It looks like the questionable reporting career of TikTok phenomenon Addison Rae is short-lived. After swarms of critics engulfed her in a fiery controversy, Rae has announced that her deft influencer expertise and minimal reporting experience is no longer needed at UFC.
On Monday, the 20-year-old tweeted “nvm, y’all got me fired,” a seeming response to those who questioned what ethical standards allowed her to join UFC as a correspondent. Although the nerves of the internet has been assuaged, the nub of the matter as Rae’s presumed position was actually a joke.
I studied broadcast journalism in college for 3 whole months to prepare for this moment pic.twitter.com/5Z95OTSVTA
— Addison Rae (@whoisaddison) July 10, 2021
Last Friday, Rae posted photos of herself clutching a mic at a preliminary event for the UFC 264’s coverage of the Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor match. Flaunting how she clinched the opportunity with her influencer prowess and circumvented the base-level qualifications, the caption read, “I studied broadcast journalism in college for 3 whole months to prepare for this moment.”
Reportedly, Rae was only present for an interview with Poirier, via social media, as they both hail from Lafayette, Louisiana. According to Front Office Sports reporter A.J. Perez, she “was never employed by UFC, either in a full-time capacity or as a one-off.” Nonetheless, the reception of Rae’s remark quickly unfurled into a public forum on the towering stature of influencers. Many perceived it as a by-product of her airs and graces, an entitlement oft-embedded in sprawling social media platforms. Moreover, users on social media decried the supposed opportunity as an exhibit of elitism trumping expertise yet again.
This isn’t the first time Rae has found herself in hot water with the masses. After appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to performing viral dances from TikTok, she was accused of de-platforming a host of Black creators (with significantly smaller viewership numbers on the app) as she performed their moves without crediting them.
