Loren Gray explains why she “appreciates” hate messages in her DMs

TikTok star Loren Gray is a massive presence on the platform, once hailed as the site’s most-followed creator — but being a social media celeb isn’t always a cakewalk, as she revealed in a video on May 21.

Gray is a huge face on multiple social media platforms, boasting over 19 million followers on Instagram and 43 million followers on TikTok, where she once reigned as the most popular account before being overtaken by Charli D’Amelio.

Despite her status as a TikTok sensation, Gray receives a sizable amount of mean comments online, which she exposed in a collaboration with BuzzFeed Celeb on YouTube.

In the video, Gray read through her message requests on Instagram — messages from accounts that must be approved by the recipient before engaging in a conversation.

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While many of these message requests were compliments, Gray admitted that she does receive a slew of negative comments, as well, one of which she read aloud for viewers.

The message in question was simple: “I hate you Loren.” However, Gray’s response was decidedly surprising, with the TikTok star claiming that she actually “respects” and “appreciates” critics who keep their comments private between the two of them.

“Sometimes, people will send hate messages to my DMs,” she explained. “Which I actually think is quite nice, since they’re keeping it between us, and not like, publicly commenting. ….I really appreciate it. It’s to the point, and she didn’t do it publicly. She made it private, and she wanted to let me know how she feels. I respect it.”

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That wasn’t the only surprise to come out of Loren’s BuzzFeed collaboration; she likewise revealed the shocking amount of proposals she receives in her Instagram requests, and even admitted that a fan had proposed to her in-person during her live tour — an incident that she described as “kinda awkward.”

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Gray is far from the only TikTokker who deals with hate and over enthusiastic fans, by far; fellow stars Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae have spoken out at length against hateful comments and harassment, with Gray’s DM exposé acting as the latest testament to the double-edged sword of being an online entertainer.