Tiffany Smith, the mother and former manager of YouTuber Piper Rockelle, has remained largely out of the public eye following a high-profile $22 million lawsuit that shook the influencer world.
Smith was at the center of allegations explored in Netflix’s docuseries Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing, which debuted April 9, 2025.
Smith helped launch Piper’s YouTube career in 2016, turning their at-home content into a booming business with millions of followers and massive revenue. The duo’s content featured a rotating cast of child creators known as "The Squad." However, between 2017 and 2021, several Squad members left, citing toxic work conditions.
In 2022, 11 former Squad members — all minors — filed a lawsuit accusing Smith of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, along with child labor violations and unpaid compensation despite appearing in hundreds of videos. The lawsuit also named Smith’s partner and content collaborator Hunter Hill. Smith countersued but later dropped her case.
The lawsuit was settled in October 2024 for $1.85 million, with no party admitting liability. Smith has since gone private on social media, avoiding the spotlight. Meanwhile, Rockelle’s YouTube channel was demonetized in 2022, resulting in losses of up to $500,000 per month, according to court records.
Despite financial fallout, Piper Rockelle remains active online, with over 12 million YouTube subscribers, 6.1 million Instagram followers, and nearly 15 million TikTok fans. She continues creating content, though her original Squad collaborators are no longer featured.
Though Smith has denied all allegations, the Netflix docuseries has reignited public interest in the case and raised broader concerns over child influencer protections in digital media.
The case remains a cautionary tale about the hidden costs of internet fame — and the growing need for regulation in the kidfluencer industry.
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