Fans outraged after Emma Chamberlain followed by paparazzi
YouTube: Emma ChamberlainA video that’s been released of relatable teen YouTuber Emma Chamberlain being followed by paparazzi has caused a stir on social media. Some insist the reporter was far too invasive, while others believe Emma was needlessly rude.
19-year-old Emma Chamberlain rose to success through her quirky personality and relatable YouTube videos. She’s amassed a subscriber base of over 9 million, and has asserted herself as a staple creator on the site.
However, while she has a huge base of adoring fans, she hasn’t been exempt from controversy. Just this year she came under fire for launching an apparently overpriced coffee company that saw prices up to $60.
Emma is followed
Opinions have been mixed once again, with people unsure how to react when a video emerged of a paparazzo quizzing her about her personal life, following her to her car while asking the star questions.
In the clip, the man can be heard asking: “When will we see the Sister Squad back together?” to which she replied: “Have a good one,” and shut her car door.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1291466916628856835
The Sister Squad is comprised of Emma, James Charles, and the Dolan twins. They produced a lot of content together on the site, but following James Charles’ scandal of 2019 they cut ties.
The reporter proceeded to follow her to the gas station, where he informs her that fans are shipping her with TikTok star Noah Beck. He questioned her over her relationship status, with Chamberlain uncomfortably replying: “I’m out of here, though.”
As Def Noodles noted on Twitter, the original video displayed Emma’s number plate which raises concerns about doxxing and personal safety.
How did social media respond?
Viewers have had a mixed response to the exchange. Some sided with the paparazzi, suggesting that because she “spends all her time trying to get people to watch her,” she shouldn’t complain when the press shows an interest in her life.
I think if you want to make a living by being famous, you have to expect the paparazzi to be interested. She spends all of her time trying to get people to watch her, follow her, like her and then doesn’t like it when the press approaches. I don’t get it.
— Angela Cato (@AngelaCato) August 7, 2020
Others have questioned the ethics of a grown man following a teenage girl to a gas station. “I get it’s their job, but as a girl at a gas station I’m on HIGH alert and not myself,” one person said.
I get it’s their job but as a girl at a gas station I’m on HIGH alert and not myself.
— Spill Sesh (@spillseshYT) August 6, 2020
They’ve suggested that the man was “crossing boundaries” and implores others to “let people have their own space.”
The moral issues regarding paparazzi have long been debated. But as an inevitable side effect of influencer culture, the jury is out on who’s in the wrong.