TikTok Secrets Exposed

CREATOR NEWSLETTER


January 19 was supposed to be the day TikTok closed forever in the United States. The US government decided that the video-hosting platform threatened national security and must be sold away from Chinese company ByteDance. Before its fond farewell, many creators fearing losing their platforms chose to have one last hurrah and air out their TikTok secrets.

However, the app was only down for 16 hours, with Trump pushing the sale back at least 75 days, leading to these confessionals staying up much longer than creators thought.

The most popular format featured a Family Guy clip in which patriarch Peter Griffin shares a hot take while drowning. Influencers from all across genres shared their darkest TikTok secrets over Peter’s voice. Some were clearly not that serious.

People confessed their sketch characters weren’t real and that seemingly spontaneous interviews were scripted. Someone admitted they never actually used specialty ice cubes in their cooking videos.

Even TikTok’s original viral star Charli D’Amelio got in on the action. The creator confessed that in a 2020 viral video, she wasn’t smoking “an anxiety pen.” D’Amelio also admitted she still has no idea what an “anxiety pen” even is.

However, others received much more attention, testing the strength of their parasocial relationships.


PLATFORMS

…And TikTok Is Back Again (For Now)

Hand holding phone with message that says "welcome back! thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump's efforts, Tiktok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to creature, share, and discover all the things you love on tiktok! Continue."

Stop Eating Plastic When You Cook

Let’s face it…pretty much everything is leaching plastic into our bodies. Caraway Home founder Jordan Nathan got “Teflon Flu” (a real thing, Google it) and set out to change that unfortunate reality, at least in your kitchen (and his). Everything they make is toxic free and non-stick, and their 5 year anniversary collection looks incredible. Check them out.


IN THE BIZ


PLATFORMS

Instagram Introduces Edits, a CapCut-Style Editing App

The timing is more than a little suspicious.

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor

Instagram Introduces CapCut-Style Editing App

CULTURE

Creators Find Themselves Embroiled In Drake, UMG Lawsuit

According to the lawsuit, UMG launched a campaign to make ‘Not Like Us’ go viral.

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor


JOB BOARD


WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

Content for Creators.

News, tips, and tricks delivered to your inbox twice a week.

Newsletter Signup

Latest Newsletters

  • A Deal You Can’t Refuse, But Should

    A Deal You Can’t Refuse, But Should

    CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #196 | December 21, 2023 It’s the longest night of the year here in the northern hemisphere. Happy solstice to all of y’all who, like me, experience seasonal affective disorder and know the exact moment (10:27pm EST on Dec. 21, 2023) when our half of the earth starts tilting back towards the…

  • Kill the Hustle-Bro in Your Head

    Kill the Hustle-Bro in Your Head

    CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #195 | December 19, 2023 Yesterday, I was scrolling Threads (yes, it’s still around), and I found this quote that I think captures everything wrong with our work culture in the U.S. (shared by journalist Taylor Lorenz). Your classic creator-economy-hustle-culture-bro type writes it: “I’m sure this will piss off certain people, but:…

  • Cornell’s Crash Course for Creators

    Cornell’s Crash Course for Creators

    CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #194 | December 14, 2023 There’s this perfect line from Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” that I’d love to turn into Passionfruit’s tagline if we can afford the copyrights to the quote. The movie stars Emma Stone as a female Frankenstein named Bella Baxter, whose rapidly evolving intellect has her rejecting her “bride…