Internet pile-ons can be tough, but one case of mistaken identity took things way too far for a TikToker named Lauren (@thelightholder).
This is because Lauren shares a name with one of the most hated people on TikTok right now: Lauren the Mortician (@laurenthemortician). The influencer, who has over 2.7 million followers, has caused controversy on the internet for a number of reasons. She first sparked debate after making a viral video about things she’d “never do” based on what she’s seen at work. However, this soon escalated into public spats with child safety experts and claims of transphobia.
Viewers were also horrified when she purportedly bought someone’s ashes via Facebook Marketplace. On top of that, her credentials have come under question. One of Lauren the Mortician’s supposed former co-workers claimed she has little experience and was caught taking photos of the deceased while she was a student. Others claim she only worked as an intern at a morgue her family owned.
A representative of Lauren the Mortician didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
As the allegations kept piling up, netizens became all the more aggrieved by the creator, but they made a mistake by falsely assuming that Lauren (@thelightholer) was Lauren the Mortician. Lauren (@thelightholer) is a popular TikToker in her own right; she’s a mental health advocate and boasts over 75,000 followers.
In a “storytime” video on the app, the creator said she endured “horrific” bullying that spurred her to make an attempt on her own life. However, she said even being in the ICU wasn’t enough for bullies to stop their abuse.
In a video on Lauren’s TikTok account, a friend of Lauren told her followers what had happened.
“My friend didn’t specify like my last name; she just said ‘Lauren,’” the creator explained. “And I guess there was some controversy going on with Lauren the Mortician at the time, and so people just assumed that my friend was talking about Lauren the Mortician.”
“I don’t know what Lauren did wrong, but I don’t support bullying of any person,” she added. “But because people thought that I was her, the bullying I was receiving went from a little bit, some slightly manageable, to completely out of control.”
@thelightholder This will forever haunt me. Be kind to ALL people. #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #fyp #bekind #mentalhealthmatters #cptsd #laurenthemortician #stopbullying🛑✋ ♬ original sound – Lauren 🩷✨
According to Lauren, the comments on the video were “out of this world.”
“I’ve never seen such a horrific comment section,” she said. “And it makes me sad because no one deserves that.” She added that she would “never forget” lying in the ICU bed with a dialysis catheter in her neck and “just crying.”
“And I know people are gonna say, ‘Well, you should have gotten off your phone,’ whatever. But I mean, come on,” she added. “It’s kind of human nature to look, and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
Lauren said things got so bad that a nurse told her the ICU had to put her as an unlisted patient because the hospital kept getting phone calls, and they were concerned for her safety.
“The moral of the story is, be kind to all people,” she concluded. “And don’t mistake someone for someone else before you look at their profile.” Lauren (@thelightholer) didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
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