Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary series living up to its title in every way conceivable, Netflix’s ‘Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing’ can only be described as equal parts baffling and harrowing. That’s because it delves deep into the life and career of now-17-year-old internet sensation Piper Rockelle Smith, especially considering she has been in the limelight since she was a toddler. The truth is many claim she has always been exploited for her charm, fun-loving personality, and stunning countenance despite her young age, yet her online outlets paint a different picture.
Piper Rockelle Has a Natural Grace in Front of the Cameras
Piper Rockelle Smith was just a young girl growing up in Canton, Georgia, when she learned core values such as hard work and perseverance thanks to her single mother, Tiffany Smith. She saw how the latter provided for them by running a pet grooming business while also helping her pursue her dreams, so she instilled its significance in her heart and did her best to pay back. She did so by doing her best to be the best at everything she or her mother wanted her to pursue, whether it be acting, dancing, influencing, socializing, or anything else at all.
Piper has reportedly always loved attention, and she was not only deeply passionate about entertaining but also a natural at it by making others feel comfortable no matter the situation or her age. Therefore, it comes as no surprise she won the first-ever pageant she participated in at the tender age of 3, only to then never look back – a sentiment her mom shared and allegedly even pushed. Tiffany, as a true momager, subsequently even established social media platforms for her daughter, starting with Musically (now TikTok) and later embracing every opportunity that came her way.
Because Piper and Tiffany chose to go down this path, the former reportedly never received any formal education, which further got pushed back once they landed a spot on Lifetime’s ‘Dance Moms.’ This was the former’s big break, following which they began vlogging, realized there was an entire industry for it, and relocated to Los Angeles, California, in 2017 to further expand her wings. It was here that the young girl began pursuing acting, established a singing career, and ultimately evolved into a teenage internet sensation alongside a friend group of fellow creators, The Squad.
Piper Rockelle is Not on Good Terms With Any Former Squad Member
While it’s true that Piper was just 10 when her popularity skyrocketed thanks to her presence online as well as in productions like Brats’ ‘Mani’ and a few short films, she didn’t really have friends. However, everything changed as she got to know fellow actors, creators, dancers, and extras her age on sets, just for her mother to contact theirs for collaborations and hangouts, leading to The Squad. These kids honestly connected on a personal level almost immediately since they were mostly all dealing with similar things, so they weren’t just mere co-workers, even if that’s all they did together.
Yet, per the original production, the environment for these kidfluencers gradually went from fun to tyrannical, as they began feeling burnt out or uncomfortable with situations they were being put in by Tiffany and her partner/the Squad’s Director-Editor, Hunter Hill. According to some of them in the show, even Piper had days when she no longer wanted to be a part of this industry and just return to her hometown, yet she always pushed on for her family. This determination is also how she managed to launch a music career at age 11-12 — her debut original song, “Treat Myself,” came out in 2019, and her most recent single, “Bittersweet 16,” was released in 2023.
By this point, though, Piper’s Squad was entirely different from the original, with 11 former members even having filed a lawsuit against Tiffany and Hunter for physical, mental, verbal, and sexual abuse. Their 2022 lawsuit did not name Piper at all as they allegedly believe her to be a victim, too, especially since they reportedly witnessed them doing the same thing to her as they did to them. This allegedly means 12-14 hour work days every day, sexual actions/innuendos, screaming matches, etc., right alongside instructions to blacklist as well as cut off all contact with anyone who left her squad. Piper actually unfollowed some of them on video, but it seemed like it was her choice, negating some claims that her mother or Hunter consistently coached her through everything – good or bad – since she’s a minor.
Despite the Recent Downs, Piper Rockelle Continues to Further Her Career
It was in 2022 when Piper’s former squad members came out with a civil lawsuit against her mother as well as her boyfriend, which consequently even triggered an FBI criminal investigation into them. The plaintiffs were seeking millions in damages for not only the trauma they experienced but also for the loss incurred by them after they left owing to alleged smear campaigns started by them. However, Piper soon publicly came forward to offer her support to Tiffany and Hunter, asserting that her mother is her best friend, whereas her mother’s long-term partner is like a big brother to her in every sense.
This lawsuit was actually settled in 2024 for $1.8 million, to be distributed amongst all 11 plaintiffs, but it appears as if the FBI investigation into the Rockelle-Smith-Hill family is still ongoing. Nevertheless, Piper has continued to rise up the ranks as a social media personality, even with her YouTube channel having been demonetized owing to the controversies surrounding the lawsuit. She still uploads there from time to time, especially Shorts, but her primary platforms are now TikTok and Instagram — she has more than 14 million followers on the former and over 6.1 million on the latter.
As if that’s not enough, Piper has since expanded her reach by launching profiles on Chirp and BrandArmy. The former is essentially a one-stop shop for all her accounts and work, whereas the latter enables subscribers to get exclusive content from her. She has three levels on BrandArmy for followers to choose from – $10, $35, and $100 per month – and she offers additional benefits per level. As if that’s not enough, it’s also imperative to note that while some brands did cut ties with her following the lawsuit, many have since approached her, including Temu, MobileTrans App, Block Blast, Halara, and CareBear, just to name a few. In other words, with the teenager reaching millions every day, getting to work with countless different brands, being able to provide for her family, and traveling the world while exploring new opportunities, she is simply thriving.
Piper Rockelle is Leading a Good Life on a Personal Level Too
While many of Piper’s former Squad Members claimed in the documentary that she wasn’t entirely happy with making content and wanted to stop when they knew her, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. After all, she not only continues to post on all platforms rather regularly but actually appears happy to do so – it looks like she is enjoying all the different opportunities and experiences it presents her with. She even met Katy Perry in 2024. Unfortunately, she had developed two eating disorders at one point, owing to her life in the limelight, but she is currently in recovery and is glad to have a sound support system by her side, including her mother, Hunter, and friends like Anya Kay, Sophie Rain, as well as Lauryn Kyle.
On a more romantic level, it appears as if Piper is currently in a happy yet relatively new relationship with fellow 17-year-old actor, artist, performer, and influencer Capri Jones. We specify relatively new because they only went public in March 2025, and it is known that she was dating Ryan Frye from May 2024 to at least right until the end of 2024 after her 4-year romance with Lev Cameron ended earlier that year. However, with Capri, even though their involvement is very fresh and rather unexplored, she seems comfortable and happy, which is all that matters in the long run.
Read More: Where is Tiffany Smith Now? Update on Piper Rockelle’s Mom
