyin, a mentally disturbed man, attacked the pair – known as Shi and Ye – with a sword live on camera. Appalled viewers had to watch one of their favorite streamers lose his hand in the violent outburst.

4. Entitled Influencer Owned by Hotelier

When 22-year-old influencer Elle Darby thought she would try and “influence” an upmarket hotel manager into giving her a free stay, she got more than she bargained for. After receiving Darby's email asking for a complimentary long weekend at Dublin's White Moose Café and Charleville Lodge in exchange for exposure to her 80,000 Instagram and YouTube followers, manager Paul Stenson was so annoyed that he posted her redacted email, shaming her while never revealing her name. Foolishly, Darby responded in her public shock at Stenson's reaction, which only made things worse for the content creator.

5. Kindness Challenge Goes Awry

Another TikToker fell foul of London's public when she attempted to emulate a popular trend wherein video makers film themselves offering to pay for someone's groceries to gauge their reaction. Unfortunately, streamer Amelia Goldsmith didn't expect people to snub her advances — British shoppers were less than enthusiastic about her charity. Goldsmith got so upset by customers' lack of interest in her stunt that she resorted to buying tins of food to leave in the food bank instead, which made her video far less impactful than she wanted.

6. American Streamer Upsets the Japanese

Tokyo-based American Kick streamer JohnnySomali thought he would get more clout by being controversial for his in-real-life (IRL) stream from the Tokyo subway. He approached innocent locals minding their own business, making racist, inflammatory remarks about World War Two, trying to rile up his hosts for clicks. Sadly for JohnnySomali, his reputation caught up with him: the streamer received a live face smack in a subsequent stream. Moreover, the police also caught up with the streamer and arrested him as he tried to flee the country.

7. Gym Girl Shames Herself

Gym workout videos are a nuisance to gym members everywhere, especially after a spate of accusatory confrontations between female and onlooking male athletes has led to a highly charged atmosphere in gyms across America. However, one lady publicly shamed an innocent guy who offered to help her. In a self-recorded video, Twitch streamer Jessica Fernandez whispers into her mic how “feral” the nearby man is who tries to help her load weights on her barbell. Unfortunately for Fernandez, she got an unexpected reaction to her content — viewers turned on the influencer for being so mean.

8. TikToker Upsets Muslims

Yet another streamer fell foul of the wrong people with an inappropriate cultural faux pas after she danced along to scriptures of the Quran. Well-known social media star Nessa Barrett angered her Muslim followers with a suggestive dance, backed by audio recorded from a Quran-based sermon. Anybody with half an understanding of the Muslim faith knows how offensive and potentially life-threatening such an action is. Naturally, Barrett faced a backlash for her video.

9. Fitness Influencer Films Military Coup

Khing Hnin Wai wasn't a household name in her native Myanmar before February 1, 2021. However, this changed when the military arrested President Aung San Suu Kyi and overthrew the government, ousting many other party officials. Ms. Khing became a national icon when her live-streamed fitness video inadvertently caught the coup happening.

Armored vehicles and tanks began rolling in behind as she worked her aerobic magic. Ms. Khing had chosen her favorite streaming spot: the roundabout near the government palace on Nay Pyi Taw. Thinking it was normal to see official vehicles near the compound, Ms.Khing continued her stream, unaware that history was being made.

10. Chrissy Teigen Caught Cyberbullying

When you push a public persona of kindness and charm, it isn't a good look when someone exposes you for encouraging teenagers online to take their own lives. However, when married to an A-list singer, there may be a level of impunity most mortals never feel. In any case, Chrissy Teigen (better known as John Legend's celebrity influencer wife) was famously caught red-handed cyberbullying a teenager, Courtney Stodden, who revealed screenshots of Teigen's disgraceful direct messages urging Stodden to “take a dirt nap.”

To make matters worse, Teigen publicly apologized, assuring her followers she had reached out privately to Stodden, who shamed her further, rebutting claims. Several lucrative sponsors subsequently dropped the model.

11. Streamer Gets Jumped Live

IRL and Twitch streamer CookSux was on a livestream stroll through Liverpool, England, when he came too close for comfort to some menacing local youths. In a video he released of the incident, the mild-mannered Asian streamer does his best to field their curiosities, then becomes increasingly agitated as the gang of teenage boys trails him for the next few blocks before one of them takes a swipe at the wary content creator, who avoids contact. Sadly, Cooksux didn't research Liverpool's sketchy outer suburbs before filming there.

12. British YouTuber Cements Head in Microwave

In a video every parent shouldn't watch (but will), British YouTube star Jay Swingler, famous for his TGFbro channel, almost paid the ultimate price for a YouTube stunt. The 22-year-old cemented his head inside a microwave, keeping a tube in his mouth for air. When the tube began to cave in under pressure from the drying cement, Swigler feared for his life. His friends salvaged the tube and then called emergency services, who entered the scene and saved the foolish influencer's life.

13. Mizzy Gets Busy in Jail

A dark interactive video trend has emerged lately, wherein content creators seek negative skirmishes with unsuspecting public members. One such joker is London-based Bacari-Bronze O'Garro, better known to his several fans as Mizzy. His spiel is overstepping etiquette boundaries for clout, such as stealing dogs, walking into strangers' houses uninvited, or asking terrified passers-by if they “wanna die” before offering them some hair dye as a prank. Thankfully, it didn't end well for Mizzy, now serving an 18-month sentence in juvenile detention for his misdeeds.

14. Bodybuilder Suffers Terrible Fate

In a sad freak accident, 33-year-old weightlifting influencer Justyn Vicky lost his life in front of fellow gymgoers when performing a barbell squat. Live on video, the popular Balinese bodybuilder's spotter is powerless to stop Vicky from dropping to his hands, the 460lb bar rolling down his head, breaking his neck, and damaging the nerves between his heart and lungs. Tragically, he lost his life after doctors failed to save him on the operating table.

15. Parenting YouTubers Disgrace Themselves

With almost one million subscribers, YouTube's perfect family makers Myka and James Stauffer were renowned for their uplifting parenting content. However, in a damaging episode, the couple revealed how dangerous the influencer world can be after adopting an autistic Chinese five-year-old named Huxley.

Over three years, the couple documented their adoption journey. However, they released a video shortly after explaining that Huxley was now with a new “forever family” (yes, they said that). Perhaps naivety was to blame, though critics sent accusations of profiteering their way, alleging that the couple had made money from the child.

16. Hong Kong Influencer Falls From Waterfall

Hong Kong is an underrated hiking destination, attracting thousands of outdoors lovers, selfie-stick fans, and local influencers. One such character was Sophia Cheung. She enjoyed treating her 25,000 followers to her adventures around the province, often posing for photos in precarious situations, such as dangling off ledges or near waterfalls. It was the latter that cost Cheung her life when she slipped, falling 16 feet into a pool below.

17. Influencer Loses Control of Bodyguard

Jack Doherty fits the description of a Gen-Z influencer: an irritatingly squeaky voice, a permed fringe, and an entitled personality. Doherty now has a security detail following him everywhere, intervening when people get too close. This arrangement led to Doherty's minder knocking out another influencer at a renowned influencer Halloween party after Doherty made advances toward Corinna Kopf. While no specific details were given, Doherty will surely face legal consequences for his bodyguard's actions, or will he?

18. Logan Paul's CryptoZoo Scam

Logan Paul has never strayed far from controversy, beginning with his infamous Japanese excursion where he mocked an apparent self-assisted death. However, in 2023, another YouTuber investigated Paul's crypto-based blockchain project, CryptoZoo, finding that he encouraged fans to invest in cryptocurrency tokens in a game “that makes you money.” Sadly for participants, no game ever emerged, leaving customers with no return on their backing. After being exposed, Paul pledged to pay back fans using $1.8 million of his wealth, yet this has not been forthcoming.

19. Kai Cenat Charged With Rioting

Another influential Twitch streamer, Kai Cenat, created a potentially deadly situation after announcing a Manhattan Playstation 5 (PS5) giveaway. Cenat, 21, has 6.5 million Twitch and 3.5 million YouTube followers who amassed in New York City after he told them “we are gonna go crazy.” Consequently, groups of thousands of youngsters end up fighting, throwing fire extinguishers, and causing chaos. New York City Police Chief Jeffrey Maddrey told the press later that Cenat faced “at least two counts of inciting a riot, unlawful assembly, and a few other charges.”

20. Fake Bank Robbery Goes Wrong

Things went south quickly when a pair of prankster twins thought their six million YouTube subscribers would enjoy a fake bank heist video. Alan and Alex Stokes dressed in balaclavas and called an Uber for their getaway vehicle. When they got into the car, a witness called the cops, believing they were seeing a carjacking in full flow. The twins were charged with a misdemeanor, though causing the driver trauma after he had police guns pointed at him.

21. Russian Blogger Arrested for Blasphemy

Ruslan Sokolovsky was convicted in 2017 for “inciting hatred” and “offending believers” when he played Pokémon Go in a cathedral. Following Russia's introduction of strict anti-blasphemy laws banning video games in places of worship, Sokolovsky filmed a YouTube video of him playing the game inside a Yekaterinburg cathedral. The blogger had always been outspoken on the subject of Orthodox Christian legislation, but this time, authorities sentenced Sokolovsky to a three-and-a-half-year suspended prison sentence.

22. Jake Paul Joins Looters

Anything Logan Paul can do, younger brother Jake can do better. In 2020, the famous social media star-turned-professional boxer got in trouble following a protest in Scottsdale, AZ. Videos surfaced showing the star allegedly joining in looting in a mall, where revelers smashed windows and looted stores. Scottsdale Police found that Paul was present, charging the multi-millionaire with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly. Paul made it clear afterward that he was not involved in the looting, but it wasn't a good look.

23. YouTuber Fakes Medical Emergency

Prince Zee, whose real name is Zeeshan Saroya, angered New York City officials in 2021 when he pretended to collapse behind the wheel of his car. Passers-by were alarmed to see the young man slumped face-first onto his steering wheel, alerting emergency services and using first responders' valuable time. Photos show Prince not responding to witnesses before cops come to his rescue. One revealing shot shows a hidden GoPro camera on the dashboard, recording the event.

24. Dog Lover Caught Abusing Pet

In 2019, YouTube “dog-lover” Brooke Houts exposed herself accidentally by uploading the wrong video to her channel. The animal “lover” was hitherto renowned for her videos about her life with Sphinx, her Doberman. However, Houts enraged her fur baby devotees after sending a video of her allegedly beating and spitting on Sphinx after he interrupted her intro. Los Angeles Police investigated the incident but eventually found no animal cruelty charge. Houts eventually deleted her Instagram account, though her YouTube channel remains.