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As of November 3, 2023,SpillSesh is no longer anonymous.
Below, read the February 25, 2022 interview with Kristi.
What made you want to start a tea channel in the first place?
Here For The Tea:I originally wanted to do, like, a beauty channel.
I honestly never really heard of them before I started getting into drama and stuff.
And then I just decided to make a video, right then and there.
Sister Spill:I was bored one weekend at home.
So then what went into your initial decision to be anonymous?
HFTT:I always wanted my channel to kind of be thatGossip Girlvibe.
Where it was just somebody telling the story, but you didnt know who it was.
And I always wanted my receipts to speak for themselves.
I need to just do voice-over.
Right, that makes sense.
B:I wouldnt mind being famous.
Not everyone, but a lot of people do.
And I was getting that throw in of fame, but through anonymity.
I would just be paranoid all the time that someone was going to come and get me.
B: Everyone likes to judge everything and everyone.
So having this anonymity, its only showing my work to the world.
It puts a barrier with my followers and my personal life and what I do.
And have there been any close calls when it comes to protecting your identity?
Like, why do you care?
HFTT: We live in a world where stan culture exists, and its scary.
And Ive gone against some pretty big [people].
Like, Ive gone against Jeffree Star for years.
Sesh: Someone tried to send my information around.
Because thats so effed up.
I think its wild that people would doxx a purposely anonymous channel.
Like, that just seems like so much effort.
HFTT: [When it happened to me], it was horrible.
But thats why its dangerous.
Its just this innocent thing on Twitter, but then it turned into something very serious.
So I had to take the video down, because of them.
It was a mess, but this is definitely something that happened and things that can happen.
Especially when youre talking about brands, when youre talking about people, it becomes personal.
But I think its important to show that these things do happen on the internet.
Sesh: Sometimes I debate like, Oh, I would love to be on camera or whatever.
People are so scary sometimes.
Do you feel like thats a fair assessment?
Or is there something missing from that narrative?
Sister:I think there are definitely tea channels who deserve this criticism.
After all, this misinformation spreads and can lead to cyberbullying or rumors, and that can be dangerous.
B:Ive been getting a lot of messages saying, Oh my God, this is so toxic …
But its like, making a story, you know?
Im just telling a story to a lot of people, to 500 to 500,000 people.
Im not saying lies.
Im not gaslighting anyone.
Im not making fake videos with fake drama for make YouTubers or celebrities beef with each other.
Im just telling a story and gossiping.
But instead of doing it in a five-person friend group, Im doing it [with] 100,000 people.
Its quite the opposite.
HFTT:Holding influencers accountable and revealing the truth behind influencer marketing, I dont think thats toxic.
I think consumers have a right to know.
B:I never wanted to hurt anyone, or make someone be canceled.
People decide on that themselves.
So I dont know if thats a bad thing that I was just gossiping.
And what are some of the challenges the tea community as a whole is facing right now?
But if they consider drama channels to be bullying or harassment, thats the end of drama channels.
B: I would say copyright.
But Instagram doesnt have these issues.
The issues were with YouTube, because YouTube would copyright a lot of videos.
So youre really at the mercy of YouTube all the time.
With the threat of demonetization hanging over your head, how do you avoid copyright issues?
But we all reuse content.
B:Unfortunately, I had to delete [most of my videos] …
I privated all my videos, because I decided I wanted to do a fresh start …
So I was thinking,Lets not lose my channel.
Lets [take] a break and take a step back, and then start again.
Because I was on the verge of losing it, and it was kind of scary.
HFTT: You want to show examples, you want to show receipts, you want to show clips.
Thats not transformative in my opinion.
But I think YouTube is really cracking down on that.
HFTT:I mean, Ive taken a break from videos.
I havent made a video in a year, but Im coming back.
I took a break obviously for personal reasons, and because of the doxxing.
Obviously, people make videos because of the money too, so I dont know.
Sister: I never made a video with my only intention being to make money.
I still have so much fun with what I do.
B: I started out of fun.
You know, I wasnt monetized.
I wasnt getting anything.
Plus being anonymous, and no one knowing your real identity was also exciting.
Because I could be anyone I wanted without people judging or anything.
Sesh:At the end of the day, I really do enjoy making the videos.
But also I love it.
I genuinely have always loved making videos and being creative in this way.
These interviews were conducted separately and have been edited for length and clarity.
