Netflix's new docuseries, Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing, shines a light on Tiffany Smith and her former YouTube star daughter, Piper Rockelle, along with some incredibly serious allegations of emotional, financial and sexual abuse.
According to the documentary, Tiffany began to realise there was more money to be made by expanding her daughter's circle of online friends and when Piper was 11, began pulling other young, hopeful performers in to form a 'Squad' with the help of Hunter Hill, who shot and produced the content for all the kids.
Allegedly, Tiffany did not properly pay them for their time, forced them to work long hours without breaks or food, and some former Squad members have also accused her of inappropriate touching and comments – including Tiffany's two nieces, Claire and Reese.
Tiffany has denied ever being a formal employer of any Squad members and claims the allegations are all false, motivated by jealousy of Piper and financially driven. Piper herself has also commented that the accusations levelled against her mum, and her mum's boyfriend Hunter Hill (who would shoot Squad videos), have been damaging for her mental health. Piper also vowed to "stand by" her mother.
In 2022, Piper told the LA Times [when discussing the Squad-filed lawsuit], "I don't even know who I am anymore because of this," she said. "I'm just trying to keep up a good look for social media and keep the kids happy. I feel like everything that I have right now is really getting stolen from me, and there's no way that I can get it back."
Who was in the original Piper Rockelle squad?
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Piper Rockelle's online circle of friends was collectively known as the Squad, and together the group produced a variety of content, including lighthearted challenges, dance trends, funny skits, and pranks. These videos were well-received by a younger demographic and contributed to Piper's significant subscriber base of over 12 million on YouTube.
The Squad's lineup changed over the years, but early members included Sophie Fergi, Sawyer Sharbino, Jentzen Ramirez, Symmone Harrison and Corinne Joy.
Many of the Squad's videos were filmed at Piper's home, with Tiffany Smith, Piper’s mother, instructing the kids when to work, what to do and what to wear. However, this setup later led to legal and ethical scrutiny, resulting in allegations of a toxic work environment and eventual lawsuits.
Tiffany, along with her boyfriend and cameraman/editor, Hunter Hill, have always denied the allegations and any wrongdoing.
Which ex-Squad members filed a lawsuit against Tiffany Smith, Hunter Hill and Piper Rockelle Inc?
Sophie Fergi
Sophie was one of the original and most popular members of the Squad. She met Piper as a young child and quickly bonded with her, and her mother, Heather Nichole, struck up a friendship with Piper's mum, Tiffany.
As shown in the documentary, Sophie left the Squad in 2020 and later alleged mistreatment in a lawsuit, claiming Tiffany would unlock her bedroom door at night and touch her inappropriately. Tiffany strongly denies this.
Since the documentary aired, Sophie has thanked her millions of fans online via her Instagram Stories saying, "All the love and support the last couple of days really means so much to me. Thank you all."
Sawyer Sharbino
Another Squad member, Sawyer was frequently seen in the prank and challenge videos that became a staple of Piper's channel, along with 'crush' content – where he was encouraged to have a 'crush' on fellow performers including Corinne Joy, Indi Star and Emily Dobson (all Squad members).
In the documentary, he said the Squad "definitely keeps you there for as long as it can" against a backdrop of fear that you'd lose friends, views and earnings. Sawyer left the Squad in 2021 and following the docuseries being released, posted a video with fellow ex-Squad members Sophie Fergi and Walker Bryant with the caption 'Let it all go'.
Symmone Harrison
Named in the lawsuit and according to the Netflix series, Symonne was on occasion frozen out by the other Squad kids (under Tiffany Smith's instruction) in order to create drama and tension in videos.
Donald Dougher
Known online as 'Donlad', Donald would routinely appear in Squad videos, was shipped with Indi Star and is a named plaintiff on the lawsuit against Piper Rockelle Inc, Hunter Hill and Tiffany Smith. Donald quit the Squad in 2021, but still regularly shares updates with his thousands of fans online, on multiple platforms, and recent posts show he's been spending time in Africa.
Ayden Mekus
Ayden gained fame as a member of the Squad and was shipped with Symonne Harrison and Piper's cousin, Claire Rock Smith, as well as taking part in the typical prank and challenge videos that captivated millions of fans. He now has over 13 million TikTok followers and continues to post on his Instagram and YouTube channels too, often about Christianity and his religious beliefs.
Connor Cain
Now 18, Connor left the Squad in 2021 and is named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit alleging abuse at the hands of Tiffany Smith, Hunter Hill and Piper Rockelle Inc. Unlike many other Squad members, he appears to have dropped his influencer career – his YouTube channel has been wiped clean, he hasn't posted on his Instagram grid since December 2022 and has only posted once on TikTok.
Hayden Haas
Hayden played a major role in early funny challenges and skits, contributing to video dynamics in the Squad's early days. He quit in 2021 and joined ten others to file the lawsuit. He still posts online and has shared promo posts encouraging his fans to watch the Netflix docu-series.
Walker Bryant
Walker played a starring role in the Squad when he was shipped with Piper. He left in 2021 and now looks to be dating fellow influencer, Ella Noel. He recently appeared in a video with Sawyer Sharbino and Sophie Fergi, too.
Corinne Joy
One of the first to step away from the Squad, Corinne exited in 2019 and in the documentary alleges being subjected to sexually inappropriate behaviour from Piper's mother, Tiffany Smith, and her boyfriend, Hunter Hill. Corinne is now working to become a pro wrestler and appears in the documentary.
Claire Rock Smith
Piper's cousin, Claire, joined the Squad during the pandemic and was initially supported in doing so by her mothers, Patience and Ashley. She broke away from the YouTube collective, and her cousin and aunt, in 2021.
Since the documentary aired, Claire says she has been receiving support rather than hate, which she claims to have often been subjected to by Piper fans previously. "The love that we are receiving is truly overwhelming. After years of being constantly degraded and hated on, people are finally starting to understand," she wrote via an Instagram Story, on the day of the series being released. "Remember this is just the beginning, barely scratching the surface. This is not the last you are going to hear."
She has also posted on TikTok about being a sexual abuse survivor and alleged that her aunt, Tiffany Smith, touched her inappropriately, which Tiffany strongly denies.
Reese Rock Smith
The youngest former member of the Squad, Reese is just 13 now and doesn't often post online. She features in the Netflix documentary alleging abuse at the hands of her aunt, Tiffany Smith (which Tiffany refutes).
Other members of the Squad who were not a part of the lawsuit included Lev Cameron, Emily Dobson and Jentzen Ramirez – whose mother, Johna Ramirez, claims in Bad Influence that Tiffany drove a wedge between her and her son, causing him to emancipate her and cut her off in order to remain in the toxic Squad (with the support of his father).
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
