TikTok influencers throughout the US have been capturing moments of emotional breakdowns as the ban supported by the Supreme Court came into force. Many are grieving the loss of their platform and means of living.
The app went dark for 170 million Americans after the Supreme Court allowed a nationwide ban to take effect early Sunday.
President-elect Donald Trump provided a ray of hope to the distressed TikTok community by suggesting a potential 90-day postponement of the ban after he assumes office on Monday. However, a final decision on this matter is yet to be reached.
Presently, users find themselves in a state of uncertainty as content creators, for many of whom TikTok serves as the main source of income, express feeling a sense of ‘withdrawal’ from the app.
The shutdown has spurred waves of emotional reactions online, with many influencers sharing tearful videos of them breaking down while mourning the loss of their careers and connections to millions of followers. Â
Viral TikTok sensation Alix Earle, who boasts 7.2 million followers, shared an emotional video as she grappled with the platform’s impending shutdown.
‘I can’t sleep, I’m so freaked out about this,’ a watery-eyed Earle told the camera. ‘I’m just so sad, just thinking like all of the memories just going away.Â
TikTok influencers across the US have filmed themselves breaking down in hysteria as the Supreme Court-backed ban took effect early Sunday, with many mourning the loss of their platform and livelihood
Viral TikTok sensation Alix Earle breaks down in tears over the possibility of the app shutting down.
Known for her ‘get ready with me videos’ and relatable vlog-style content, the starlet has amassed 7.2 million followers on the platform
‘I love you guys so much and I just feel like I need to just check in with you guys right now.’
The Gen-Z influencer also shared her sorrow over losing an app where she had cultivated such a devoted fan base.Â
‘I’m freaking out because I’m like where am I gonna scroll, it’s so much fun talking to everyone on here,’ she said.Â
‘As much as I love posting stuff, I love consuming it as well.’
She continued: ‘Guys this is not okay, someone’s going to have to check me into a mental hospital.’
‘This is going to be the worst day ever,’ she added.
The 24-year-old University of Miami graduate, who reportedly earned $8 million from her social media presence in 2024, added: ‘What the heck is going on? Can we all just like hang out?’
Danielle Pheloung, 27, joins hundreds of other creators who ditched the corporate grind to make it big on the social media app – but are now facing an uncertain future after January 19
As the ban took effect, Pheloung took to Instagram to document her evening, sharing a series of increasingly anxious posts
Pheloung, 27, who left her lucrative banking career to become a full-time content creator, posted a video joking about having to call her old employer
Former Goldman Sachs employee Danielle Pheloung, 27, who left her lucrative banking career to become a full-time content creator, posted a video joking about having to call her old employer.
The New York-based influencer, with a following of over 430k, built her empire sharing office fashion videos and early morning routines.
As the ban took effect, Pheloung took to Instagram to document her evening, sharing a series of increasingly anxious posts.
‘This is so eerie,’ she wrote.
She revealed she was hosting a game night complete with a cheese charcuterie board to ‘take her mind off’ the shutdown.
The former banker seemed uncertain about her content strategy moving forward, posting a mirror selfie with the caption ‘is it ok I’m posting normally.’
She then asked her followers: ‘How do you guys want us to treat IG reels the same?’ alongside a broken heart emoji.
Controversial Trans activist Dylan Mulvaney shared their own emotional farewell to the platform that helped launch her career
Mulvaney emphasized how the platform had given them the power to take control of their own narrative and career
Controversial Trans activist Dylan Mulvaney shared their own emotional farewell to the platform that helped launch her career.
They posted a heartfelt message about how TikTok enabled them to express their authentic self.
Mulvaney emphasized how the platform had given them the power to take control of their own narrative and career.
‘Sharing this here since we can’t watch it on TikTok now,’ they wrote on Instagram. Â
Baker influencer Chloe Bluff Cakes shared her heartbreak in an emotional video, highlighting the platform’s impact on women’s financial independence.
‘I’m not crying – I’m just watching the life and community I built be torn down,’ she said, noting that TikTok has ‘supported 7 million small businesses.’
Makeup influencer Kylie Park, with nearly a million followers, also broke down while defending content creation as a legitimate career.
‘Let me tell you right now, social media, TikTok, content creation is a real full-time job,’ she insisted through tears.
Former cruise ship singer Emily Senn, who found financial stability through TikTok during the pandemic, didn’t hold back her anger.
‘I’m never going to trust you ever again, because just like that you took away millions of people’s income and livelihoods,’ she told her 350,000 followers.
TikTok star Madilynn Cameron blasted the decision to her 1.1 million followers.
‘Our government has failed us… I’m so frustrated I can’t even speak.’ She urged followers to remain ‘calm and hopeful’ that President-elect Donald Trump might intervene.
Kelsey Pumel, another prominent creator, criticized the government’s priorities in her farewell video.
Hours before the decision was announced, makeup influencer Kylie Park also shared a clip of herself in floods of tears at the prospect of the platform being banished and slamming people for telling her to get a ‘9-5 job’Â
Baker influencer Chloe Bluff Cakes shared her heartbreak in an emotional video, highlighting the platform’s impact on women’s financial independence
‘I just still can’t get over the fact that the government literally cares more about an app that hasn’t proven to pose any of the threats that our country claims it does over kids literally being [killed] at school, the healthcare epidemic, not being able to afford housing, the homeless population.’
Popular podcaster iJustine told her 1.8 million followers that the TikTok ban is a ‘crime against humanity.’Â
‘It’s been 15 minutes and I’m already going through TikTok withdrawals. THIS IS AÂ CRIME… This is a crime against humanity.’Â
The ban comes after Congress passed legislation requiring Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell its stakes by January 19, 2025.
With no deal materializing, the platform’s fate now hangs in the balance, affecting some 170 million American users.
The Supreme Court’s ruling affirmed that the ban does not violate users’ First Amendment rights.
Popular podcaster iJustine told her 1.8 million followers that the TikTok ban is a ‘crime against humanity’
The platform has become a cultural phenomenon and career launcher for countless content creators.
The Supreme Court made its decision on Friday, following TikTok’s argument that the law banning the app, unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells its stake, violates users’ First Amendment rights.
‘We conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights,’ the court stated, affirming an appeals court ruling.
Last year, Congress passed a law mandating the sale of TikTok or its ban by January 19, 2025, citing national security concerns about the app collecting Americans’ data.Â
But with no deal in place before the deadline, the ban remains imminent.
The decision came less than an hour after Trump revealed a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping about TikTok, vowing the two leaders would work together to ‘solve many problems.’
The platform has become a cultural phenomenon and career launcher for countless content creators
Earlier, TikTok, along with some users and creators, filed lawsuits to block the ban, but their efforts were rejected by lower courts, forcing them to appeal to the Supreme Court.Â
The Court heard arguments on January 10, signaling it would not intervene in the ban set to take effect on Sunday.
In its decision on Friday, the Court noted that the law’s provisions were content-neutral, targeting a foreign adversary’s control of a platform, rather than targeting specific speech.
The future of TikTok now hinges on how the incoming Trump administration responds, as CEO Shou Zi Chew is set to be honored alongside other tech leaders at President-elect Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
Shortly after the decision, Trump told CNN that the fate of TikTok ‘ultimately goes up to me, so you’re going to see what I’m going to do.’
‘Congress has given me the decision, so I’ll be making the decision,’ Trump said, though he did not provide further details.
Later, in a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that the decision would be respected, emphasizing that ‘everyone must respect it.’
Protesters outside the Supreme Court as it heard oral arguments on the TikTok ban January 10
In a phone interview with NBC News , Trump said he hadn’t yet made a final decision but was considering the extension of the Sunday deadline for the app
‘My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation,’ he added.
In response, TikTok’s CEO shared a video message on the platform, thanking Trump directly and stressing that they were fighting ‘to protect the constitutional right to free speech.’
‘On behalf of everyone at TikTok and all our users across the country, I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to working with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States,’ Chew said.
‘This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship,’ Chew added.
He said TikTok is ‘grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform.’
Before their decision, Trump asked the Supreme Court to delay enforcing the ban and mulled an executive order to delay it.
