A TikTok video shared by @kaylendoesstuff has amassed 6.3 million views and 4,255 comments at the time of publication. The video details a dispute involving her best friend and a former roommate after her best friend decided not to renew their apartment lease and move in with the creator instead.
Kaylen began by explaining that her best friend, Marlyn, became the target of what she described as a smear campaign by her former roommate, EK (whose real name is Emily), after deciding not to renew the lease. The situation was particularly frustrating because Marlyn had made that decision so she could move in with Kaylen.
She explained that Marlyn had been the leaseholder of an apartment she shared with a former roommate for three years. However, a month before the lease was due for renewal, her roommate moved out and found a subtenant to replace her. That's when Emily entered the picture.
Essentially, Emily moved into the apartment just one month before the existing lease was set to expire. However, Marlyn had already told her that she wasn't planning to renew the lease with her. She also gave Emily two options: leave before the lease ended or take over the apartment as the new leaseholder while Marlyn looked for another place.
Fast-forward a few weeks, and Marlyn eventually found a new place with Kaylen, and the two decided to move in together. When she informed Emily that she would be moving out, Emily reportedly didn't take the news well. According to Kaylen, that's when the smear campaign began.
One commenter questioned why Emily expected to stay in the apartment despite moving in as a subtenant. They wrote, "'I moved into my current place thinking I'd get to stay.' Why? What made her think that? You would think someone doing five different sublease agreements a year would NOT be expecting to stay??"
The Subtenant Started a GoFundMe Accusing Her Roommate and Landlord of Mistreating Her
As part of what Kaylen described as her smear campaign, Emily allegedly started a GoFundMe to raise money for rent. Kaylen claimed Emily couldn't provide pay stubs to prove her employment because she was unemployed and primarily made money by selling handmade clay keychains.
In the GoFundMe description, Emily reportedly portrayed Marlyn as an evil person who had traumatized her. She also described the landlord as an evil slumlord, despite what Kaylen characterized as his patience in waiting for Emily to qualify for the apartment.
On the other hand, Kaylen described the landlord as a nice person who had allowed Emily to stay in the apartment without providing pay stubs, giving her an opportunity to find a roommate who could help her qualify to take over the lease.
Kaylen also said she and Emily had a few things in common. Both were originally from Georgia and had moved to New York City roughly a year earlier. However, Kaylen said the difference was that Emily refused to apply for a traditional job. Kaylen, meanwhile, explained that she had secured her own apartment when she moved to New York and worked two jobs to support her lifestyle.
After her experience with Emily, Kaylen said she could understand why Emily had gone through more than six sublease arrangements in one year and still hadn't been able to qualify for an apartment on her own.
In reacting to the video post, many commenters applauded the way Kaylen defended her best friend. One commenter wrote, "Now this is the type of friend I need in my life!! You don't play about your bestie."
Another commenter said Kaylen didn't have to make fun of Emily's hustle, and sided with her instead. They wrote, "Yes, she's wrong but bringing up what she does for a living as a joke is wrong too. Then telling her to go back to Georgia. This is why you don't tell people your business. I now hope she wins."
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the claims made in the video by TikTok creator @kaylendoesstuff, which are based solely on her personal account.
