Netflix’s newest tell-all doc revealed disturbing claims made against YouTube star Piper Rockelle‘s mom Tiffany Smith, including alleged instances of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior involving minors.
During Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing, which premiered on Wednesday, April 9, multiple former members from Rockelle’s famous online squad spoke out about their alleged experiences with Smith. Sophie Fergi, Corinne Joy and Raegan Beast were some of the content creators who cited Smith’s behavior as the reason for their 2022 lawsuit.
Smith was sued by 11 teenagers — and their parents — due to the group being allegedly subjected to “an emotionally, physically and sometimes sexually abusive environment perpetrated by Ms. Smith on and off set during filming sessions for Piper’s YouTube channel.” There were also allegations that the plaintiffs suffered “inappropriate, offensive and abusive treatment,” including receiving “wildly offensive and sexually explicit comments” from Smith.
The lawsuit ended in October 2024 with a $1.85 million settlement. As part of the settlement, Smith denied wrongdoing and has since opted out of addressing the docuseries.
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“Obviously we didn’t do anything that was alleged, but sadly, money is a big motivator for certain personalities in this world. 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,” Smith said in a statement before the docuseries’ release. “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.”
Rockelle made a rare comment, calling the lawsuit “extremely painful and, honestly, hard to understand.”
“Not just because of the people making ridiculous claims about me and my family,” she noted at the time. “It’s been incredibly hard because the media and social media have been relentless and so hurtful, without understanding or even trying to understand the truth. It’s become impossible to even look at my phone or do normal, day-to-day things. It’s been so incredibly painful. Thank goodness for my family. And thank goodness this is finally behind us.”
Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing is currently streaming on Netflix. Keep scrolling for a breakdown of the claims made against Smith:
Inappropriate Interactions With Male Minors
According to Fergi and others who were part of the squad at the time, Smith allegedly “had a fascination with” Gavin Magnus.
“Tiffany would flirt with him. That was very weird. She would say, ‘Do you have a boner from looking at me?’” Fergi’s mother, Heather, claimed. “At this time, he is probably 12 or 13.”
The rapper “declined to be interviewed” for the series, but footage from a 2019 Instagram Story featured Magnus’ explanation for leaving the YouTube group.
“No, I did not break up with Piper,” Magnus, who was previously linked to Smith’s daughter, revealed in the video. “No one broke up with anyone. It was my parents who pulled me out of a toxic environment, which I am super glad he did.”
Elsewhere in Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing, Raegan Beast addressed a clip that went viral where Smith “forced herself” on him. Beast recalled Smith previously making uncomfortable comments about him being “so sexy” when he would “get a little bit older” before a night out ended with their group going on a livestream.
Beast claimed Smith “provided the alcohol” before she allegedly felt him up. He was 17 when he claims Smith grabbed him and kissed him twice, with footage from the doc showing Rockelle pulling them apart. Beast said the content was wiped from the internet the following morning after Smith received backlash from his followers.
The docuseries noted that Smith has “publicly denied the accounts” of the former squad members and their parents.
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Uncomfortable Conversations With the Kids
While running Rockelle’s YouTube page, Smith and her daughter moved in with several members of the squad and their parents. Some of Rockelle’s former friends — including Fergi — recalled Smith asking questions about their personal lives when they were minors.
Fergi’s mother, meanwhile, claimed Smith instructed her to buy “sluttier” outfits for Rockelle to wear when she wasn’t even a teenager yet. Heather’s friend, who edited their videos, was also allegedly instructed to give the girls “bigger boobs and smaller waists,” while the boys allegedly got “bigger muscles” for the thumbnail photo of each video.
Later in the doc, Corinne Joy discussed a conversation she claims she had with Smith and her boyfriend, Hunter Hill, where they allegedly asked if she ever performed sexual acts. Joy was only 11 when Smith allegedly joked about her experimenting with Hill.
Claims of Sexual Assault
It wasn’t until Rockelle’s former squad members decided to sue Smith that they started to compare stories. Fergi claimed that Smith “would sexually assault” several of them “a lot.” She detailed an alleged experience when Smith walked into her room when she was asleep and allegedly got on top of her before rubbing her hands all over her body.
“There is so much more that went on that I don’t really want to talk about on camera because it is too much,” Fergi said while getting emotional on screen. Rockelle’s cousins — and Smith’s nieces — Claire RockSmith and Reese Rockstar Smith had stories of their own.
Claire recalled Smith allegedly getting on top of her and pinning her down in bed. Meanwhile Reese, who was only 9, detailed an alleged incident when Smith tried to grab her. Reese ran into the bathroom, which is when she heard Smith saying, “‘Reese, I have my pants down.’”
Smith and Hill declined to speak out in the doc and a message at the end noted that they denied the allegations “laid out in the 2022 lawsuit.”
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In Contact With Older Men
According to Fergi’s mother, many of the extravagant gifts that Rockelle received were organized by her mother.
“[Her fan] Megan poses as a girl online who is a Piper fan and he has all these photos of her,” Heather claimed about the “older male” in contact with Smith. “Tiffany said, ‘He likes pictures of Piper. He is her stalker. You can get stuff too if you send him pictures. It is nothing bad. It is just extra pictures from photo shoots. But he is a pervert.’ She knew he was a pervert.”
Rockelle was allegedly forced to speak with the unnamed man, and they would subsequently receive cameras, computers, clothing and other expensive gifts.
Meanwhile, Joy recalled a conversation with Smith where Smith claimed she sent men Rockelle’s underwear, adding, “She told me old men like to smell them.”
Fergi and her mother revealed that before they moved out there was a Child Protective Services investigation into Smith. An anonymous call, which Smith was tipped off about, resulted in Rockelle’s mom warning her daughter and Fergi that they had to fix the issue with CPS.
