Who Is Piper Rockelle? Controversy Surrounding Her Mom Tiffany Smith and ‘Bad Influence’ Netflix Doc

Netflix’s new docuseries, Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing, takes a deep dive into the world of kid influencers and the potential trouble that comes along with it. The series mostly focuses on Piper Rockelle and her mom, Tiffany Smith. Viewers are asking who is Piper and why she’s so controversial.

Who Is Piper Rockelle and Her Mom Tiffany Smith?

Piper was born in Georgia in 2007. Tiffany claimed that Piper’s dad left while she was pregnant and she raised her on her own. Piper began competing in pageants when she was just 3 years old, and Tiffany’s younger sister, Patience Rock Smith, said that Tiffany “loved the attention.”

Piper began making videos on Musical.ly with Tiffany’s help and it led to her landing a part on the reality show, Dance Twins, followed by a role on Mani. However, according to Bad Influence, Tiffany pulled Piper from the show after another actress received more lines than her.

Eventually, Piper and Tiffany made the move to Los Angeles to create more content for her YouTube channel and introduced fans to Piper’s “brother,” Hunter Hill. In reality, Hunter was Tiffany’s much younger boyfriend.

Who Was Part of Piper Rockelle’s ‘Squad’?

Piper’s fame skyrocketed and she began making videos with other kid influencers and formed the group known as “The Squad.” Members of “The Squad” included Sophie Fergi, Walker Bryant, Raegan Beast, Gavin Magnus, Corinne Joy, Sawyer Sharbino, Hayden Haas and Jentzen Ramirez. Piper’s cousins, Claire and Reese Rock Smith, were also members.

Tiffany was Piper’s manager and was the one responsible with the idea to create a teen version of the sitcom Friends for YouTube. Some of the kids moved in with Piper and Tiffany in their house in Hollywood Hills, but as their fame grew, some of the parents of “Squad” members began to complain. The parents claimed that their children didn’t receive as much money as Piper did and alleged that Tiffany controlled what the teenagers did.

What Was Tiffany Smith Accused of Doing?

Bad Influence includes interviews with former “Squad” members like Sophie, Corinne and more. Corinne claimed that she was with Tiffany when she “dropped off some things” at the post office, and Corinne asked about the items Tiffany was allegedly mailing.

“Tiffany had a bag, and she pulled out what looked like Piper’s underwear. I asked her, ‘Why are you shipping those out?’ And she told me that old men like to smell them. And I was like, ‘What is she talking about?'” Corinne said during the docuseries.

Corinne’s mom, Steevy Areeco, also described an alleged interaction with her daughter.

“Corinne came home and asked me why old men like to smell underwear,” Steevy told the cameras.

Tiffany denied the allegations and said that Piper had a deal with Poshmark to sell “pre-loved” items, but it “did not include undergarments.”

“The Poshmark deal was completely above board and a very standard influencer partnership,” Tiffany said in a statement to People. “Yes, that deal involved us driving to the post office to mail out clothes. But obviously not underwear. Sometimes the truth isn’t worthy of a Netflix special, so I’m guessing they’re including the underwear angle ‘cause [it’s] better for their reality show.”

Patience and her wife, Ashley Rock Smith, claimed that Tiffany interacted with an anonymous fan who went by Megan and would send Piper expensive gifts like designer purses and more. However, they alleged that Tiffany knew Megan was a man.

Sophie’s mom, Heather Nichole, also recalled Tiffany talking about Megan and she claimed that Tiffany referred to Megan as Piper’s “stalker” and said he was a “pervert.”

“You can get stuff too if you send him pictures. It’s nothing bad, it’s just extra pictures from photoshoots,” Heather alleged that Tiffany once told her.

Again, Tiffany denied the allegations.

“Here’s the sad truth: the other stage moms were jealous that Piper received unwanted gifts from a stalker — which is obviously creepy and concerning. But honestly, these stage moms were often more competitive and irrational than the kids themselves,” Tiffany said in her statement. “I made my position very clear: do not engage with stalkers. And I told them that directly.”