TikTok star Zoe LaVerne is facing a backlash on social media after she was accused of kissing a minor.
LaVerne, a social media star with more than 17.7 million followers on Tiktok, 2.9 million followers on Instagram, and 449,000 followers on YouTube, is also being accused of having an inappropriate relationship with 13-year-old Connor Joyce.
The backlash started after the Instagram account of LaVerne’s ex-boyfriend, Cody Orlove, was reportedly hacked and screenshots of an alleged private conversation between Orlove and Amber VanPelt, LaVerne’s former best friend, were shared.
VanPelt reportedly accused LaVerne of having an “intense” relationship with Connor and compared the relationship to “pedophilia.”
Video showed LaVerne kissing Connor
Soon after the hacker’s leak, a video began circulating on social media that purportedly shows LaVerne kissing Connor (see below).
It was claimed that the video was just one of several showing LaVerne kissing him.
However, Zoe has denied the allegation that she had any sort of inappropriate relationship with Connor.
*SERIOUS* Several videos of Zoe Laverne (19) kissing 13-year-old fan surfacing. Zoe had denied allegations she had a relationship with an underage fan after a hacker exposed Zoe’s ex-boyfriend’s DMs discussing the situation. pic.twitter.com/4kNcqcmcCa
— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) October 27, 2020
Reactions on social media
The allegations sparked an instant backlash on social media, with many users expressing disapproval and outrage.
“Zoe’s friendship with Connor always felt wrong to me and just weird. I hope his parents get him away from her because she’s dead**s disgusting,” one social media user tweeted.
“I’m sorry, but I still cannot process the fact that Zoe Laverne KISSED Connor. ZOE IS 19 and Connor is 13 wtf is wrong with her?” another wrote.
LaVerne’s mother rushed to her defense
Laverne’s mom, Debbie Pemberton, has rushed to her daughter’s defense in a video uploaded to social media. In the video, Debbie insisted that Zoe and Connor were only friends.
UPDATE: Zoe Laverne’s mother defends Zoe (19) kissing a 13-year-old fan. Zoe’s mom says “Anybody can reach over and kiss somebody. They’re best friends.” pic.twitter.com/jOlN1BYWgn
— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) October 28, 2020
Laverne deleted her Instagram
Following the backlash, LaVerne deleted her Instagram account.
She then reportedly posted a message to her fans from a private Instagram account, zlpfandom0.2, which she was believed to manage, according to Dexerto.
“Thank you for everything, really. But for right now I don’t think I’ll be back on social media again,” the message read. ” I have a lot to think about. I really don’t wanna leave you guys but I’m tired of feeling this way. I’m tired of crying and hurting. It’s nothing but negativity to me anymore. I love you so much.”
The latest incident comes after the TikTok star, Gemini Official, faced a backlash after he was accused of grooming an underage person.
Monsters and Critics also recently reported how a TikTok video purportedly showing Sasha Obama lip-syncing to an explicit rap tune went viral on social media.