American skincare brand Neutrogena has responded in a social media video after singer Tate McRae shared a viral TikTok clip without actually applying its products.
The 23-year-old Canadian artist, known for her hit singles Greedy and Exes, posted an Aug. 2 video showing her post-show routine en route to the Lollapalooza music festival while holding three Neutrogena products.
McRae mimed wiping her face and applying the brand's Hydro Boost water gel and eye patches, but viewers noticed she never placed the items on her skin. Commenters pointed out that the protective inner cap remained on one container, with one fan writing, "Girl be careful," adding, "It almost touched your skin." Another fan advised, "The inside white cap is still on my friend."
The video surpassed 20 million views within days. One day later, McRae, who has served as a brand ambassador for over a year, posted a follow-up clip walking out of a trailer and signing a screen over the camera lens, captioning it, "Signing off on the ultimate skin hack with @neutrogena."
Neutrogena posted its cheeky response on Instagram on Aug. 13 featuring an animated package of makeup remover wipes. "Wow. I've been off the grid," the package said, referencing a "digital detox after a big festival weekend." The package added, "I check my phone to see 9 million notifications from you guys," before saying it was "really good at cleansing your face" but "even better at causing a scene." In the caption, the brand wrote, "I'd like to thank everyone for the sudden attention. Please respect my privacy as I adjust to the fame."
Colleen Ballinger fandom allegations
YouTube star Colleen Ballinger, famous for her Miranda Sings comedy persona and a mother of three, faced public backlash in 2023 over allegations of grooming and inappropriate relationships with underage fans.
Content creator KodeeRants shared screenshots in a since-deleted June video titled "why I left the colleen ballinger fandom...", highlighting an unverified group text named "Colleeny's Weenies." NBC News reported that Ballinger allegedly asked fans their "favorite position" in the chat, though the network could not verify the screenshots. Creator Adam McIntyre, who ran a Miranda Sings fan account starting at age 10, also released YouTube videos claiming Ballinger emotionally groomed fans.
Ballinger did not respond to McIntyre or requests for comment from E! News. On June 28, she posted a 10-minute ukulele song to YouTube calling the claims a "toxic gossip train" bound for "manipulation station" as critics "tie me to the tracks and harass me for my past." By autumn 2023, she resumed posting on Instagram but did not return to YouTube.
Rachel Hollis social media backlash
Author Rachel Hollis, known for her self-help books Girl, Wash Your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing, sparked outrage following an April 2021 livestream concerning her housekeeper.
In a clip resurfaced by Angie Treasure from a deleted post, Hollis recounted a follower calling her "privileged AF" for hiring someone to clean her toilets twice a week. Hollis responded, "You're right. I'm super freaking privileged, but also I worked my ass off to have the money to have someone come twice a week and clean my toilets." When told she was "unrelatable," Hollis said she had no desire to be relatable, comparing herself to Harriet Tubman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Marie Curie, and Oprah Winfrey as "all unrelatable AF."
Days later, Hollis issued an Instagram apology stating, "I know I've caused tremendous pain in mentioning prominent women, including several women of color, whose struggles and achievements I can't possibly understand." She acknowledged disregarding individuals lacking financial security due to "inherently racist and biased systems," concluding, "The important thing for me to do now, something I should have already done, is honestly, be quiet and listen."
Arielle Charnas pandemic travel dispute
Fashion influencer Arielle Charnas, founder of the Something Navy clothing line and blog, drew sharp criticism in March 2020 after leaving Manhattan during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After announcing a positive coronavirus test and promising to quarantine in her apartment with her husband Brandon Charnas and daughters Ruby and Esme, the family and their nanny traveled to the Hamptons eight days later. Social media users criticized her posts showing outdoor walks, and public anger intensified when her husband joked that only "hot" people contracted the virus.
Charnas posted a detailed apology explaining that their nanny had also contracted the virus, building doormen cleared the lobby before their departure, and their Hamptons property was isolated. Nordstrom chose not to renew its contract with her line. Charnas later relaunched direct-to-consumer to gain "more control," welcomed daughter Navy in 2021, and admitted on The Glossy Podcast, "People wanted me to be more sensitive about what was going on in the world, and I should have been."
F-Factor diet legal battles
Registered dietitian Tanya Zuckerbrot, who created the high-fiber F-Factor Diet and worked with Megyn Kelly, engaged in a public feud with fashion blogger Emily Gellis Lande in 2020.
Gellis Lande published unverified accounts from dieters who spent up to $20,000 on F-Factor products, alleging side effects such as rashes, severe cramps, heavy metal poisoning, and a miscarriage. The New York Times documented the dispute.
Zuckerbrot retained lawyer Lanny Davis, former White House special counsel to President Bill Clinton, and denied the allegations. She stated that out of more than 176,000 purchases of her powders and bars, she received only 50 health complaints. After releasing a Certificate of Analysis and appearing on Today, Zuckerbrot told the Times, "I believe in her mind she thinks she's helping people," before adding, "But she's a fashion blogger." Zuckerbrot filed two pending defamation lawsuits against Gellis Lande, who denied the claims.
Jessica Mulroney TV departure
Canadian stylist Jessica Mulroney, host of the reality television series I Do, Redo and friend of Meghan Markle, faced intense criticism in 2020 following an interaction with lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter.
Exeter posted a 12-minute video explaining that Mulroney "took offense" when Exeter encouraged followers to "use their voice for good and help combat the race war and what's happening to the Black community." Exeter accused Mulroney of speaking ill of her to corporate partners and "sending me a threat in writing." Although Mulroney publicly apologized on the post, Exeter shared a subsequent private message from Mulroney reading, "Liable [sic] suit. Good luck."
Mulroney released a public apology promising to feature Black voices on her channel. Network CTV canceled I Do, Redo, and her husband Ben Mulroney stepped down as co-host of CTV's eTalk, expressing hope that a Black, Indigenous, or person of color would replace him. Mulroney later asserted in a deleted post, "Meghan and I are family. She is the kindest friend."
Jake Paul FBI search warrant
YouTube personality Jake Paul, former star of Disney Channel's Bizaardvark known for videos such as "I DUCT TAPED My Brothers $400,000 Dollar TRUCK!", was subject to a federal raid in August 2020.
Federal agents executed a search warrant at Paul's residence in Calabasas, California, with local news footage showing authorities carrying multiple firearms into a police vehicle. The FBI confirmed the search related to a May 30 incident at Fashion Square Mall in Scottsdale, Arizona, where police stated Paul unlawfully entered and remained inside the shopping center after dispersal orders during a Black Lives Matter protest.
Paul tweeted that he was documenting the protest without participating in looting or vandalism, later calling online rumors about the raid "absolutely absurd" in a deleted video. His attorney stated they intended to "cooperate with the investigation," and no criminal charges were filed.
Ned Fulmer Try Guys departure
Ned Fulmer, a former member of YouTube comedy group The Try Guys alongside Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, and Eugene Lee Yang, broke his silence in 2025 following his 2022 departure over cheating allegations.
Speaking to People, Fulmer acknowledged consciously presenting himself as a "wife guy who talked about his adorable relationship." He stated, "I understand that that's why it was such a big scandal, because it's ironic and it feels like a rug pull to people," adding, "That must have been really painful and devastating to the viewers."
James Charles influencer feuds
Beauty creator James Charles, host of Instant Influencer with 22 million Instagram followers, faced scrutiny in August 2020 after criticizing other celebrity brands over a year after reconciling with Tati Westbrook.
Charles posted a subtweet questioning bare-faced singer Alicia Keys launching a skincare collection, later apologizing and acknowledging he was "not the gatekeeper of makeup." Two weeks later, he criticized Lauren Conrad's beauty line on Instagram Stories, showing empty sample packaging received "from a new makeup brand from somebody who has no business having a makeup brand."
Conrad, alum of The Hills, responded on Instagram by taking blame for accidentally mailing test samples, writing, "She will be let go immediately." Charles later apologized, explaining the video was intended to be funny, and stated, "Lauren and I spoke privately about the misunderstanding & are both good."
Myka Stauffer adoption controversy
YouTuber Myka Stauffer of The Stauffer Life and her husband James Stauffer sparked widespread backlash in May 2020 after revealing they rehomed their adopted son.
The couple announced in a video that their 4-year-old son Huxley, adopted from China in 2017, had been placed with "his now new forever family" due to difficulties managing his autism. The decision outraged many among their 1 million subscribers, who questioned whether the parents of four other children had exploited Huxley for online views.
Companies including Fabletics, Suave, and Danimals severed sponsorship ties. The Delaware County Sheriff's Office in Ohio investigated Huxley's welfare, closing the case in late June 2020 without charges. Stauffer issued a statement apologizing for being "naive" during adoption and subsequently stopped posting on social media.
Kaitlyn Teaches viral lunch video
TikTok creator Kaitlyn Teaches addressed viral backlash in September 2025 after sharing a video unboxing a lunch packed by her husband.
The meal included a bag of dog food with a note reading "Because you're my dawg" alongside two-day-old Chipotle. In a follow-up TikTok video, she clarified, "He did not call me a D-O-G," explaining that "D-A-W-G" was American slang for homie and calling the gesture a "joke, J-O-K-E, joke."
Bryce Hall and Jaden Hossler Texas arrest
TikTok personalities Bryce Hall and Jaden Hossler faced public criticism and law enforcement action in May 2020 after taking a cross-country trip during pandemic lockdown restrictions.
Hall defended the trip on Twitter, stating that state quarantine restrictions had been lifted and writing, "it's not that deep." Five days later, deputies in Lee County, Texas, arrested Hall for marijuana possession and Hossler for possession of controlled substances. Both posted bail the following day. Hall later wrote in a June essay for People that he had "started on the path" to sobriety, promising followers he was learning and growing.
Stokes Twins fake bank robbery charges
YouTube creators Alan and Alex Stokes, known as the Stokes Twins, faced criminal charges after conducting a fake bank robbery prank in October 2019.
Dressed in black, the brothers called an Uber to serve as a getaway vehicle while recording. The driver refused to drive, and arriving Irvine police held the driver at gunpoint before releasing him upon determining his innocence. After police warned the brothers, they repeated the performance four hours later at the University of California, Irvine, leading to their arrest.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer stated the stunt could have resulted in serious injury or death. Although their attorney maintained their innocence, the twins pled guilty in 2020 to misdemeanor false imprisonment and reporting false emergencies, receiving 160 hours of community service and one year of probation.
Shane Dawson YouTube monetization suspension
YouTube personality Shane Dawson, who previously amassed 34 million followers, faced severe backlash in June 2020 after posting a deleted tweet calling beauty creators "egocentric" and criticizing James Charles.
Followers called out Dawson's own past behavior, prompting him to upload a 20-minute video titled "Taking Accountability." In the video, Dawson apologized for past actions including using blackface, making racist remarks, telling jokes about pedophilia, and posting a video sexualizing an 11-year-old Willow Smith. YouTube subsequently suspended monetization across his three accounts. Dawson returned to video production in 2021, stating that being canceled changed his life.
