What Happened To Tiffany Smith & Her "Kidfluencer" Daughter, Piper Rockelle

Netflix's new docuseries, Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing, explores the lives and careers of Tiffany Smith and her daughter, Piper Rockelle, and what happened after they were impacted by an infamous scandal. Created by Kief Davidson, director of the Oscar-nominated documentary short Open Heart, the three-part Netflix docuseries explores how Piper Rockelle rose to international attention as a child influencer alongside The Squad, established by her mother, Tiffany Smith. The latest in Netflix's impressive list of documentaries, Bad Influence explores the backstory of the "kidfluencer" group, their popularity on social media, and the struggles experienced behind the scenes.

Piper Rockelle began posting content on YouTube at the age of eight with the help of her mother, Tiffany Smith, and Tiffany's partner, Hunter Hill, and quickly rose to become a popular social media figure, amassing a large number of followers and income with her content. Rockelle's popularity increased upon the establishment of The Squad, an ensemble of young content creators who collaborated with Rockelle frequently on different videos. While The Squad's videos appeared to be lighthearted and entertaining, interviews with former members of Bad Influence reveal that they experienced a hostile work environment under the control of Tiffany Smith.

The Squad Filed A Lawsuit Against Piper's Mother, Tiffany Smith

The Lawsuit Was Filed In 2022

In 2018, Tiffany Smith established a group of young teenagers to appear alongside her daughter, Piper, in her social media posts; the group became known as The Squad, and their videos with Piper consisted of several orchestrated relationships between the group, challenges and pranks. In episode 1 of the Netflix docuseries, former Squad member Sawyer Sharbino stated that the Squad, managed by Smith, had "the exact same formula" as older groups on the internet "just with kids." As the Squad's popularity rose online, Smith's attention towards viewers led to behavior which former Squad members and their parents described as "questionable" (via TIME).

In 2022, 11 former members of The Squad filed a $22 million lawsuit against Tiffany Smith and her partner, Hunter Hill, alleging multiple experiences of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse during their time filming videos with Piper Rockelle (via Netflix). In Bad Influence, former Squad member Sophie Fergi described how the group "filmed 10 to 15 videos a day" for over 13 hours without breaks, while Sawyer Sharbino stated that their filming became "just being told what to do, like you're a puppet." Fergi also described how Smith would have the group stay up late cleaning the house after filming was done.

The lawsuit filed against Smith also claimed that the group were given "explicit sexual instructions" during filming, and that they were not monetarily compensated for their participation in Piper Rockelle's videos. In 2018, Tiffany Smith filed a counter-lawsuit for $30 million against the group's mothers, accusing them of making false allegations against her for extortion, which was quickly dropped as there was no evidence to support her case. The lawsuit was settled before it went to trial, with both parties agreeing to a settlement of $1.8 million (via The Independent).

Piper Rockelle Is Still Posting Content As An Influencer

Rockelle Denied Allegations Of Abuse Against Her Mother

Piper Rockelle holding a thumbs up to the camera

While Piper Rockelle and her mother, Tiffany Smith, both declined to be interviewed for Bad Influence, in 2022, they released a statement alongside Hunter Hill, denying any claims of wrongdoing. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Rockelle accused her former Squad members of betraying her for filing the lawsuit, stating, "These people, they just don't love me. If they did love me, they wouldn’t be doing this" (via People). Rockelle continues to deny any allegations of abuse against her mother, claiming that the allegations made were "mean, untrue and honestly all about money" (via USA Today Entertainment).

Rockelle continues to post content online, having amassed a following of 14.7 million followers on TikTok, 6.1 million on Instagram, and 12.1 million on YouTube.

Rockelle continues to post content online, having amassed a following of 14.7 million followers on TikTok, 6.1 million on Instagram, and 12.1 million on YouTube; following the allegations against her mother, YouTube demonetized her channel (via NME). Throughout the Netflix series, the former Squad members and their parents state that they believe Rockelle is also an abuse victim and that her most recent content has been "worrisome." While Rockelle continues to deny the abuse allegations, Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Influencing clearly depicts the dark realities experienced by different content creators while they were part of her Squad.

Source: YouTube, TIME, Netflix, The Independent, People, USA Today Entertainment, NME