Summary:
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Piper Rockelle continues uploading to YouTube as of April 2025, despite earlier hints of quitting.
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Her channel was demonetized by YouTube following abuse allegations against her mother and former manager.
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Rockelle now relies on TikTok, Instagram, and brand deals for income amid legal and public scrutiny.
Is Piper Rockelle Still on YouTube After Bad Influence?
As of April 2025, Piper Rockelle remains active on YouTube, despite the widespread fallout from Netflix’s Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing. The 17-year-old influencer, who first rose to fame in the mid-2010s, continues uploading content to her channel, which still boasts approximately 12.1 million subscribers.
In October 2023, Rockelle published a video titled This Is My Last YouTube Video…, suggesting she might be leaving the platform. However, this departure did not materialize. Just a month later, she uploaded The Day I Almost DIED, and has continued to share content sporadically since then. Recent uploads include holiday-themed lifestyle videos and vlogs documenting her current life off-camera.
Rockelle’s content style and output have evolved significantly. She acknowledged that she no longer receives revenue from her YouTube videos, following a 2022 decision by the platform to demonetize her channel due to the controversy surrounding her mother and manager, Tiffany Smith. In her own words, she stated that she now posts for audience enjoyment rather than income.
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Why Was Piper Rockelle’s YouTube Channel Demonetized?
In 2022, YouTube demonetized Piper Rockelle’s channel, following a lawsuit filed by eleven former members of her YouTube group known as “The Squad.” The plaintiffs alleged that Rockelle’s mother and manager, Tiffany Smith, maintained an environment that was “emotionally, physically, and sometimes sexually abusive.”
This lawsuit, which was settled in October 2024 for $1.85 million, led to increased scrutiny from media and regulatory bodies. YouTube’s demonetization effectively halted Rockelle’s ability to earn ad revenue from her content on the platform, marking a turning point in her digital career.
The Bad Influence docuseries, which premiered on Netflix in early 2025, reignited public interest in the case. The three-part series examined not just Rockelle’s personal story, but broader issues around child influencer exploitation, blurred boundaries between management and parenting, and legal gray areas regarding online labor for minors.
Throughout the legal battle and in response to the docuseries, Rockelle publicly defended her mother, calling the allegations “mean, false, and honestly all about money.” Smith previously claimed the lawsuit stemmed from “financial jealousy of a 15-year-old girl.”
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What Kind of Content Does Piper Rockelle Post Now?
Though she is no longer a daily YouTuber, Rockelle still posts occasional content including lifestyle updates, holiday shopping guides, and personal vlogs. A recent video gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at her daily routine, where she shared candid thoughts on filming:
“I don’t really get a lot out of it besides the satisfaction from knowing you guys enjoy watching them.”
This shift from monetized, highly produced content to more sporadic and passion-driven uploads reflects her changing priorities and circumstances. Her recent videos lack the high production value and group-based antics that once defined “The Squad” era, signaling a more subdued phase of her social media presence.
How Does Piper Rockelle Make Money After Demonetization?
With YouTube revenue no longer an option, Piper Rockelle has shifted to other platforms to maintain her income. She is active on Instagram (6.1 million followers) and TikTok (14.7 million followers), where she posts short-form videos, dances, and collaborative content with her boyfriend, known online as Capri.
Brand sponsorships and promotional deals now form the core of her business model. According to statements she made in 2024, Rockelle now earns through influencer marketing, partnerships, and cross-platform content creation. She noted that while she’s never held a traditional job, the work involved in maintaining a digital presence is substantial:
“Whatever I’m doing right now, it feels like a job. It takes a lot out of me.”
While the income is likely lower than her pre-demonetization peak, when she was reportedly earning $625,000 per month, Rockelle’s diversified platforms provide her with ongoing visibility and brand relevance.
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What Was the Outcome of the Legal Case Against Tiffany Smith?
The lawsuit filed in 2022 by former Squad members and their parents resulted in a $1.85 million settlement in October 2024. The settlement did not require Tiffany Smith to admit wrongdoing, but it closed the civil case without going to trial.
Netflix’s Bad Influence revisits these events with extensive interviews, court filings, and input from experts. The series also underscores broader concerns about the child influencer industry, including:
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Lack of clear labor protections
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Vulnerability to exploitation
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Mental health impact on minors in the spotlight
California has since passed expanded laws protecting child influencers and ensuring a portion of their earnings is set aside in trust, similar to protections for child actors.
Rockelle and Smith’s team continue to deny the allegations, positioning the lawsuit and the docuseries as a coordinated attack rooted in jealousy and financial motives.
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How Did Piper Rockelle Rise to Fame Before the Controversy?
Piper Rockelle was born on August 21, 2007, in Atlanta, Georgia, and showed an early interest in entertainment. Inspired by Toddlers & Tiaras, she began entering pageants at age three and later pursued acting roles in online and television programming.
Her social media journey began in 2016 with a Musical.ly account, where she quickly gained popularity. Under the guidance of her mother and a social media consultant, she launched a YouTube channel that rapidly grew due to family-friendly pranks, challenges, and her team of collaborators, later known as “The Squad.”
At her career height, she reportedly earned between $42 million to $75 million annually, largely from merchandise, branded content, and platform monetization. These figures placed her among the most financially successful teen influencers globally—until the 2022 demonetization shifted the landscape.
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Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing is currently streaming on Netflix, released in March 2025 as a three-part docuseries.
Sources: USA Today, Cosmopolitan and Netflix
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