The seemingly frivolous hijinks of Piper Rockelle and her friends became a social media sensation that drew millions of views. But the people who worked with the popular content creator and her mother, Tiffany Smith, claim the onscreen jokes concealed much more sinister behavior.
The rise of Rockelle and her social media footprint, as well as Smith’s controversial role as her “momager,” is the focus of the new Netflix series Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kid Influencing. Released on the streamer Wednesday, the three-part documentary examines the “disturbing stories of alleged exploitation, cult-like manipulation, and abuse” surrounding Smith and her daughter’s influencing empire.
While Smith and Rockelle maintain their content, which earned millions in revenue, was completely legal, collaborators said the toxic environment on set harmed them financially and psychologically. The dispute sparked litigation costing the mother and daughter millions of dollars and forcing them to defend their channel’s once-clean reputation. Here’s what to know about the YouTube scandal and what has happened to Rockelle and Smith since.
Piper Rockelle dreamed of fame as a young girl
According to The Los Angeles Times, Georgia-born Rockelle was only 4 when she began dreaming of an entertainment career. While watching the TLC reality show Toddlers & Tiaras, which followed child beauty pageant contestants and their families, she pointed at the screen and said: “I can do that.”
“And I can do better than them,” Smith recalled her daughter adding.
From that point, the single mother fully committed to her daughter’s ambitions. She enrolled Rockelle in her own pageants, though with little success. The girl started to garner fame at age 7 thanks to the app Musical.ly, a precursor to TikTok that let users upload short lip-syncing videos. With her mom’s approval, Rockelle created an account with a friend and quickly rose among the 10 most-viewed creators. Then in November 2016, a social media producer approached the mother-daughter duo offering to represent Piper and advised her to start a YouTube channel.
Now splitting time with her mother between Georgia and Los Angeles, Rockelle posted her first video to the site in March 2017 and began appearing with a rotating cast of tween-aged friends known as “the Squad.” At the suggestion of Smith’s then-boyfriend Hunter Hill, the group was inspired by Jake Paul’s Team 10 collective and made up of aspiring social media creators with their own channels.
Following in the footsteps of Paul and his older brother, Logan, who even appeared in some of Rockelle’s videos, her self-titled channel featured the Squad engaging in elaborate pranks and silly stunts. In one clip with more than 8.4 million views, the group spun a wheel of potential dares such as picking someone else’s nose or getting covered in spoiled milk. The last person to refuse a challenge won $10,000. Other videos offered a look into Rockelle’s personal life.
Rockelle and her mom made millions from the channel
The antics proved immensely popular and lucrative. Rockelle’s videos amassed more than 1.87 billion views by 2022, and companies including NBCUniversal, Disney, and Amazon paid the influencer to promote their products on Instagram and TikTok. According to the Times, court records showed that Piper Rockelle Inc.—her brand overseen by Smith—made anywhere from $4.2 million to $7.5 million annually from social media advertising.
Rockelle parlayed her popularity into other money-making opportunities, such as producing videos for fans on Cameo, selling merchandise, and starting a live variety show with VIP tickets selling for nearly $600. In 2020, Rockelle used her earnings to purchase a $2.3 million home from actor and singer Bella Thorne.
But as her channel became more successful, concerns grew about working conditions for its young stars. Multiple parents claimed their kids worked for up to 12 hours a day, much longer than the eight hours mandated by California law regarding child performers. They also said Smith didn’t allow bathroom or meal breaks nor provided required on-set schooling. As more Squad members began leaving Piper Rockelle Inc., even more disturbing allegations eventually emerged.
Squad members accused Smith of sexual misconduct
Eleven members of the Squad and their guardians filed a complaint in Los Angeles County Superior Court in January 2022 seeking $22 million in damages from Smith. The suit accused her of improperly compensating the involved child actors and alleged PRI conspired to harm their individual channels after they left the group.
Smith’s legal team contended that most members agreed to forgo financial compensation from PRI, instead receiving indirect payment through mentions of their social media handles in Rockelle’s videos. “I have always strived to comply with the laws and never considered myself an ‘employer’ when kids get together voluntarily to collaborate on making videos,” Smith told the Times in December 2022.
In addition to the these allegations, the suit claimed Smith frequently subjected the child actors to “an emotionally, physically and sometimes sexually abusive environment.”
According to the complaint, one Squad member said she witnessed Smith attempting to forcibly kiss Rockelle. When the latter tried to pull away, Smith allegedly responded: “What? I’m just trying to teach you how to kiss. You’re going to want to learn if you’re going to be with [boys].” Both Smith and Rockelle denied the interaction ever happened.
The suit contended Smith instructed the actors to make “sexy kissing faces” for video thumbnails, as well as “push their butts out” and “suck their stomachs in.” Smith also allegedly questioned the underage actors about their sex lives and offered to show an 11-year-old girl how to perform oral sex.
Additionally, two cousins of Rockelle claimed in the complaint that Smith used the alternate persona of “Lenny the dead cat”—inspired by a deceased family pet—while attempting to inappropriately touch one of them, aged 9. The suit similarly alleged Smith used the voice to make vulgar comments to Squad members.
Smith reached a settlement in the case
Smith denied all allegations of sexual misconduct but did admit to “physical games” with the actors that involved touching their knees. She also maintained she didn’t make any lewd remarks in front of the underage actors.
However, consequences for the brand were swift. Following news of the lawsuit, YouTube demonetized Rockelle’s page in February 2022, causing her to lose $300,000 to $500,000 of income per month according to the Times. Additionally, venues began to cancel her live shows, and some brands ended their marketing partnership with the creator.
Rockelle said the allegations took a toll on her health and caused her to begin eating less out of nausea. “I’m just trying to keep up a good look for social media and keep the kids happy,” she said. “I feel like everything that I have right now is really getting stolen from me, and there’s no way that I can get it back.”
In October 2024, the plaintiffs and Smith reached a settlement worth $1.85 million. According to People, the agreement was made “without any admission of liability or the validity or lack thereof of any claims or defenses.”
Today, Rockelle and Smith are attempting to move on
Rockelle, now 17, has continued sharing videos to her YouTube channel. Her most recent upload was published in December 2024. She has accumulated roughly 18.2 million subscribers across the site and her Instagram.
This March, Rockelle described the legal saga involving her mother as “extremely painful and, honestly, hard to understand” in a statement to People. “It’s become impossible to even look at my phone or do normal, day-to-day things. It’s been so incredibly painful,” she said. “Thank goodness for my family. And thank goodness this is finally behind us.”
Smith, who is in her early 40s, continues to deny all of the allegations in the lawsuit. She and Rockelle countersued the mothers of the 11 ex-Squad members in July 2022 for defamation and attempted extortion, but Smith voluntarily dismissed the claim later that year.
Smith told People she voluntarily settled the case to avoid prolonged litigation and is focused on helping the next phase of Rockelle’s career. “Piper is a minor and has already been through a great deal of unnecessary and harmful scrutiny. So we prioritized mental health and made the decision to put this behind us,” she explained.
Watch Bad Influence on Netflix
All three episodes of Bad Influence are now streaming on Netflix.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
