How influencer Brittany Miller who duped thousands over ‘cancer scam’ avoided career cancellation and kept her followers
IN A time where most stars are terrified they’re one post away from getting ‘cancelled’, influencer Brittany Miller has somehow managed to maintain her legion of 3.5M fans despite a very controversial past.
TikTok star Brittany’s fame comes despite being at the centre of a massive scam which saw her admit to faking cancer – something which has been career-breaking for several others.
Six years ago, Brittany, now 29, was convicted of fraud by false representation after it was revealed that her claim to have been suffering from stage 3 gastric cancer was in fact a lie.
Brittany pretended to have been diagnosed with the cancer and even had a JustGiving page to raise money for the alleged illness.
Rather than keep a low profile following the scandal, Brittany grew her profile even further via videos on TikTok.
Posting videos which saw her dishing up her dinner and documenting her pregnancy – many fans assumed she was nothing but a sweet young mum as her follower count catapulted.
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As news of the scam began circulating on TikTok again last year, Brittany took to the platform in November with a teary apology – claiming that her lies were a result of “extremely bad mental health”.
In her groveling apology, Brittany claimed that she wasn’t the one who set up the JustGiving page to raise money for her “illness”.
But a friend told The Sun that she wasn’t being truthful in the videos, claiming Brittany did try to raise money for herself via the fake illness.
“Brittany lied to us all – not just her friends but also her followers online.
“Now people are following her and they have no idea what she is really like,” they said last year.
They added: “Yes it happened years ago but lying about cancer is really wrong.
“Lots of her followers will have family members living with cancer but little do they know that every time they watch one of her videos, they are giving money to a fraud.”
Since then, Brittany has returned to posting her usual content on the app, such as cooking videos and clips detailing family life with her kids and partner Ash.
It’s a stark contrast to other stars who have been “cancelled” for similar crimes, with the likes of Belle Gibson – who famously lied about having brain cancer – losing their entire careers.
So, how has Brittany managed to continue business as usual despite the scandal?
According to PR and Influencer expert Chloe Franses, taking accountability for the scandal is what kept Brittany in the spotlight.
Whilst others, such as Belle Gibson, have opted for the “deny, deny, deny” strategy, Brittany’s teary apology video struck a chord with fans.
“I think that the main reason for her avoiding total cancellation was because she publicly lent into her vulnerability and her issues with mental health,” said Chloe, who owns PR agency HelloFranses.
She added: “This, especially nowadays, is something people are open to empathising with.”
TikTok also uses features where creators can block certain words, or profiles, from their comment section and page, something which could have helped water down the chatter of the scandal on Brittany’s page, says Chloe.
“There have been reports suggesting that she has retained this large following by using filters on her comments to block words related to the scandal and actively deleted negative remarks.
“As with a lot of things in the world of influencers, the past can be glossed over, with a shiny, scroll stopping, new focus.
“Admitting you were weak and you have done something wrong, saying sorry to your fans (and deleting anyone who isn’t) and committing to being better… This is the reinvention playbook that she is, well, walking into…”
In fact, the shocking scandal could have even worked in her favour, as Brittany could be raking in up to £20,000 per post through her blooming social media career, says PR guru Nick Ede.
He told The Sun: “With her following, she could be earning £5,000–£20,000 per post and potentially hundreds of thousands a year across TikTok and YouTube.
“She will have lost deals but brands know that she has a good conversion rate and no one is calling her or them out – so its business as usual”.