During a recent interview with Insider, popular TikToker Zoe Laverne revealed she sold photos of her newborn daughter online to fans in order to pay for her hospital bills, after she received criticism for the move.
“I knew that when Emersyn came early, I was going to be in the NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] for a while,” the 20-year-old told Insider. “Which means my income from socials was going to be put on hold for a little bit.”
Laverne, who has 21 million followers on TikTok, claims selling the photos was a “way to make money to pay for her extended stay in the hospital and spend more time and focus on her.”
Laverne continued, “So me and my team decided, well maybe if I made a link and people had to pay $15 to see her, that the haters—the people that wished death threats on her, or whatever—wouldn’t care enough to pay to see her and only my supporters that actually support me and love me would pay to see her.”
When speaking on the backlash she’s received for selling the photos, Laverne explained that, being a social media influencer, it’s necessary for her to interact with followers in an effort to continue making money online.
“Many celebrities post photos of their children and make a living being 100% available to the public all the time,” she explained. “I still have to work to make sure I can pay for my child while also going to the ICU every single day.”
It isn’t the first time Laverne has been embroiled in controversy.
Last November, the 20-year-old landed herself in hot water after a leaked video appeared to show her kissing a 13-year-old fan. Accused of grooming the teenager, Laverne responded with an apology video on TikTok.
“I wouldn’t do that,” she said. “He’s a kid and I’m aware of that. It just happened.”
Laverne continued, “We both were in a dark place when we first became friends and we both just ended up catching feelings for each other. And friends do that, they catch feelings for each other. That’s not a bad thing. Yes, the age is a bad thing. Yes, it’s wrong. Yes, it’s not good. We both realized that and we stopped.”
