In a world of Instagram versus real life, where is the line drawn? A social media influencer known for her aspirational aesthetic is facing online scrutiny after users alleged her curated lifestyle is built on half-truths. “Connecticut Housewife” Kylie Swanson, who presents herself as a luxury-loving domestic nomad, has been accused of misleading followers by showcasing pet-sitting gigs and rental homes as her own properties. Now, armchair sleuths are questioning just how far lifestyle influencers can go to craft an image—and what moral and ethical lines might have been crossed in the process.
TikTok user @eastcoaster25 posted a slideshow on the social media platform entitled, “‘Connecticut Housewife’ Exposed” on March 2, 2025. With over 85.6K views, the post cautions social media users against the brand messaging of social media influencer Kylie Swanson, alleging her lifestyle is fake.
“She has been using a pet-sitting website to stay in luxury properties, showcasing them in her content in a way that suggests they are her own,” @eastcoaster25 wrote in the caption of the post. “She has allegedly shared images and details of these homes, including family photos and locations, raising privacy concerns.”
Swanson has over 74.1K followers on TikTok (@kylieswanson) and 61.5K followers on Instagram (@kylieswanson), but allegations of an embellished lifestyle have caused some to question just how far one should go in the pursuit of internet fame.
Who is the ‘Connecticut Housewife’ Kylie Swanson?
According to her social media profiles, Kylie Swanson is a lifestyle influencer based in New England. Swanson refers to herself as “Martha Stewart if she lived out of a suitcase” and posts suburban aesthetic content that ties in themes of building a personal brand along with scenes from her everyday domestic life.
In several of her videos, Swanson refers to herself as a “Connecticut Housewife” or a “Connecticut mom,” which are the main titles causing controversy over her online persona. She documents the errands she runs, the outfits she wears, and behind-the-scenes looks of planning her business ventures.
According to her website, Swanson used to live on the Big Island of Hawai’i, and in 2021 she and her family “sold everything to return to the mainland US and drive across the country in search of a new place to call home.” She also backpacked through Europe for three months with her son in 2022.
Since then, she’s documented her life across the U.S. and around the world, spending significant amounts of time in Montana, California, and Florida before moving to the northeast, where it appears she is currently based.
Why Kylie Swanson is under fire for her lifestyle claims
Swanson has posted several videos explaining that she doesn’t own a home and that she has lived a nomadic lifestyle for several years, residing in beautiful rental properties or house-sitting and pet-sitting through companies like Trusted House Sitters.
@kylieswanson felt like a good time to repost this one. if you’re new here — hi!
♬ original sound – Kylie Swanson
Despite this, many social media users have expressed their offense at her use of the location-based “housewife” title, and have accused her of being a fraud in general.
“She crafted an image of luxury and exclusivity—one that ultimately led to her being signed by an influencer talent agency at the height of it all,” @eastcoaster25’s continues. “She previously mentioned the house-sitting app but ceased doing so in December 2024 during her stay in Nantucket.”
@eastcoaster25 alleged that Swanson “had never visited Nantucket until December—when she arrived to house-sit—and has no known history on Martha’s Vineyard,” insinuating that signing up for the influencer’s Camp Nantucket and/or Camp Martha’s Vineyard could be risky.
Reddit and TikTok users accuse the Connecticut Housewife of deception
On Jan. 26., 2025, Reddit user u/Sufficient-Fan6354 posted a thread in the r/CTInfluencerSnark subreddit entitled, “Kylie Swanson is pathetic,” expressing their feelings towards the lifestyle influencer.
“She pretends to be a ‘housewife’ splitting time between Nantucket and Connecticut – when in reality, she’s living out of a suitcase and a car, moving from one housesitting gig to the next,” they described in the post. “Now she’s in Connecticut continuing her ‘housewife’ cosplay,”
“This is almost case-study worthy,” the post continues. “She doesn’t have a home, but pretends that the ones she stays at for a week are her own and because the algorithm currently promotes the word ‘housewife,’ it’s enabling her to keep gaining followers. Unreal.”
“As of late she’s been trying to latch on to the whole Rhode Island / Newport aesthetic as well,” added Reddit user u/Pleasant_Bluebird637 in the comments.
Reddit user u/Assignment674 felt compelled to call out the giveaways Swanson shares leading followers to believe she isn’t the real deal. “Is she driving a KIA????????…If one of the rich moms in my town started driving a Kia and ‘housesitting’ for a job-they would start a gofundme out of sheer terror/concern.”
Another Reddit thread in the r/NYCinfluencersnark subreddit stated that Swanson “needs to stfu and go back to Oklahoma.” The original commentary from Reddit user u/KeyMinimum1880 has since been removed from the March 22, 2025 post, but the comments did not hold back.
“As someone who grew up in Connecticut I was so triggered seeing her weird try hard sh*t on my fyp,” wrote Reddit user u/Wealth-Recent. “Women in Connecticut DO NOT WEAR COWBOY HATS!”
“She went to Nantucket for Christmas because someone needed their pets watched,” added u/KeyMinimum1880 further down in the comments. “So she started calling herself a Nantucket housewife. now someone who knows nothing about those two islands is throwing a camp, with the faraway hotel hahaha.”
Did Swanson cross a line? Authenticity vs ethics
A new Reddit thread was started on March 30, 2025, alleging Swanson had been dropped by a hotel partner for one of her camp experiences. TikTok user @eastcoaster25 again posted about the news, adding that one of the house-sitting apps Swanson uses may be investigating her over privacy issues.
“Sitters must secure explicit written and verbal consent from the homeowner before using the property for social media or any purpose beyond the site itself,” @eastcoaster25 continued in the caption of their post, which included a screenshot of Swanson’s Instagram feed.
@eastcoaster25 claims Swanson “did not receive such consent,” adding that speculation has surfaced about potential copyright concerns related to using Martha Stewart’s name in advertising. These claims have not been independently verified by the Daily Dot.
The Connecticut Housewife responds—sort of
Swanson hasn’t come out and provided information on these allegations herself. Her social media profiles continue to populate with her signature content, including images from a girl’s weekend to Newport, RI, and a video of herself sitting at her desk working, with text overlay reading, “Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world when people choose to misunderstand you. as long as you know who you are and what your purpose in this life is, as long as your heart is pure and you’re kind…it’ll all come out in the wash.”
“Miley said it best,” Swanson wrote in the post caption, referencing the lyrics of Miley Cyrus’ “End of the World” song.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kylie Swanson via email and Instagram DM, @eastcoaster25 via TikTok comment, and u/KeyMinimum1880 via Reddit DM, for comment. They did not immediately respond to the requests.
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