The controversial influencer Caroline Calloway, who became infamous in 2019 after she was accused of paying for bot followers and having her friend write Instagram captions, is sparking controversy across the internet with her recent posts amid Hurricane Milton.
The Category 3 storm headed towards Florida is expected to be catastrophic, with officials pleading with residents to evacuate. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said that people who decide to remain in the area and in their homes are
Mayor Castor doubled-down on her comments during an where she said if people are “trying to ride this out in single-story structures, there’s no place to go, and once the winds get up to hurricane speed, there’s nobody to come and get you.”
With warnings issued for safety, Calloway, 32, said on social media to her 672K followers and in various interviews that she is set on staying in her Sarasota, Florida, home. She has also used her comments as an opportunity to promote her newest book.
In an interview with Wednesday, she said her content will always be “chaos.”
“I am not going to be trying to, overnight, turn into some sort of social activist or government official or meteorological expert or even just a moral role model, right?” she said in a phone interview.
“My content will be what it’s always been, which is entertainment, which is chaos, which is art, which is a first-person account of my life, yes, a digital memoir.”
Who is Caroline Calloway?
Calloway is a controversial influencer and the listed author behind the books “Scammer,” “I Am Caroline Calloway” and “The Cambridge Captions.”
According to , Calloway was originally known for her “aesthetic” Instagram posts and long-form captions documenting life as an American student at Cambridge. But Natalie Beach, a former friend, alleged in a 2019 article for that the influencer’s success was attributable to buying thousands of bot followers and having help writing Instagram captions and a book proposal.
The outlet also notes Calloway is known for selling “overpriced tickets to a series of poorly planned ‘creativity workshops’ around the country, to which she was called a ‘one-woman Fyre Fest.’” Online, she has been , the fake German heiress and convicted con artist.
The outlet also notes that she’s admitted to her so-called scams in her book “Scammer,” in which she writes, “The worst scams I ever perpetrated were the ones for which I was never caught.”
What did she say about the hurricane?
Calloway has been adamant on social media about staying put in her waterfront condo amid the evacuation warnings. She even used one Oct. 8 post on X to tout her new book while proclaiming that she wasn’t evacuating.
In an interview with , she said she, two friends and her mom are staying at her place in Sarasota. She clarified that she does not live on the ground floor, “I live on the water, but I’m three stories up. Even with a 20-foot storm surge, I will not be seeing any of that.”
She says the reason she isn’t evacuating is because she had a bad experience evacuating in 2022 for Hurricane Ian. She also says that another reason is because her “old friends” are staying in her building and someone needs to check on them.
On Oct. 8, she also posted a map of the hurricane’s path and her home.
Why is Caroline Calloway receiving backlash?
As the dire warnings continue, many people online are hoping to change her mind. However, given her controversial history, some are calling her bluff.
“Caroline Calloway has lied about so much. What makes us sure she’s not lying about not evacuating??” one person
Caroline Calloway has lied about so much. What makes us sure she’s not lying about not evacuating??
— several people are typing (@LesHorn)
“You guys she’s scamming no way she’s still there,” one person wrote.
You guys she’s scamming no way she’s still there
— MalaWhat (@Clarkakates)
I’m really hoping this is a bit and that you’re actually somewhere safe
— Reclining Bear 🇺🇸❤️🇺🇦 🥥🌴 (@Reclining_Bear)
caroline calloway is gonna gone girl then hard launch a whole new personality mark my words
— regular meghan 나영지 🫧 (@ruemcclammyhand)
Some people are also concerned about her cat and have accused the author of being irresponsible.
“If Caroline Calloway actually survives this (I don’t wish death on anyone, even stupid people riding out a Cat5 storm for clout), I hope she’s never allowed to own an animal again in her life. Frankly, I care more about her animals, who are helpless in this situation, than her,”
Another added, “Do what you want with your own life. Your cat deserves better.”
Do what you want with your own life.
Your cat deserves better.
— Sandie Richardson (@sandralynnrich)
What was her response to the criticism?
Calloway’s response to the criticism appears to be making jokes of her situation. As people on X tell her to relocate, she has tweeted, “I have champagne and four generations of Floridians in my veins. It’ll be fine.”
I have champagne and four generations of Floridians in my veins. It’ll be fine.
— ◥◤Caroline Calloway (@carolinecaloway)
She also replied to a : “Caroline Calloway refusing to leave a mandatory evacuation zone (right on the water, right where landfall is expected) and dying in a hurricane would be the perfect ending to her narrative tbh.”
In her NY Mag interview, she said, “Totally agree. I think it’s a very funny joke. It’s almost, like, painfully on the nose. Like when Eve Babitz literally set herself on fire. Although I’d like to point out that didn’t kill Eve, and this hurricane’s not going to kill me.”
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