Teen YouTube star Danielle Cohn and her boyfriend Mikey Tua are facing a growing backlash on social media after they recently pranked their fans with a fake pregnancy announcement and a pretend wedding in Las Vegas.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwIPq67hvwy/?utm_source=ig_embed
Danielle Cohn and her boyfriend Mikey Tua together caused a stir among their fans when they posted images and videos to YouTube that appeared to show them getting married in Las Vegas, Nevada. The wedding announcement came a few days after the couple took to YouTube and social media to announce that Cohn, 15, was pregnant.
We reported at the time they first announced they were getting married that the wedding appeared to have taken place at The Little Vegas Chapel in Las Vegas, with an Elvis impersonator officiating.
“I now pronounce you best friend for life and best friend for life,” the Elvis impersonator said.
The Little Vegas Chapel conducts real weddings as well as pretend weddings. The website has a page for pretend weddings and weddings “without legal paperwork.”
According to The Little Vegas Chapel’s website:
Our pretend weddings in Las Vegas are a fun and perfect way to have a ceremony without the legalities! A pretend wedding may also be called a commitment ceremony or fake wedding.
Pretend ceremonies are performed with many similarities to an actual Vegas wedding! They are perfect for those who want to express their love for one another without making the ultimate commitment of marriage. Get ‘married’ to your best friend for life, your longtime partner, your cellphone, anything really!
Although most fans of the teenage couple believed at the time that the pregnancy announcement and wedding were real, some had doubts and suspected it was a prank.
After the fake wedding, the couple released a baby gender reveal party video.
But Danielle and Mikey interrupted the gender reveal party to announce that it was all a prank.
“You’ve been pranked! I’m not actually pregnant, OK?” Dani announced.
She continued:
We didn’t mean to offend anyone. If you got offended or if you took it in the wrong way that is not what we were trying to do. We were just trying to make a fun video.
We’ve always seen pranks on YouTube and we just thought it would be fun to prank you guys. We definitely didn’t think it was going to go as far as it did. We thought our YouTube followers would see it but then we wanted to post it on Instagram.
Mikey added:
We definitely hope that you guys were entertained by this. We understand that we have a younger audience and teen pregnancy is something that we don’t take lightly and these videos were only for entertainment.
Me and Dani always prank each other. We wanted to prank you guys and prank our parents. Teen pregnancy is extremely serious and it is something that no one should take lightly.
However, the prank has sparked a backlash. May fans did not find it amusing and were very upset about it. Others argued that the prank was insensitive because it disregarded the plight of women who were struggling to conceive.
https://twitter.com/gcldendays/status/1119191228636000261
Danielle Cohn really faked a whole pregnancy for views and said she did it to raise awareness for teen pregnancy?? DISGUSTING! and where are her parents? they are doing a shit job btw!
— gustavo (@gustavonever) April 18, 2019
https://twitter.com/callummarkie/status/1116677711102136321
danielle cohn: “hi i’m 15 and pregnant and getting married”
everyone: sis that ain’t funny
danielle: i diD iT fOr AwArEnEsS pic.twitter.com/QTGvuCOOfg
— Sebastian Williams (@sebas_williams) April 21, 2019
“You’ve been PrAnkEd guys”
Girl, the reality of how fucked up this is really gonna hit u hard if, God forbid, you struggle with infertility one day. ?— ʎppɐᗡ (@calmarrow) April 18, 2019
I would do anything to be pregnant as would many women out there who are struggling with serious issues. Whether it’s infertility, miscarriages, still births – so many awful situations and you’re joking about it! You should be ashamed, as should the adults around you. Grow up. ?
— Emma (@Emmamburke0408) April 18, 2019
and honestly i regret doing it. i hope you become more mature with age, because honestly, you aren't mature at all. this is embarrassing to see.
— ???? (@manisdinahs) April 18, 2019
I don't know why would you joke like this this isn't Even funny girl some people can't have fuckin kids I had 2 miscarriages and I have pcos Whitch is really hard to get pregnant so I don't know what was your plan but it was really Fucked up
— Tiffany Marie (@YaTiff123) April 18, 2019
This is so rude and disrespectful to those who cannot have children. Pranks are fun and okay, just not with serious situations like this. Pregnancy isn’t a joke.
— Ashton :) (@ashtonncarrasco) April 18, 2019
https://twitter.com/destinedsugg/status/1116716743832023041
DANIELLE COHN FKN FAKED HER PREGNANCY IS SHE OKAY???? THIS IS ANOTHER LEVEL OF HOW LOW CAN YOU GET FOR CLOUT CHASING PISS OFF ITS NOT FUNNY
— fatima | ^.^ (@dowdendream) April 18, 2019
https://twitter.com/chmbrIain/status/1118325719573176321
https://twitter.com/ithplaybill/status/1118968874748338176
so danielle cohn is 15 and pregnant and is getting praised. but when other 15 year old girls get pregnant they get slut shamed. ?
— georgia (@vol6lrh) April 12, 2019
https://twitter.com/kodeerants/status/1119761746896609281
Can’t say @duhitzmark didn’t try to warn y’all about @DanielleCohn555 and her forever lies pic.twitter.com/fYvX7Ut2X1
— MessyMonday (@MESSYMONDAY) April 20, 2019
??? NEW VIDEO!!!! ??? – Why We Shouldn't Hate Danielle Cohn For Faking Her Pregnancy… ??https://t.co/g3boo1uhUm pic.twitter.com/YSXZBfzgnT
— That Bitch Carole Baskin (@PaigeChristieUK) April 19, 2019
so danielle cohn faked her pregnancy? what a stupid girl
— alexander (@thelightalex) April 19, 2019
no one:
danielle’s baby:#daniellecohn pic.twitter.com/dAdd23xffh— n a n i (@nxshia) April 19, 2019
Some fans also argued that joking about teen pregnancy was inappropriate.
Despite the backlash from the fake pregnancy and marriage news, Danielle Cohn’s YouTube subscriber count and views have seen an increase.