The United States officially “banned” TikTok on Jan. 18, and while this suspension of TikTok was temporary, as it seemingly returned around a mere 14 hours later, many influencers panicked and chose to disclose some last-minute information about their careers and lives in a “comedic” free for all.
Near the perceived end of one of the most popular apps in the world, popular creators on TikTok began engaging in a trend that revealed some ugly secrets as a final goodbye. The sound for this trend was from the series Family Guy, and they would lip-sync the quote, “Since we’re all gonna die, there’s one more secret I feel I have to share with you. I did not care for ‘The Godfather.’” While doing so, they would share something they have been hiding from their fans or come clean about a topic of debate in their career.
Examples of influencers who have used their final moments on the app to finally open up to their audiences include Charli D’amelio, Brooke Monk, Mackenzie Ziegler, Madeline Argy, and more. Charlie D’amelio admitted that the “anxiety pen” fans saw her using years ago was, in fact, not an anxiety pen, hinting at the fact that she was vaping as people had speculated and sparked debate over. Mackenzie Ziegler shared with her audience that all of her interviews on Dance Moms were scripted.
While some influencers revealed truths that were harmless or in an attempt to settle rumors, such as Madeline Argy, who shared that she has “never lied” on TikTok, referencing all of her story times regarding her ex-boyfriend Central Cee, others shocked their fans with their confessions. For example, @Babydumplingg is a popular food content creator who typically documents herself eating large amounts of food.
For a long time, people were skeptical of her videos, claiming that she doesn’t actually eat that much or that she spits it out behind the camera. Well, confirming her audience’s suspicions, Babydumplingg posted a video stating that she doesn’t eat all the food. While some people were shocked at the finding, stating in the comments, “ok, this one hurt,” many claimed that they “already knew” or that their “jaw stayed in place.”
Another popular revelation was Griffin Johnson sharing that “lil huddy didn’t lie on July 6th.” For those who don’t know, Lil Huddy was a popular influencer on TikTok in 2020 who got involved in drama with some of his friends, including Josh Richards, Bryce Hall, Jaden Hossler, Blake Gray, and, of course, Griffin Johnson.
As a result of the drama, Lil Huddy posted a long tweet exposing his friends’ secrets, such as their cheating on their girlfriends. At the time, many fans denied Lil Huddy’s claims. However, nearly five years later, it finally came to light that Lil Huddy was being honest. Fans responded by saying that they already knew, while others expressed surprise. One user said, “2020 me is having an attack.”
Clearly, the looming TikTok ban inspired several influencers to either put some rumors to rest or come clean about their deceptions. One can imagine how many may have regretted their honesty after realizing just how short-lived the TikTok ban was. For instance, @Babydumplingg has now uploaded videos claiming that she was “just kidding” about not eating all of her food and that she “tricked” everyone.
However, fans are having a hard time believing her new claims, writing comments like “Girl you were not kidding.” At this point, there’s no telling whether @Babydumplingg was simply making a joke or actually admitting to a secret, expecting TikTok to never return.
Overall, the trend that the TikTok ban inspired did a great job of bringing some influencers closer to their fans while bringing others farther apart. If anything, it opened many people’s eyes regarding their favorite content creators and emphasized the fact that what one sees on social media isn’t always real.
Hopefully, the trend can remind people that it’s easy to portray a false sense of reality online and that one shouldn’t always take what an influencer or celebrity says or does at face value because you never know what’s really happening behind the scenes.
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