For a short time, the D’Amelios seemed like they could do no wrong online. They represented the ideal modern American family – good-looking, ambitious, supportive of each other, and incredibly successful.
As a lifestyle expert, I’ve seen some incredible stories, but this one really stands out. It’s amazing to think that a simple, everyday scene – two teenage girls dancing in their bedrooms in suburban Connecticut – could explode into a worldwide phenomenon and launch a global brand almost instantly. It just proves the power of authenticity and the internet!
At the centre of it all was Charli D’Amelio: the youngest, the quiet one.
She quickly became TikTok’s first big star at just 15 years old, gaining millions of followers in a matter of weeks.
What happened next was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. She became world-famous before even getting her driver’s license, landed incredibly lucrative sponsorship deals while still in school, and her whole family benefited from her achievements.
But now, years later, a very different story is unfolding.
Charli, who is now 21, has relocated to New York City and is pursuing a career in Broadway and other creative fields, shifting away from being a full-time social media influencer.
The celebrity has completely cut off contact with her family, even blocking her sister, mother, and father on social media.
I’ve been hearing that the real issue is her parents – they apparently got really caught up in wanting to be famous themselves. It’s a shame, because it seems like that’s what started all the trouble.
‘They seemed really toxic and pushed her to work so much,’ one source tells me.
Her parents exploited her financially, treating her as a source of income. This young teenager was taken advantage of by her wealthy parents, resulting in harsh online criticism and the inappropriate sexualization of her simply for behaving like a typical adolescent.
To follow this complicated story, we need to rewind to 2019, when Charli began using TikTok, which was still a relatively new app at the time.
Charli started as a dancer and began posting short videos of herself dancing and lip-syncing to popular music. These videos quickly gained millions of views. While it’s hard to imagine now, the app didn’t have as many young, everyday people becoming famous at the time, so Charli stood out as something new and exciting.
In 2020, when the pandemic led to widespread lockdowns, Charli quickly rose to fame. Gen-Z viewers spent a lot of time on their phones and enthusiastically copied her dance videos and followed her life online, making her a popular figure during that time.
By 2021, Charli D’Amelio was the top-earning TikTok creator globally, bringing in around £13 million a year through sponsorships and brand partnerships. Her sister, Dixie, who was once hesitant about Charli’s success on TikTok, had also started her own account and was earning approximately £8 million.
Popular brands like Amazon, Hollister, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Prada quickly started using this new advertising method, spending approximately £200,000 for each sponsored post.
Before their daughters became famous on TikTok, Marc and Heidi D’Amelio lived a comfortable but ordinary life. Marc worked in sales for the clothing company Mitchell & Ness, and Heidi worked as a model and personal trainer. Their daughters’ success quickly surpassed anything they had imagined.
The couple, who first connected at a New York gym in 1997, were eager to explore the promising world of social media.
Heidi reinvented herself as a social media personality, gaining millions of followers and starting a YouTube channel focused on her life as Dixie and Charli’s mother. At the same time, Marc managed the family’s expanding business interests, which included companies selling snacks and shoes.
The D’Amelio family stood out not only for their smart business decisions, but also for presenting a clean-cut, family-friendly image. This carefully crafted perception started to change in 2021 when they agreed to let Hulu film ‘The D’Amelio Show,’ a reality series that claimed to offer a genuine look at life as internet celebrities.
Charli D’Amelio, known for her upbeat and polished TikTok videos, began sharing more vulnerable content, often appearing upset, stressed, and anxious. She discussed experiencing panic attacks and feeling exhausted from the constant scrutiny of her large audience. Viewers also expressed concern that her dances were becoming overly suggestive for someone so young.
She explained on the show that a huge audience is always watching and scrutinizing everything I do. She said it feels like millions are waiting for a chance to criticize, and it’s incredibly stressful.
Oh my god, it just broke my heart to see her fall apart like that. She was just completely overwhelmed, sobbing and saying she was utterly drained – physically and mentally. It’s like everything was crashing down on her at once – work, her personal life, all the awful negativity people throw at her, school, even the stuff she creates just for herself! Plus, all the deadlines, the endless meetings, the interviews… honestly, it’s just everything all at once. I just want to protect her from it all!
What stood out most was her feeling of responsibility – not only for her own well-being, but for the livelihoods of her family and their employees. She explained that if she were to leave her position, it would mean job losses for those close to her, a huge burden for any one person to carry.
According to a source, the family mistakenly believed appearing on the reality show was a good idea, but it actually revealed several underlying problems and demonstrated their parents’ strong desire for attention.
Charli’s family constantly pressured her into doing things she didn’t want to, all in the pursuit of more money and popularity. They seemed much more eager for fame than she was, and their goal appeared to be becoming as famous as the Kardashians.
In a video clip, Charli shared that she felt exploited by her family‘s business, explaining that despite being the youngest member, she was expected to contribute the most.
Even so, after the reality show came more television opportunities.
In 2022, Charli and her mother, Heidi, both appeared on Dancing with the Stars, creating a rare and competitive situation where they were judged against each other. This likely increased the tension between them, particularly when Charli ultimately won the competition.
I really understood what Dixie was going through during all of this. While Charli was building her career, Dixie admitted she just needed to take a step back and focus on herself – to grow up a bit and figure things out. She needed a break from constantly being online and chasing viral moments, and honestly, I totally got that. It felt like she needed to reconnect with herself before anything else.
The sisters, Charli and Dixie, experienced a significant shift in their relationship. They used to constantly share content together online, but stopped posting as a duo. In fact, their last online appearance together was a photo from the Coachella festival in California almost a year ago.
People also observed that Charli began posting differently. She stopped sharing about her family’s projects online, and some believe this is what caused problems with her parents.
According to a source, she lost interest in helping with the family business and decided to pursue her own goals. She stopped marketing their products – everything from popcorn to shoes – which led them to withdraw their support completely.
Charli seems much happier and feels more in charge of her career since she stopped following her family on social media. She’s no longer centering her life around TikTok – her last post was back in November, and it was actually a sponsored ad for Prada.
‘Her whole page is just ads now,’ one fan recently commented.
Despite everything, Heidi is determined to keep pursuing her dream of becoming popular on TikTok. She’s posted four videos in just the last two days.
According to one source, she appears genuinely happy with her current life. If she needed to distance herself from her family and Los Angeles to find that happiness, that’s a positive thing. It seems she’s realizing how much her parents and their team took advantage of her in the past.
Charli’s parents were approached for comment.
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2026-02-25 15:35