If you’ve ever typed “Tana Mongeau apology video” into YouTube, congrats, you’re already halfway through her resume. From YouTube chaos queen to headline-generating hurricane, Tana’s career has been one long, dramatic, eyebrow-raising scroll. Whether she’s throwing shade at fellow influencers, dodging accountability like it’s cardio, or launching yet another OnlyFans with “exclusive” content no one asked for — Tana stays booked, busy, and barely behaving.

There is no doubt that she is a girlboss of the first degree, like girlie has been carving her way through a male-dominated industry without mercy. But there have been a lot of moments that have made the internet collectively say: “Girl… what?”

Let’s do a deep dive on Tana Mongeau’s controversies.

Tana Mongeau Controversies: A Comprehensive Timeline

January, 2017  – “Kicked Out Of Walmart”

Tana has been posting content online since April 2015, with her first video titled “KICKED OUT OF WALMART” showcasing her brash and brutal personality. But one of her first viral hits was titled “The N-Word.” In this story time video, Tana discussed an encounter with YouTuber iDubbbz, who confronted her about her use of the slur. It got her plenty of views, as well as plenty of critics. 

The irony? Tana had previously condemned others for using racial slurs. Tana issued a classic apology video, claiming she was young and ignorant at the time. Yeah, sure. 

June 2018 — TanaCon, aka YouTube Fyre Fest

You have to hand it to her — Tana is ambitious. She attempted to create her own YouTube convention, creatively named TanaCon. It went on to be one of the most infamous events in YouTube history. Intended as an alternative to VidCon, the event was poorly organized, oversold, and managed. 

On the very first day, TanaCon was shut down. The Verge reported that fans were standing outside yelling “refund” after the event. Tana was forced to issue apologies and refunds to attendees. It has since been known as the Fyre Fest of the YouTube world.

July 2019 — Mrs. Jake Paul

Tana and Jake Paul announced their engagement in July 2019. Jake is no stranger to YouTube controversies himself and is now a bearded boxer — yeah, don’t make me get into all that, please. The relationship was the subject of intense scrutiny, and many suspected that it was a publicity stunt. The couple went on to livestream their wedding ceremony in Las Vegas, which people perceived as proof that the relationship was for attention and views. The ceremony, which was available on pay-per-view for $50, was recorded for MTV No Filter: Tana Turns 21.

However, InTouch later reported that the couple had not obtained a marriage license prior to the ceremony and that the officiant was also not licensed by the state of Nevada. Aka, the marriage was not legally binding. BuzzFeed reported that the newlyweds left the ceremony separately.

Tana later explained that the ceremony was something “fun and lighthearted and that we’re obviously doing it for fun and for content.” Oh, obviously. The [wedded] couple announced their breakup in January 2020.

Summer 2020 — Allegations of Racism

As Black Lives Matter protests shook the US and the rest of the world, people were waking up to more of Tana’s inappropriate behavior. She faced numerous allegations of racism and mistreatment from former collaborators and friends. The accusations included instances of cultural appropriation, insensitive comments, and irresponsible use of her platform.

Alongside the previously mentioned N-word scandal, Tana faced criticism for using Black culture and aesthetics inappropriately. For example, she wore hairstyles traditionally associated with Black culture.

Kahlen Barry, a Black YouTuber and former collaborator with Mongeau on the Trash channel, released a video on June 16 titled “finally revealing the truth about Tana Mongeau.” In it, he accused Mongeau of gaslighting, dismissing his concerns about her past use of racial slurs, and exhibiting microaggressive behavior. Kahlen stated that when he privately addressed these issues, Tana dismissed him as an “angry Black person.”

Nessa Briella also came forward with similar allegations, highlighting instances of Mongeau’s racially insensitive behavior during their collaborations.

In response, Tana released a YouTube video titled “a long overdue apology,” aiming to address the accusations. However, the video was met with skepticism, with viewers criticizing its heavily edited nature and perceived lack of sincerity.

May 2020 — Obviously, She’s On OnlyFans

Tana became the latest influencer to join OnlyFans and promoted her account to her fans. She described her OnlyFans presence as a way to monetize aspects of her life that were already public: “If I’m drunk and throwing a party and wearing a see-through shirt, I might as well monetize that.” Tana’s bio on the platform read, “Not bad for a 5 with no talent,” reflecting the self-deprecating humor of her brand.

She has claimed to have earned over $6 million from the platform and has showcased her “top earner” trophy, indicating earnings exceeding $10 million.

Tana was later criticized as buyers felt that the content lacked the explicit nature she had promised. Tana was accused of false advertising and exploiting her fan base.

June-August 2020 — Covid, Who?

During the pandemic, most of us were trying to instill life into Yeast starters and pants through living room yoga. Tana was seen attending several parties in Los Angeles despite rising COVID-19 cases and lockdown protocols. She appeared in social media posts with other influencers, including Jake Paul, where few wore masks or practiced social distancing.

She attended a birthday party for TikTok star Larri “Larray” Merritt, which was held at the Hype House mansion. Other guests included James Charles and Nikita Dragun. Photos and videos from the event went viral for showing a large, unmasked crowd during a time of high transmission rates. *internal screaming*

Tana issued an apology in a video titled “I’m Sorry“, but critics called it insincere and performative, especially after she posted a video where she said, “we don’t fucking care” about COVID-19. She later deleted that clip.

April 2021 — Tana’s Angels Agency

Given her success on OnlyFans, Tana wanted to give back to the community. She co-founded Tana’s Angels Agency, aiming to manage and promote other creators on OnlyFans. However, the agency faced allegations of pressuring creators to produce more explicit content than agreed upon, wage theft, and threatening legal action against those who wished to leave.

After TAA became defunct, Mongeau referred former clients to Unruly Agency, a company she’s also signed with. Unruly has faced lawsuits alleging the non-consensual posting of explicit content and pressuring creators into uncomfortable situations.

May 2024 — Cody Ko Allegations

On her podcast Cancelled, Tana revealed that she had a sexual encounter with YouTuber Cody Ko when she was 17 and he was 25. This is illegal under Florida law, where the two were residents at the time since sex between someone who is under 18 and someone who is over 24 would be categorized as statutory rape.

Cody didn’t immediately respond, and the allegations gained further attention when they were covered by YouTuber D’Angelo Wallace in July. Ko stepped down from day-to-day operations at his comedy podcast network, Tiny Meat Gang Studios and his YouTube channel lost 250,000 subscribers within 30 days.

Tana has since spoken about how hurtful it’s been to have her claims dismissed or her experience belittled because of who she is. This is certainly not a controversy like the others on this list, but a major moment in Tana’s online journey and one that hopefully inspired others to speak up about their own experiences.

July 2024 — Alissa Violet Feud

Tana found herself in hot water (again) after posting a TikTok criticizing Jason Nash, calling out his behavior and taking jabs at his past controversies. In response, fellow influencer Alissa Violet jumped in to defend Nash and threw some shade of her own — targeting Tana’s OnlyFans content and questioning her credibility. What followed was a classic influencer showdown: messy, public, and very online. The two went back and forth with pointed Instagram Stories, subtweets, and dueling TikToks, reigniting the age-old influencer tradition of airing dirty laundry in front of millions.

August 2024 — Brooke Schofield Backlash

In August 2024, Cancelled co-host Brooke Schofield came under fire after screenshots of resurfaced tweets began circulating online. One tweet, originally posted in 2020, sparked particular outrage. It read: “Guarantee if Zimmerman shot a white guy, this wouldn’t even be a story. NEWS FLASH THIS WASN’T A CRIME OF RACISM IT WAS SELF DEFENSE.”

Now, I know what you’re thinking — that was Brooke, not Tana. True. But because the two co-hosts Cancelled, the controversy quickly became Tana-adjacent. While Tana publicly called Brooke’s posts “fucked-up” and “horrific,” she ultimately chose not to remove her as co-host. Instead, Tana announced she would donate proceeds from both the podcast and her TikTok content to the Trayvon Martin Foundation.