Trending badgeTrendingPosted 55 minutes agoSubscribe to BuzzFeed Daily NewsletterCaret Down15 Influencers Whose Careers Tanked Basically OvernightIt doesn't get much worse than faking your girlfriend's death and then attempting to "contact" her via an Ouija board.by Hannah MarderBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink 1. Colleen Ballinger skyrocketed to fame in the late 2000s through her alter ego Miranda Sings, who would confidently and badly sing popular songs with lipstick smeared above her top lip. She was able to foray this into a Netflix special and show, and she was successful for over a decade - until allegations came out that she'd put underage fans in exploitative positions and engaged with them in inappropriate ways. Miranda Sings / Via youtube.com Brands began to pull ads from Ballinger's projects as public backlash increased, but the nail in the coffin for Ballinger was her "apology" video. In the video, she decided to sing about the allegations while playing a ukelele, saying, "Even though my team has strongly advised me to not say what I want to say, I recently realized that they never said that I couldn't sing what I want to say, so..." Ballinger was widely mocked, and has not posted on her official YouTube channel in two years, though she continues to post on her vlog account. Still, her reputation never really recovered. Colleen Vlogs / Via youtube.com In the video, Ballinger denied being a groomer, stating (well, singing) that she'd overshared and made jokes in poor taste, but that she hadn't been creepy. She also said that her content has always been labeled PG-13 and that she's relied on parents to decide if it's appropriate for their kids to attend her shows or watch her content.
She later addressed the controversy, calling the video "embarrassing" and saying, "I should have handled that situation with maturity and empathy, but instead I just let my ego take over and I'm really disappointed in myself." She also addressed the allegations, saying, "Over the last 15 years of my career, there have been moments where I was immature and inappropriate with some of my comedy. And there were times when I did not put enough thought into my fan interactions. And because of that behavior, people got hurt, and I am so sorry. I never wanted to hurt anybody, but it's clear that I did and I feel so terrible about that." 2. In the mid-to-late 2010s, Ruby Franke ran the popular family vlog 8 Passengers, where she showcased content with her husband and six kids. Some of her parenting (specifically discipline) methods, including withholding food and making a child sleep on a bean bag for months, began to receive backlash in 2020, leading to her YouTube page becoming less and less popular. It was later deleted, and Franke began to make other content with counselor and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt. ABC News / Via youtube.com This career turn may have been successful, but the next year, both Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on child abuse charges after one of Franke's children escaped Hildebrandt's house from a window and asked a neighbor for food and water, appearing malnourished and injured. Both pled guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse and were sentenced to up to 30 years in prison. Franke has obviously not made content since. Sheldon Demke/St. George News via AP, Pool 3. Myka and James Stauffer were popular family vloggers who consistently posted about parenting their four children on YouTube. Then, in 2017, the parents adopted then-2-year-old Huxley from China. They documented the difficulties of this process, as well as Huxley being diagnosed with autism post-adoption. Then, in 2020, Huxley began to disappear from their videos. They then posted a long video saying he had been "rehomed." Stauffer Life / YouTube / ET / Via youtube.com The backlash was strong and swift, with several brands cutting ties with the Stauffers. They deleted their YouTube Channel, and Myka has not posted on Instagram since her apology. James currently runs a car detailing account. stauffergarage / Instagram / Via instagram.com 4. Ali Abulaban (@jinnkid) grew famous through comedy videos on TikTok, which sometimes involved his partner, Ana, who later found internet fame of her own. Growing jealous and possessive, Ali began to abuse Ana, even livestreaming some of his verbal abuse. He murdered her and her friend, Rayburn Barron, in October 2021 and was later found guilty of their murders and sentenced to life in prison. Jarrod Valliere/San Diego Union-Tribune via ZUMA Press Wire this is for JinnKid 5. Ladarius Morshun Brownlee, one half of TikTok couple @denoandzahra, gained fame for his videos with then-girlfriend Seyeddah "Zahra" Hashemi. But last year, witnesses claimed Brownlee and Hashemi got into an argument that turned physical, leading to Zahra being shot. Brownlee, according to authorities, allegedly confessed to having shot her on a 911 call and with detectives. He was arrested, while Hashemi survived but