YouTuber Jordan Cheyenne returns to platform after being ‘cancelled’ for coaching son to cry for video

‘You weren’t cancelled. You were held accountable,’ one viewer says following YouTuber’s five-month hiatus

A YouTube influencer who was “cancelled” following backlash over a video of her telling her son to cry for the camera has returned to the platform after five months.

In September 2021, Jordan Cheyenne, who has more than 532,000 subscribers on YouTube, uploaded a video titled: “We are heartbroken,” in which she revealed that the family’s puppy had been diagnosed with a serious illness, before urging her then-eight-year-old son Christian to cry.

“Come closer,” Cheyenne said in the since-deleted clip to her son, who was already crying in the passenger seat of her car, according to a portion of the video published by Today. “Act like you’re crying.”

In response, the child had told his mother that he was crying, before adding: “Mom, I’m actually seriously crying.”

According to Today, the video also saw the influencer coaching her son about the best way to pose for the camera in his distressed state.

The video sparked immediate backlash among Cheyenne’s followers, with the influencer telling Today shortly after that she had decided to delete her YouTube channel, and that her actions had been “disgusting” and “inexcusable”.

Cheyenne also said she had given up all of the channel’s monetisation and sponsors so that she could “be behind the scenes and extremely present with my child and get us both into counselling”.

On 25 January, Cheyenne returned to her YouTube channel for the first time in five months with a video titled: “I was cancelled worldwide and my life changed forever,” in which she reflected on the time she spent offline, as well as what she learned from the experience.

After explaining that she had so “deeply missed” her job as a content creator, and the community of fans that she built, Cheyenne said: “Five months ago, I made a terrible, terrible decision, which I am so deeply upset with myself for that I can’t even articulate.”

The influencer then claimed that the “deep sadness” that she has felt over the incident has caused her world to “crumble” over the last five months, before expressing her regret over her decision to “put my content and making my video ahead of the emotional needs of Christian in that moment”.

“And it’s been my absolute biggest regret,” she said, adding later in the clip that her actions were “literally disgusting” and that she has “no excuse”.

In the video, Cheyenne also said that her behaviour in the deleted video was not a “reflection of the overall mom that I am” and that she always tries to give her son the best life.

According to Cheyenne, she tried to film her return video a number of times over a week’s period, but had found it “incredibly emotional” because of the “hate, bullying and cancellation” that she has experienced over the past five months has been “absolutely, absolutely traumatising”.

While noting that she didn’t want to come off as the victim, the YouTuber told her viewers that she had been subjected to death threats and bullying in the months after the controversy, and that her and her family’s personal information, such as their addresses, had been shared online.

As for why she decided to return to her channel, Cheyenne said that, after months off to consider, she concluded that she wanted to resume her career as a content creator because it is the “most creative job I’ve ever had”.

“There’s nothing else I want to do but come back and make the best possible content for you guys and move forward in a positive way,” she said, adding that it would be a “complete disservice” to herself and Christian if she didn’t return.

Towards the end of the video, Cheyenne, who could be seen getting emotional, revealed that going forward, she would not be showing her son in her content.

According to the YouTuber, she came to the decision because she wants her son to be fully present in his own life and not worrying about whether she is filming or “pulling out the camera”.

She concluded the video explaining that she would not be addressing the subject again, but that she thinks there is a lot more to be said on the topic of cancel culture.

The video, which has since been viewed more than 74,000 times, has been met with varied responses, with some fans welcoming Cheyenne back while others have been critical of her return.

“You weren’t cancelled. You were held accountable. The fact that your ‘apology’ video was 98 per cent ‘me, me, me…’ and playing the victim tells us everything we need to know about you,” one viewer commented, while another said: “I’m sorry. But emotional abuse of a child can’t just be wiped away because you disappeared for five months. I really hope that what you’re saying is true and you realised how wrong you were, not just because you got caught but because you truly see your mistakes. I hope you’ve grown, because I was rooting for you until that happened. I wish you the best.”

Someone else claimed that Cheyenne was only “mad” at herself because people saw the video, and that if her fans hadn’t seen the deleted clip, she would “not be sorry”.

In the comments, Cheyenne addressed the critical responses with a comment of her own, in which she said: “I would like to address some concerns/lies in these comments,” before linking to a new video titled: “Chatty GRWM: My breakup, Moving, Meet Rosie, Business updates, Future content plans + more.”

She added: “Thank you so much for taking time to watch. This time off has been immensely necessary for me on so many levels and I’m genuinely excited to get back to what I’m passionate about and share my life with you guys again.

“I refuse to let mistakes hinder my future, I am choosing to not live in shame and guilt, and instead move forward with a positive attitude and keep my son out of my content going forward.”

Cheyenne also said that she would be keeping her comments open, as she has always done, but would be deleting “any extreme death threats/bullying” immediately.

The Independent has contacted Cheyenne for comment.