Netflix’s latest docuseries “Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing” dives into the life of famed YouTube personality Piper Rockelle, which has left many wondering: where is she now?
In 2016, Rockelle, with the help of her mom Tiffany Smith, became one of the biggest child influencers, skyrocketing to over 2 million YouTube followers at just 8 years old.
Most of her videos showcased Rockelle doing fun things like making slime and playing. As her following grew, Smith enlisted other aspiring child YouTube stars to join in on the videos. Eventually Rockelle and the group of creators became known as “The Squad” and the videos earned them millions of dollars.
Fast forward to 2025, and Rockelle is still sharing content on her social media with a reach of over 6.1 million followers on Instagram and 14.7 million on TikTok. However, her original YouTube account was demonetized after allegations against her mom came to light.
The three-part Netflix docuseries explores how things came crashing down after the seedier side of Rockelle’s YouTube fandom surfaced.
In 2022, Smith and her boyfriend Hunter Hill were accused of “harassment, molestation, and abuse” in a lawsuit filed by 11 teenagers and their parents.
The lawsuit claims the momager created “an emotionally, physically and sometimes sexually abusive environment,” the lawsuit states. “Ms. Smith oftentimes made wildly offensive and sexually explicit comments and innuendos to Plaintiffs.”
Though Smith denies all wrongdoing, in October of 2024 she reached a settlement for $1.85 million in the suit.
“Obviously we didn’t do anything that was alleged, but sadly, money is a big motivator for certain personalities in this world,” she said in a statement. “We made the decision to put this behind us because honestly, prolonged litigation would be even more harmful and painful to everyone involved — which includes kids. 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 and focus on the next phase of her career.”
Before the release of the docuseries, Rockelle released a statement giving her take on the accusations against her mom.
“Honestly, I just want to move on from all of this because it’s really painful to deal with every day. And not surprisingly, my mental health has suffered more than anyone knows,” she said in a statement to USA Today, describing the claims as “mean, untrue, and honestly all about money.”
She added: “My mom did not do any of those things that they said. And I’ll stand by my mom to the end.”
Rockelle now has a new YouTube account, but hasn’t uploaded any new videos since the end of 2024.
