TikTok drama: Nara Smith accused of stealing Onezwa Mbola’s cooking content

Nara Smith, a popular TikTok creator known for her cooking videos, is facing allegations of copying content from South African creator Onezwa Mbola.

Both creators have gained significant followings for their unique style of cooking food from scratch, but Onezwa is particularly renowned for foraging and sourcing her ingredients directly.

In a striking similarity, Nara also adopts a similar approach, using a soft-spoken cadence and storytelling style akin to Onezwa’s.

The controversy erupted when Onezwa posted a since-deleted TikTok video, accusing a well-known content creator of using her ideas to gain views and profit.

Although she didn’t directly name Nara, fans quickly connected the dots.

In her video, Onezwa stated, "For four months now I have watched a very, very popular content creator use my ideas and, again, I'm not the first person to do anything. They've continuously used my ideas to get views. Now, that would be fine, except in South Africa, we don't get paid for views and, where she is, they get paid for views, so she has been making money off stealing my content."

Onezwa cited a recent incident where she made a boba tea video, which was soon followed by a similar video from Nara.

"I was so very, very, very, very proud of that video. I tweeted about it, I was so excited for it and then a day later, she made a boba video and you might say it might be a coincidence. That would be fine if it were a coincidence, except it's a coincidence that happens very often, so is it really a coincidence?" she questioned.

The crux of Onezwa’s frustration lies in the disparity in monetization opportunities between the two creators.

In South Africa, TikTok creators do not have access to a creator fund that rewards views monetarily, unlike in other regions. Instead, they rely heavily on brand collaborations for income.

"I am very disheartened because she's making thousands of dollars in views and I am lucky to get a brand collaboration every three months. I can count the number of brands I've collaborated with over the last five years on probably two hands," Onezwa expressed.

Although Onezwa admits she cannot definitively prove that her ideas were stolen, she notes that Nara has "managed to change the videos just enough" to avoid direct accusations.

"I have kept quiet for months at a time venting to my boyfriend and my friends and they've all told me, 'Just let it go because you are going to be dragged by her mob of followers and you will get canceled.'

In response to the allegations, Nara Smith claimed in an Instagram comment that she did not know Onezwa.

"I've never seen her videos nor do I follow her. I'm not the first or last person to make boba," she wrote.

However, fans were quick to point out that Nara had previously commented on one of Onezwa's TikTok videos in February, saying, "I'm so sorry you have to deal with these comments. Your content is so inspiring."