TikToker Lauren Kettering apologizes after “disrespectful” video

TikTok star Lauren Kettering has made a lengthy apology after fans called her out for seemingly mocking tics in her latest upload. 

In a now-deleted TikTok with boyfriend Giovanny Valencia, Lauren can be seen lip-syncing before twitching and appearing to imitate tics. Tics are repeated sounds, movements or twitches a person’s body makes that are often involuntary, meaning that the person is unable to stop themselves from experiencing.

They’re thought to occur due to changes in the part of the brain that controls movement. Involuntary tics are a common symptom of neurological disorders such as Tourette’s Syndrome.

Consequently, a lot of fans took issue with Lauren appearing to make light of these tics considering how they relate to neurological disabilities. One TikTok user said: “I find this so disrespectful, my brother has tics and he can’t help them but here are influencers mocking them as if they’re something to joke about.”

Meanwhile, over on Instagram, one fan admitted that the video “doesn’t feel right”, while another said: “How the actual ff is someone making fun of something a person cannot control? It’s literally a mental illness [sic].”

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In response to the criticism, Kettering quickly removed the video and posted a statement apologizing. In the statement, she insisted that she “would never ever mean any malicious intent or intentionally try to mock anyone.”

She continued: “To be completely honest, I didn’t even know much about tics until today so now I know and I’ve learned my lesson I’m super sorry for anyone that I offended.”

Who is Lauren Kettering?

Lauren Kettering, 16, is a rising TikTok personality.  Known for her lip-syncing and dance freestyle videos, she has 6 million fans on the app and over 300 million likes overall. She’s also making waves on Instagram, where she has 1 million followers.

Her rise to fame led to her being part of TikTok content collective Not a Content House, where she lived with other online influencers like Sabrina Quesada, Anna Shumate, Ava Tortorica, Eva Cudmore and Cynthia Parker.

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Kettering announced that she would be leaving the House earlier this month to focus on “personal projects.” She has also recently taken the next step into acting, as she was cast in the Brat series Attaway General.