Internet celebrities are facing an era of reckoning — and their fans are tired of forgiving them

• Fans are exhausted by the influencer model of rise-fall cycles and resurfacing controversy.
• Cancel culture's impact has waned, with audiences now demanding more accountability.
• Experts say that with this increased scrutiny, some will thrive, but others will not.

Fans of influencers are growing tired.

They're losing patience with the cycle of new creators taking the internet by storm, only to come crashing down when their controversial pasts resurface.

Periods of accountability are nothing new on the internet. An era of cancel culture in the late 2010s saw creators rise and fall, most notably with what was dubbed "Karmageddon."

But in 2024, there has been less appetite for canceling stars.

It used to be that when someone was canceled, they'd take some time off, return with an apology video, and eventually, everyone would forget what happened.

But now, experts say, audiences expect more — and forgiveness may be harder to come by.

Fans feel duped

Over the past few weeks, some major internet stars have come under fire.

Cody Ko, a well-known YouTuber who has been on the platform since 2014, faced new questions over an intimate relationship he had with Tana Mongeau several years ago when he was in his 20s and she was 17.

While Mongeau, now in her mid-20s, spoke about it openly on her podcast, Ko has kept quiet.

Mongeau is also connected to another scandal — her podcast cohost Brooke Schofield has taken a hiatus after a number of racist tweets she posted between 2012 and 2016 resurfaced.

Schofield has posted multiple apologies on social media. While some fans say they accept her apologies and agree she no longer stands by some of the things she said when she was younger, others don't think she has done enough.

Katya Varbanova, the CEO of Viral Marketing Stars, told Business Insider that cancel culture is no longer fun and fans now feel "duped" by the creators they enjoy.

"People feel let down because the way influencers have branded themselves goes against some of the recent revelations," she said.

MrBeast, for example, is YouTube's biggest star, with 311 million subscribers.

Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson has built a reputation as being inspirational and generous, giving out money and houses to people in need.

But he is in hot water over allegations of mistreatment on the set of his Amazon show, "Beast Games," and his connection to Ava Tyson, a childhood friend who he cut professional ties with when she was accused of sending inappropriate messages to a minor last month.

The new allegations strongly contradict the sentiment that Donaldson is a force for good, Varbanova said, leaving his audience feeling let down.

These feelings of disappointment are amplified by what Varbanova described as "comparanoia" — obsessing over comparing your own life to someone else's.

Alix Earle, the darling of TikTok, for example, has been an easy target for critics of the influencer industry, with many taking issue with her level of fame for a perceived lack of work after her meteoric rise.

Some of Earle's old social media posts where she used racial slurs have been recirculating, and fans have been disappointed that she has yet to address them.

"It feels like, wow. Why do people with such pasts go further in life?" Varbanova said. "There's this misunderstanding that being a good person is what brings success."

Reputational and financial consequences

Natacha Rousseau, a PR specialist who has worked with influencers for over a decade, told BI that these scandals underscore a significant shift in how people interact with and perceive influencers.

"Fans are no longer passive consumers of content; they are active participants in holding creators accountable for their past and present actions," she said.

A growing awareness and intolerance of problematic behavior is fueled by social justice movements and a heightened sensitivity to issues like racism, sexism, and exploitation, Rousseau said.

"Behaviors that were once overlooked or excused are being re-examined under a more critical lens," she added. "Influencers, by virtue of their visibility, are not exempt from this scrutiny."

Rousseau said the consequences are twofold, both on the influencer's reputation and finances. Schofield may have lost a brand deal after her tweets came out. Ko stepped down from his podcast company. And while he's still posting videos, Donaldson has taken a big step back from being visible online.

Rousseau said fans are becoming disillusioned with influencers' rise-fall cycles. This, she said, reflects "a broader cultural fatigue with the constant churn of content creators who appear authentic only to later reveal problematic pasts."

As a result, they are questioning whether the influencer model is sustainable at all "or if it's setting them up for repeated disappointment," she said.

Recovery is a delicate balance

Cessie Cerrato, a publicist and influencer marketing strategist who founded Cessie C. Communications, told BI that fans are tired of forgiving their favorite online celebrities.

But, sometimes, negative attention can lead to bigger and better things.

Mikayla Nogueira, for example, has had a string of controversies, including allegations she lied to her audience to advertise mascara — known as "Mascara Gate" — and a heated disagreement with a fellow content creator over a promotion deal.

"But yet — this year, she managed to land a major deal with Elf as their CEO for the day," Cerrato said.

Brands seem to understand that controversy or not, eyeballs on their content is what they want, Cerrato added.

But an influencer's worth to a brand only exists if their audience does.

Jasmine Bloemhof, who has worked in PR in LA for 20 years, told BI that going forward, how influencers deal with their various fallouts will be critical because they are going to be more scrutinized than ever.

Trust can be rebuilt, Bloemhof said, but there's a delicate balance to find.

"The longer an influencer goes without addressing the 'elephant in the room,' the less likely they will be able to recover and earn back trust lost by their fans," she said. "It is a slippery slope."

Overall, people crave authenticity, and nobody expects anyone else to be perfect.

"We all know that they are human," Bloemhof said. "But when we feel hoodwinked and confused about who someone really is and what they stand for, that is where things get complicated and messy."

Rousseau agreed that people are more discerning and have higher demands for ethical integrity. They are wise to those trying to use being "canceled" to propel their careers and better at determining who is worthy of their attention.

"The age of accountability is here to stay," Rousseau said. "And those who navigate it thoughtfully will ultimately thrive."