Bad Influence Docuseries: Where are Piper Rockelle & her mom Tiffany Smith now?
Netflix’s Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing has ignited widespread conversation about the hidden costs of internet fame—especially for young creators like Piper Rockelle. The docuseries peels back the curtain on Piper’s meteoric rise as a child YouTube star and the allegations of abuse and exploitation that followed, primarily targeting her mother and former manager, Tiffany Smith.
Where is Piper Rockelle now?
Now 17, Piper Rockelle is still active across social platforms, with over 12.1 million YouTube subscribers and 14.8 million TikTok followers. However, her career trajectory took a hit in 2022 when her YouTube channel was demonetized in the wake of a civil lawsuit filed by 11 former members of her content group, "The Squad."
As per LA Times, "Before the Squad’s lawsuit, Rockelle was making between $4.2 million and $7.5 million a year. Following the allegations, YouTube demonetized her channel, which caused her business to lose $300,000 to $500,000 a month."
The lawsuit accused Tiffany Smith and co-creator Hunter Hill of emotional, physical, and sometimes sexual abuse, as well as financial mismanagement. LA Times reported: "Although Rockelle made as much as $625,000 a month, former Squad members claimed in their lawsuit that they often worked without meal or rest breaks and were not given on-set schooling."
The case was settled nearly three years after the suit was filed for $1.85 million. As per People, "The settlement was entered without any admission of liability or the validity or lack thereof of any claims or defenses."
Piper Rockelle: Still Creating, But Feeling the Weight
Despite the legal battle and public scrutiny, Piper hasn’t stepped away from content creation. She continues to post vlogs, challenges, and lifestyle videos. Her content remains under the management of Tiffany Smith and Hunter Hill—who was often referred to as her brother online but was in a relationship with Tiffany (via TV Insider)
Piper has also turned to other platforms like Brand Army and Twitch to maintain her digital presence. In a vlog, she admitted how draining it has been to keep up appearances, “I don’t really get a lot out of it besides the satisfaction from knowing you guys enjoy watching them… It takes a lot out of me.”
In a statement to USA TODAY, she defended her mother unequivocally, “My mom did not do any of those things that they said. And I’ll stand by my mom to the end.”
Following the settlement, she also expressed how painful the experience has been, telling People, “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.”
Yet, Piper has not publicly acknowledged Bad Influence. On the day it premiered, she posted a lighthearted tiktok video with her boyfriend Capri, continuing her usual content routine.
Tiffany Smith: Staying out of the Spotlight
Once a dominant force behind the scenes of the Piper Squad, Tiffany Smith has taken a step back from public view. In a prank video uploaded to Hunter Hill’s YouTube channel, she made it clear, “I do not want to be in a TikTok... I do not want people making little edits of me and making fun of me.”
Smith, who is now in her early 40s, denied all allegations against her and filed a $30 million countersuit before reaching the $1.85 million settlement. She told People, “We prioritized mental health and made the decision to put this behind us and focus on the next phase of her career.”
In the Netflix docuseries, former Squad members—including Sophie Fergi—claimed they were exploited for content, sometimes filming up to 15 videos a day. “We did not get a break at all,” Sophie said. (via USA Today)
She also emphasized that the lawsuit wasn’t financially motivated, “It was never about the money — it was to make sure she couldn’t do what she did to me to another kid.” (via Cosmopolitan)
Co-director Kief Davidson told the You Can’t Make This Up podcast, “War was waged on you if you left The Squad. These kids started to become fearful. They started to get hate texts. It was very, very difficult for the kids.” (via Tudum)
What now?
Although the lawsuit has been settled, the fallout is still reverberating. Piper continues to produce content, often alongside her boyfriend, but her involvement with adult influencers like Bop House has sparked new rounds of criticism. The women who live in the house primarily make content for OnlyFans (via Yahoo UK).
The show's co-director Davidson noted the troubling shift in Piper’s online persona, “You can certainly see with Piper... the photos have become very risque. There’s been paid subscription-type services... which opens the door to people you don’t want looking at a teen that way.” (via Tudum)
Despite everything, Davidson believes the core issue remains unresolved, “I think that, so far, Tiffany has gotten off the hook. She’s a very smart businesswoman in a lot of ways and knows how to work the system. I just hope at the end of the day that this documentary becomes a real conversation piece for families and their kids to at least know what to look out for. And there are ways to do this safely. [If kids and parents continue to do this,] we have to find a way to put safeguards in place.”
And while Piper has yet to publicly react to the documentary, those involved insist she shouldn't be vilified. “I think it's really important to know that Piper is a victim here,” Davidson said. “Every single one of the families we spoke with looks at [it that way].”
As Bad Influence continues to trend, the real question now is: What happens next for Piper Rockelle—and how will the influencer world evolve to protect kids from the dark side of viral fame?
The three-part docuseries Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing is now streaming on Netflix.
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