Yahoo Lifestyle “I Felt Broke”: Australian TikTok Star Anna Paul Is Going Viral For Her Bizarre Response To Claims That She Lied About Growing Up Poor
TikToker Anna Paul is being dragged after she uploaded a video discussing how “sweaty” her fans are, and insisted that she grew up broke because she “felt broke.”
The Australian influencer — who has more than 6 million followers — shared the eight-minute-long video after her former best friend and fellow TikToker Mikaela Testa shared a series of shocking claims about Anna and her brother, Atis Paul, on her own social media page.
For reference, Mikaela and Anna became friends 10 years ago when they were just 15 years old. Mikaela also used to date Atis.
And in her video, Mikaela alleges that Anna fat-shames her fans and has lied to her followers about growing up poor. She also made much more serious allegations against Atis, which wouldn’t be legally advisable to repeat here.
Speaking in the TikTok that was posted last week, Mikaela said: “Everything Anna does is calculated, but she masks the manipulation extremely well with an innocent, sweet girl facade.”
Detailing an incident that allegedly took place in 2021, Mikaela addressed Anna directly as she said: “A plus-size fan came up to you and asked for a hug and a picture. You smiled at her; you told her that you loved her. She told you that your words online had helped her feel more comfortable in her body.”
“The moment she walked away, you told Atis that she was annoying and gross, and you didn’t want to agree to the hug because she was fat and sweaty,” Mikaela claimed. “Atis laughed.”
Mikaela insisted that this was a “common occurrence” with Anna, adding: “Seeing your fakeness in the flesh was such a disturbing experience.”
She then went on to accuse Anna of “praying on” vulnerable “young fans for profit,” referencing the way that Anna does money giveaways on her adult OnlyFans account — which costs $16 (AUD) a month — but promotes these giveaways on her Instagram account that has more than 2.3 million followers.
Mikaela went on to call Anna and Atis out for allegedly pretending to grow up poor, with Anna saying in many of her TikTok videos that she and her family did not have much money growing up.
Mikaela claimed that Anna and Atis's dad made “triple the average Australian income per week” and that the siblings grew up in a “beautiful house with a built-in pool.”
“Being upper middle class is not being poor, Anna,” she said. “Your exaggerated stories for the internet have always made your dad upset.”
Mikaela added that their dad apparently “didn’t understand” why Anna said the things she said online, and “called them lies.”
“I was a real victim of the system and poverty, like you portrayed yourself online,” Mikaela said as she broke down in tears.
And after a five-day silence, Anna also became emotional in a lengthy video responding to some of the things that Mikaela had said — but, suffice to say, it has not gone down well.
“The reason it’s taken so long to reply is not because I have a PR team and this and that and whatnot,” Anna began. “I’m by myself; there’s no script or nothing; I’m just talking to the camera.”
Addressing the fat-shaming claims first, Anna said: “I do not call my fans fat. That is not who I am, that’s not what I stand for, that’s not what I’ve ever stood for.”
“Sweaty, however,” she went on, “I may have called her sweaty. Because when somebody is wet, and they touch you, and they leave, and when you’re with your best friend, and you are now wet because of them, you may say to your friend: ‘I am now wet.’”
“I also know people would have hugged me, walked away, and said: ‘Anna Paul was sweaty,’ that does not make them a bad person,” she quickly added.
“During meet-and-greets, I hug thousands of people,” Anna continued. “I’ve hugged thousands of people, so my shoulder has gone into thousands of armpits. And afterwards, my shoulders smell like sweat, and I’ll be like: ‘Hey, does anyone have a wet wipe? Both my shoulders smell like sweat.’ That is just a human thing.”
Moving on to the claim that she lied about her upbringing, Anna said: “I do not lie about the fact that I grew up broke. When I say I grew up broke, that is my experience; that is how I felt.”
“When I can hear my parents talking in the kitchen that the budget for the groceries that week is $30, that makes me feel broke,” she went on. “When we can’t afford school uniforms, it makes me feel broke. When I’m 11, when I’m 10, and all my friends can afford something and my parents can’t, it makes me feel broke.”
“That does not mean I was the most broke person on earth,” Anna continued. “There are definitely people in way worse situations than me, but that does not mean that I’m lying about the fact I felt broke during these times.”
She then referenced the fact that people have started to resurface photos that apparently highlight her wealth growing up, including her “first car.”
“That’s not my first car,” she said. “Not my childhood car, I didn’t even have social media when I was, like, 7...those photos wouldn’t even be on the internet.”
Anna did not address any of Mikaela’s other claims, and instead called out social media users for how she has been treated amid the drama.
“Me aside, the bullying that has festered and grown from this because it’s a trend is dangerous and not OK,” she said. “Bullying like this kills people.”
Breaking down in tears, Anna added that she is “fortunate enough to have a very strong support system,” but said she would leave a number in her post’s caption to help other people who are struggling like her.
Speaking to the critics directly, she said: “Lock your phone and go outside, I promise you’ll have a nicer day.”
But Anna’s video did not land as she may have anticipated, with one of the top comments on the TikTok reading: “Idk girl maybe you should of hired a PR team.”
“imma hold ur hand when i say this girl…,” another adds. One more points out: “But yous do realise it took her DAYSSSS to come up with this.”
Some called Anna out for not actually addressing any of the more pressing allegations, with one writing: “When you are trying to reach the word limit on the essay but forget to answer the 4 main topic questions.”
“NO QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED,” somebody else claimed.
And many took issue with Anna’s defense that she “felt broke,” with one viewer pointing out: “Being broke and FEELING broke is definitely not the same 🥲”
“Sooo my parents are on $500k a year but they said oh man we can’t buy you that horse, I feel broke?” another asked.
One more joked: “might feel broke tomoz but will update xx”
Anna’s comments at the end of the video also rattled viewers, with one person asking: “Wait, how did this get turned around on us!?! 😅😅”
“How did this turn into a lecture,” somebody else echoed.
And others noted that Anna didn’t include a number for other people who are struggling after all, with one of the top comments reading: “the fact there’s no number 😭😭”
The video has also been parodied by several other TikTokers in posts that have since gone viral, with many making reference to Anna’s comments about her fans sweating on her.
Neither Anna nor Mikaela have commented further on the situation, but we will let you know if they do.
In the meantime, you can watch Anna’s full video below — let me know what you think in the comments!
TikTok @anna..paull / Via tiktok.com
The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.
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