Tiffany Smith helped her daughter Piper Rockelle achieve staggering fame on social media, raking in millions of followers and dollars. But a 2022 lawsuit unveiled an alleged darker side to the momager — and threatened to topple the duo’s booming YouTube business.
Piper, with her mother’s assistance, began posting videos to YouTube in 2016 at just 8 years old. The playful videos, which showed Piper doing things like getting a pet turtle or making slime out of glue, quickly began to gain popularity — and as they did, Smith sought out other aspiring child stars to join in Piper’s videos. The group of child content creators became known as “The Squad” and their videos became a YouTube sensation, racking up billions of views (and earning millions of dollars as a result). Engineering this success behind the scenes was Smith and her boyfriend, Hunter Hill — but their tactics began to raise eyebrows amongst many Squad-mates and their parents.
Between 2017 and 2021, several members of Piper’s original Squad quit because of the alleged toxic environment fostered by Smith. Parents initially expressed concerns over supposed child labor violations and compensation issues, but the allegations would become much more sinister: In 2022, 11 former members of the Squad — who were all minors — filed a $22 million lawsuit against Smith, describing her as a “mean-spirited control freak” who subjected them to emotional, physical and sexual abuse, both on and off set.
The lawsuit was settled out of court in 2024, with the 11 teens receiving $1.85 million. (All parties specifically disclaimed any liability.) However, a new, three-part docuseries from Netflix is taking a closer look at the claims about what really went on behind the scenes with Piper, Smith and The Squad leading up to that tipping point. Featuring nightmarish stories about Smith from several former Squad members and their parents, Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing began streaming on Netflix on April 9.
Here’s everything to know about Tiffany Smith and where she is now.
Who is Tiffany Smith?
Smith raised her only daughter, Piper Rockelle, as a single mother. The mother-daughter duo lived with Smith’s parents in Canton, Ga., per the Los Angeles Times.
“I was never really one of those girls that made not having a dad a personality trait,” Piper told the Los Angeles Times in 2022. “I thought it was cool. I got my mom as my best friend.”
Smith added, “I feel like she saved my life. I didn’t love myself at all. But when I had her, I just felt like I had a purpose in life.”
At a young age, Piper expressed an interest in pageants after watching the TLC reality show Toddlers & Tiaras. She entered her first pageant at the age of 3 — and won, according to the Netflix documentary. Smith, who ran her own pet grooming business, devoted herself entirely to Piper’s pageant pursuits.
“A lot of people think that she’s living her life that she didn’t have and pursuing it through me,” Piper told the Los Angeles Times. “Absolutely not. She’s making this so perfect for me.”
However, there are conflicting reports on how — and why — Piper made the transition from the pageant world to social media. According to Smith, Piper was “feeling defeated” in the pageant world by the age of 7 and was interested in an app called Musical.ly instead. But Smith’s sister, Patience Rock Smith, claims that it was Smith who wanted Piper to pursue social media after seeing her success in the pageant world.
Nevertheless, Piper started an account on Musical.ly in May 2016. Within months, she was one of the top creators on the platform, frequently appearing in the top 10 rankings, per the Los Angeles Times. Then, at a Musical.ly meet-and-greet in L.A. in November 2016, a social media manager approached Piper and Smith and suggested the then-9-year-old start her own YouTube channel.
Who is Hunter Hill?
Hill, who hails from Wyoming, moved to L.A. at the age of 19 with the hopes of becoming an influencer, according to the Los Angeles Times. But, after meeting Piper and Smith at a conference in L.A., he began working with the mother and daughter on Piper’s YouTube channel.
Hill initially appeared in Piper’s YouTube videos as her older brother, according to the Netflix docuseries. But most of his work was actually done behind the scenes: Hill filmed and edited all of Piper’s YouTube content, as well as ensuring each video had the best tags and thumbnails for optimal views. Also off camera, Hill was involved with Smith romantically — and the trio (Smith, Hill and Piper) began living together after Smith and Piper moved to L.A. full-time in 2017.
What was Tiffany Smith accused of?
Piper quickly rose to fame on YouTube, amassing millions of followers, views — and revenue dollars, according to Netflix’s Tudum blog. As her popularity climbed, Piper and Smith began inviting other tween-aged YouTubers to appear in her videos (and would then have them cross-promote the content on their own channels).
The group, led by Piper, eventually became known as “The Squad,” and included Sophie Fergi, Gavin Magnus, Sawyer Sharbino, Hayden Haas, Corinne Joy, Jentzen Ramirez, Claire Rock Smith and Symonne Harrison, per Tudum. In addition to creating content for The Squad, most of the pre-teens also had their own YouTube channels that Hill managed — and took a 10 percent cut of all of their profits, according to the Los Angeles Times.
As The Squad’s success grew, so did Smith’s drive to create content. At one point, several members of The Squad moved in with Piper and her mother to help increase their content output. But the work environment was grueling and demanding: The group claimed they would film for 12-plus hours per day, producing as many as 15 films — without breaks, meals, schooling or compensation.
Beginning in April 2020, parents of former Squad members — who had all quit over the toxic work environment — began to contact various authorities over Smith’s business operation, according to the Los Angeles Times. Complaints against Smith were filed with the FBI, the LAPD, the Department of Children and Family Services and the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. In September 2021, the parents and ex-Squad members also met with attorneys to discuss their legal options in connection with Smith’s alleged violations of child labor laws and reported sabotaging of their personal YouTube accounts. It was at this meeting that much darker allegations, including claims of sexual abuse, first emerged against Smith.
In January 2022, 11 former Squad members filed a lawsuit against Smith, accusing her of “emotional, verbal, physical, and at times, sexual abuse.” According to the complaint, Smith allegedly inflicted ongoing abuse against the plaintiffs, who were all minors — including making sexually explicit comments, repeatedly touching the plaintiffs inappropriately and encouraging them to be “sexy” and “sexually aggressive” in videos. Smith also allegedly mailed Piper’s underwear to men.
In addition to the alleged sexual misconduct, Smith was accused of not paying the plaintiffs for their contributions to The Squad’s YouTube videos — which, at the height of Piper’s popularity, were bringing in upwards of $625,000 a month, per the Los Angeles Times. The lawsuit also claimed that Smith conspired to “intentionally interfere with and sabotage” the plaintiffs’ individual YouTube channels, using bots and false reporting to tank their views and “significantly diminish” their own revenue.
As a result, each teen involved in the lawsuit sought around $2 million in damages from Smith, for a combined total of more than $22 million.
“We all love YouTube and it’s a great place, but when somebody is using it as a business and pulling other children in, those people should have to uphold a certain standard,” Steevy Areeco, the mother of one of the plaintiffs, told NBC News. “We want there to be protections for the children.”
How did Tiffany Smith and Piper Rockelle respond to the accusations and the lawsuit?
Smith initially fired back with a lawsuit of her own. In July 2022, the mom-ager countersued the plaintiffs for $30 million, Insider reported, alleging the parents were in a conspiracy to defame her and ruin Piper Rockelle Inc., or PRI. However, in October of the same year, Smith voluntarily dropped the lawsuit.
In December 2022, Smith, Hill and Piper responded to the allegations made against them in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. Smith and Hill, who was also named in the lawsuit, both vehemently denied all claims of wrongdoing and accused the plaintiffs of being jealous of Piper’s popularity and success.
“This whole case is based on lies that are driven by financial jealousy,” Smith told the outlet. “Financial jealousy of a 15-year-old girl.”
Piper also accused the plaintiffs of having ulterior motives when it came to the lawsuit.
“These people, they don’t love me,” she said of her former Squad members. “Because if they did love me, they wouldn’t be doing this.”
What happened with the lawsuit against Tiffany Smith?
In October 2024 — nearly three years after the initial lawsuit was filed — Smith settled with the 11 plaintiffs for $1.85 million. Smith denied any wrongdoing as part of the settlement terms and the settlement was entered with all parties specifically disclaiming any liability.
The settlement allowed the plaintiffs to avoid going to trial and having to “testify about things that [they] have put behind them,” Matthew Sarelson, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, told the Los Angeles Times.
Sarelson added, “I’m happy and relieved for my clients — 11 kids who endured an abusive environment and had the courage to speak out publicly.”
Though the settlement amount was much less than the $22 million in damages the plaintiffs were originally seeking, the plaintiffs hoped that their case would “raise awareness about the potential dangers for minors” in the digital influencer industry — and “serve as a warning to others.”
“This lawsuit was never about money,” plaintiff Sophia F.’s mother, Heather Trimmel, said. “It was to make sure she couldn’t do what she did to me to another kid.”
Where is Tiffany Smith and her daughter today?
Smith and Piper took an immediate financial hit following the 2022 lawsuit against the momager. As a result of the accusations made against Smith, YouTube demonetized Piper’s channel — causing her business to lose $300,000 to $500,000 in monthly income, according to court records. Prior to the lawsuit, Piper was making upwards of $625,000 per month, and between $4.2 million and $7.5 million a year.
In addition to YouTube demonetizing Piper’s account “indefinitely,” the influencer also lost out on certain brand deals and partnerships as a result of the allegations against her mother.
“I don’t care. Make me look like a monster. I’m used to it,” Smith told the Los Angeles Times in 2022. “They’re using me. … But they’re hurting Piper.”
While the mother-daughter duo may have experienced a financial fallout as a result of the lawsuit and its allegations, they did not appear to suffer on the internet fame front. Piper’s followers on YouTube have continued to grow, reaching more than 12 million subscribers as of April 2025. She is also active on Instagram, where she has 6.1 million followers, and TikTok, where she currently boasts her largest following at 14.8 million. However, the crew of content creators that used to appear alongside Piper in her videos has disappeared.
Smith, however, appears to be private on Instagram.
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