An Influencer's Child Died and the Internet Came For Her
Under the Influence with Jo Piazza · Jo Piazza
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (pdst.fm) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
When a tragedy happens to a mother online, does it still belong to her—or does it belong to all of us?
After beloved TikTok mom influencer Emily Kaiser’s 3-year-old son tragically drowned, the internet didn’t wait for confirmation. Strangers started playing detective, matching Zillow screenshots to TikToks, scouring Arizona death records, and demanding answers before her family had time to grieve.
This week, journalist Fortesa Latifi—who’s been doing some of the sharpest reporting on influencer culture for Rolling Stone—joins me to talk about the parasocial fallout. We dig into what it means to build a brand around motherhood, the impossible expectations placed on grieving women, and why the internet’s obsession with owning someone else’s story is more dangerous than we want to admit.
It’s emotional. It’s infuriating. And it’s a mirror we might not want to look into, but probably should.
Read Fortesa's Rolling Stone piece here.
Join our newsletter community here.
Pre-order EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU here.
Visit our lovely sponsors here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices