TikTok star Zoe LaVerne has faced a difficult few weeks online.
In early November, fans began calling for Zoe’s cancellation after a leaked video surfaced of the 19-year-old kissing a 13-year-old fan.
The video came after weeks of rumours about their inappropriate relationship, starting with leaked DMs between Zoe’s ex-boyfriend Cody Orlove and former friend Amber Van Pelt. In screenshots obtained by TikTok Room, Amber tells Cody that she “left” Zoe because of “her interactions with Connor. They got very intense and it’s something I do not stand by what so ever. It’s pedophilia.”
Upon the video’s release, Zoe took to livestream to apologise for “catching feelings” for the boy 6 years her junior.
“I didn’t groom Connor, wouldn’t do that,” Zoe defended. “He’s a kid and I’m aware of that and it just happened we both were in a dark place when we first, like, became friends and we both just ended up catching feelings for each other. And friends do that, they catch feelings for each other, that’s not a bad thing.”
According to the Victoria State Government Education and Training, “Grooming is when a person engages in predatory conduct to prepare a child or young person for sexual activity at a later time. Grooming can include communicating and/or attempting to befriend or establish a relationship or other emotional connection with the child or their parent/carer. Young people are often ‘groomed’ before they are sexually abused.”
Connor, whose last name has been left out for privacy, has since addressed the backlash as well via social media, defending that Zoe “did not rape” him. He admitted they become more than friends and both realised it was wrong.
This latest controversy comes off the back of months of problematic behaviour from Zoe.
In mid-2019, Cody Orlove accused Zoe of sexually harassing him in a YouTube video. He described Zoe kissing him against his will despite attempting to dodge her advances and asking her to stop. He also alleged that Zoe tried to take his pants off against his will in a separate instance.
Fast forward a year, and the two, who had since rekindled and split again, were involved in more allegations of abuse when a leaked audio revealed Cody seemingly physically restraining Zoe while she screamed “let go!” Zoe then took to livestream to address the audio clip, claiming Cody “hit”and “grabbed” her during the argument.
Most recently, Zoe’s come under fire for yet another leaked video in which the former Musical.ly star called Charli D’Amelio a “bitch” for supassing her in TikTok followers. Additional audio exposes Zoe talking more trash on Charli, saying, “If you’re gonna defend a fucking stinky ass whore, don’t fucking ring me in the car. I’m not gonna sit in there, and act like I like Charli D’Amelio, okay?”
Zoe has since confirmed she is no longer friendly with Connor at the time of publication.