Alex Buscemi
VidCon 2024 turned out to be more than just an annual celebration for influencers, fans, and online brands. It quickly became the stage for a dramatic scandal involving an alleged theft, a viral video, and a heated hunt for justice.
It all started when small business owner Lexi Hensler took to her TikTok page on July 3rd to reveal a shocking incident.
“So, I got robbed this weekend,” Lexi shared in her video. “My small mental health company got robbed.”
An entitled social media influencer was caught on film robbing a small business owner
Lexi, the founder of Give Hugz, a company that creates therapeutic weighted stuffed animals, shared footage of a woman stealing some of her merchandise during VidCon.
The video captured the sneaky theft, sparking outrage among Lexi’s 10.3 million followers and beyond.
“I need help finding her because I just wanna have a chat,” Lexi said, asking her followers to help identify the offender who not only stole but also incited others to steal some of her adorable plushies.
Some have claimed that the thief is influencer Louisa Melcher
@lexihensler I never thought this would happen
As the footage showed, the woman was clearly wearing an influencer badge, which meant the expo hall was only open to influencers at that time.
Viewers quickly identified the suspect as Louisa Melcher, a 25-year-old TikToker with 595,000 followers. Lexi claimed that the entitled influencer influencer robbed a total of six Hugz from her stand, which was a significant blow to her small business.
Others claimed that Louisa’s creator pass had been confiscated during the weekend, which served as further proof that she was guilty.
“VidCon took away my creator pass that all influencers get this past weekend, and it was very public, very humiliating,” Louisa said in a video posted on July 4th.
She defended herself, claiming that the removal of her pass was unrelated to the alleged theft. Louisa explained that she willingly forfeited her pass because VidCon was too overwhelming.
Louisa claims innocence, but many commenters aren’t buying it
Despite her defense, many people continued to criticize Louisa’s alleged offense.
Comments poured in questioning her actions, with one TikTok user asking, “Why did bro steal from Lexi Hensler?”
Another added, “It’s almost like Vid con is a place where people go to meet creators.”
@loulouorange Ironic how they invited tons of mental health brands to come and sell products, and yet, it’s normalized to pester and badger influencers, even though it harms them psychologically #VidCon #vidcon2024
Louisa didn’t shy away from addressing the accusations, sharing a follow-up video on July 9th, where she appeared to make light of the whole ordeal.
In the video, she cuddled what appeared to be one of Lexi’s Hugz stuffed animals, “Eugene the Elephant,” in bed.
The clip was accompanied by a caption that read, “Taking a self-care day bc hundreds of thousands of people in my comments are accusing me of stealing from a small business at VidCon.”
Lexi comes to Louisa’s defense — “I do not think it’s her at all”
@lexihensler Replying to @miley123plz4 craziness😅 @GiveHugz
In an unexpected twist, Lexi Hensler shared an update on July 11th, clarifying that she did not know with certainty who the VidCon bandit was and did not think Louisa was guilty.
“A lot of people think that it is a specific girl on TikTok,” Lexi said. “I will tell you right now, I do not think it’s her at all.”
She continued, “I think she is very smart, and I think she posted a video in a similar romper cause she knew it would do well.”
As the dust settles on this VidCon drama, the incident serves as a reminder of the complex and often tumultuous world of influencer culture.
Whether Louisa Melcher is guilty or not, the scandal highlights the challenges faced by small business owners and influencers alike in navigating their public personas and the scrutiny that comes with them.
Here’s how the internet reacted to the scandal
h/t Bored Panda
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