Keep scrolling for the new ‘lol’.
Alix Earle & Madeline Argy join Alex Cooper’s ‘Unwell’ Network
Podcast guru Alex Cooper is joining forces with TikTok stars Alix Earle and Madeline Argy under Alex’s new Unwell Network.
Unwell is a Gen Z-focused talent network supporting creators as they venture into new projects like podcasting. The Unwell Network is a subsidiary of Trending, the media company Alex founded in collaboration with her fiancé, Matt Kaplan, who is also the CEO at ACE Entertainment.
On August 8th, the official Unwell Instagram and TikTok accounts announced that Alix and Madeline are the first two creators to join the network. They have remained tight-lipped on what exactly Alix and Madeline will be doing with the network, but many presume podcasts.
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Unwell has already faced criticism for two main reasons:
A lack of diversity in the talent recruited to help launch the network.
The name ‘Unwell’ comes from an original Call Her Daddy joke when Alex still co-hosted the show with ex-best friend Sofia Franklyn. The joke evolved from a story that Sofia told on the show, therefore fans think it was shady of Alex to launch a business based on that joke given the drama that went down between the two.
Read the full story via Centennial World.
Jaclyn Hill announces closure of jewelry & leisure wear brands
YouTube creator Jaclyn Hill has announced that her jewelry brand, Jaclyn Roxanne, and her leisure wear brand, Koze, will soon close.
In a video posted to her 5.5 million subscribers, Jaclyn opened up about the difficult decision. She claimed that after the failed launch of her lipstick line in 2019, she decided to open Jaclyn Roxanne and Koze to make a point.
“The way I handled [my lipstick launch] is my biggest regret ever, because it’s not just like I gave up on cosmetics, I gave up on myself,” she explained. “Instead of pouring myself back into cosmetics, taking accountability, and not giving up on myself, I decided, well, gotta create new brands. Gotta prove myself to my followers that, you know, I’m a bad bitch and I can do this.”
Jaclyn said that owning these brands is not “serving” her nor does it bring her “happiness” and went on to say that she doesn’t thrive as a business owner and she would rather focus her time on being creative.
Jaclyn Roxanne launched in November of 2021, while Koze launched in October of 2022.
Since Koze’s inception, however, Jaclyn has faced backlash for the brand name, as YouTuber Kalyn Nicholson already had a lifestyle brand named Koze which had been in business for five years. Kalyn was forced to close her company about a month after Jaclyn’s brand launched, as she had not trademarked the name and was not interested in entering into a lengthy and expensive legal battle with Jaclyn.
Jaclyn addressed this situation in her video, insisting that she did not know about Kalyn’s brand when she decided on her name. Jaclyn said she reached out to Kalyn as soon as she discovered this, but never heard back.
For a look into how the decision to close these brands relates to Jaclyn’s history of scamming her fans over the years, watch JenLuvsReviews’ reaction via YouTube.
“Ijbol” is the latest slang term to sweep TikTok. And no, it’s not a Korean word.
Dating back to 2009, “ijbol” is another version of ”lol” or “lmao” that stands for “I just burst out laughing”.
The term gained traction within the K-Pop community last year when English-speaking fans confused the acronym for a Korean word.
In recent weeks, the term has extended beyond the K-Pop fandom thanks to the trend of posting videos or photos of someone laughing with the caption “ijbol”.
"[Ijbol] is sort of funny just to say? It’s a rather unusual abbreviation which makes it more intriguing / funny. It’s also being used in conjunction with "idgaf" which a lot of Twitter users find funny at the minute,” a 21-year-old student told Mashable.
Read the full story via Mashable (not the NYT’s knockoff).
What Kai Cenat’s meet-up gone wrong says about creator-organised events
Twitch streamer Kai Cenat has found himself at the centre of controversy after hosting an in-person giveaway and live stream last Friday that resulted in an accidental riot.
Together with fellow streamer Fanum, Kai had planned to give away multiple Sony PlayStation 5 game consoles at Union Square Park in New York City. While the event was scheduled to start at 4 PM, the park was already overwhelmed by fans by 3 PM.
“The live stream was cut short as Kai Cenat tried to wade through the crowd of fans that quickly surrounded him upon walking outside. His security detail began escorting him away from the crowd immediately,” Carver Fisher writes for Dexerto. “The stream went back up a short time after it was interrupted, only for Kai to be lost in a sea of people.”
Soon, the mob turned violent. Aerial footage of the event showed a tightly-packed crowd stopping traffic. Meanwhile, on-the-ground videos depicted a much more disturbing picture. Fans were seen hurling debris, setting off fireworks and destroying property.
The entire meet-up resulted in 65 arrests, including 30 juveniles, with Kai himself among those apprehended. Kai was taken into police custody and charged with inciting a riot and unlawful assembly.
With Kai being the latest in a long line of influencers to put fans at risk during a creator-led event, it highlights how viral stars often struggle to comprehend their impact in a real-world context. There is no denying that an audience of 6.5 million on Twitch is hard to grasp.
Yet, with influencers like Kai primarily operating behind screens, it’s clear that many become detached from the nuances of fandom culture, failing to grasp the behaviour and mob mentality they (intentionally or inadvertently) encourage.
These instances show that while creators may not adhere to many norms in the entertainment industry, they often wield equal, if not greater, influence than traditional celebrities— something that is frequently underestimated when interacting with their fans in person.
Read the full story via Centennial World.
The Ms. Biljana Electronica multiverse is a lesson in committing to the bit
Comedian and TikTok creator Kyle Gordon produced the song of the summer with his Eurodance parody ‘Planet of the Bass’. But after intentionally re-casting the female music video star shortly after going viral, fans were divided.
‘Planet of the Bass’ is a 90s-style Eurodance parody song that recently went viral on TikTok and Twitter.
The full song is set to be released on August 15th.
The original music video featured Kyle performing as his spoof rap alias DJ Crazy Times (a character he’s been portraying since his university days) alongside influencer Audrey Trullinger as Ms. Biljana Electronica.
“Ms. Biljana Electronica is also a fictional figure. She is voiced by singer Chrissi Poland, but played in the original TikTok video by actress and influencer Audrey Trullinger. This is a witty flourish, Connor Gotto, editor of Retropop magazine notes, because it "harks back to Eurodance groups like Black Box and Corona who often relied on models [who didn't sing on the tracks] for their visuals and promo performances",” writes the BBC.
Kyle did his homework on 90s Eurodance culture and published a second music video shortly after with yoga influencer Mara Olney as Ms. Biljana Electronica.
This led to an uproar from (mostly young) fans, begging for Audrey back and claiming Kyle had destroyed his viral creation. Those around for the heyday of 90s Eurodance music, however, caught Kyle’s reference and appreciated his commitment to the bit.
“Those familiar with Eurodance recognized the joke: these bands are known for swapping out models interchangeably, without explanation, to suit the mood of any given video,” writes Miles Klee for Rolling Stone.
The comedian responded by waiting a few more days and dropping a third version of the music video, this time featuring TikTok star Sabrina Brier. And though Audrey is still the reigning Ms. Biljana Electronica fan fave, Kyle’s dedication to seeing his concept through— particularly amid the backlash— has brought users back around to ‘Planet of the Bass’.
“While there’s no telling how many more Biljanas we’ll get in the next week — or exactly what form she’ll take in the final, extended music video — it’s clear that Gordon is playing a risky game with his own virality. The internet can be unforgiving of perceived missteps, as we saw with Biljana #2. But at the same time, what comes across as ‘cringe’ one day can circle around to being hilarious again, and the promise of an Extended Ms. Biljana Electronica Multiverse has definite appeal,” Klee says.
Watch the ‘Planet of the Bass’ evolution via TikTok.
14-year-old influencer Lil Tay confirms she is alive amid death reports
Despite reports of her death less than 24 hours ago, viral rapper Lil Tay is alive and claims her Instagram was hacked.
On Wednesday, a post was published to Lil Tay’s verified Instagram account that claimed the influencer and her brother had died. The statement said their deaths were “entirely unexpected” and “under investigation”.
Questions began to crop up when Lil Tay’s father declined to confirm to Insider whether or not she and her brother had passed away. Others felt it was suspicious that the statement did not indicate who it was written by.
Neither the Vancouver Police Department or the Los Angeles Police Department had any record of her death.
Less than a day later, Lil Tay confirmed in an interview with TMZ that she is alive and claimed her Instagram was hacked.
“I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I’m completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say,” Lil Tay told TMZ. “It’s been a very traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess.”
The Instagram post of her death coincides with the launch of a cryptocurrency project in her name, led by her manager Harry Tsang. Many now question if this was a publicity stunt orchestrated by Tsang and the teen’s brother, Jason, who cultivated Lil Tay’s internet presence.
Read the full story via Rolling Stone.