Vinnie Hacker responds to backlash after posing with cigarette

TikTok star Vinnie Hacker was ready for backlash after posing with a cigarette in a recent Instagram post, despite claiming he was quitting smoking last year.

20-year-old Vinnie Hacker is an extremely popular influencer, boasting over 15 million followers on TikTok and 5.6 million on Instagram.

Hacker was officially signed to esports and entertainment organization 100 Thieves last year, and also sports a Twitch channel where he occasionally plays video games with fans.

The creator is known for having a somewhat edgy style and could be seen smoking cigarettes in some of his previous posts… but in November 2022, he claimed that he was finally quitting tobacco.

Vinnie Hacker posts smoking photos despite quitting tobacco in 2022

“Two days without vaping so far,” he wrote in a November 5 post. “Although this isn’t a huge milestone in terms of longevity, it is for me. The first step is to make a small one, and I hope y’all can support me on it.”

“The thing that helped me the most was imagining my parents outliving their son,” he added. “Also, who the f*ck wants to say they died to ‘nicotine.’ I ain’t finna let that sh*t win.”

The thing that helped me the most was prolly imagining my parents outliving their son. Also who tf wants to say they died to “nicotine”. I aint finna let that shit win🤨

— 100T Vinnie (@vinniehacker) November 6, 2022

However, fans were quick to lash out at Vinnie after he posted a series of photos to Instagram on January 18. In the pics, Hacker is seen sporting some seriously vampy fashion, boasting a long dark coat, dangling earrings, and — most notably — a cigarette between his lips.

He’s currently vacationing with fellow influencer Noah Beck in Paris… and although Beck was happy to take some photos with his bestie, fans weren’t too jazzed about the pics due to Hacker’s cigarette. It looks like the influencer knew this backlash would happen, as he captioned the post: “Who cares about the cig? Enjoy the post, will you?”

“Nah, I care about that cig big brother,” another influencer said.

“Put that cigarette away right now,” one fan commented.

“Didn’t you quit smoking?” another asked.

Hacker is far from the first creator to come under fire for smoking. TikToker and singer-songwriter Nessa Barrett has also caught flak for posing with a cigarette in some of her Instagram posts — but unlike Vinnie, she had a far harsher statement for fans who took issue with the whole situation.