Greetings!
Here are the latest trending internet culture stories today:
A gender reveal prank gone wrong has inspired many similar horror stories, all of those AI-generated slop Sora videos of Jake Paul are (probably) fake, and an Arizona baker put a rude influencer on blast—and now everyone is on #TeamBakery.
Here’s hoping for a good start to your week.
— W.J.
⚡️ Today in Internet Culture
“Jealousy is an ugly thing”: Pregnant influencer’s mom sabotages gender reveal with a confetti “prank”
A gender reveal party took an awkward turn when Instagram model and TikTok creator Gianna Wulf found herself upstaged by her own mother.
In a now-viral video, you can see the confusion and disappointment on the mother-to-be’s face when the confetti comes out both pink and blue, and then here comes her mom with the real reveal. This is just one in a long line of future grandmas to steal the spotlight like this, and people are sick of it.
“People need to get a life”: Jake Paul responds to influx of AI deepfake videos of his likeness
Jake Paul has finally commented about the influx of AI-generated deepfake videos featuring his likeness, telling people to “get a life” and threatening lawsuits. In a TikTok, Paul explained that the videos, which often depict him as gay or feminine, were impacting his relationships and business.
Commenters mocked him for not being able to take a joke, however others have questioned whether the videos and reactions are homophobic—and why it is that AI deepfakes only seem to be taken seriously when they involve men.
“She tried to blackmail us”: Bakery owner calls out influencer for demanding free pastries for a good review. Now she’s clapping back
A French bakery in Arizona became the unexpected center of an online drama after its owner, Jenna Leurquin, called out an influencer who allegedly demanded free pastries in exchange for a positive review.
In a now-viral TikTok, Jenna said she refused to give in to what she described as “bullying,” and instead decided to explain her side to her followers. She said, “So we recently had an influencer reach out to us and asked to do a collaboration, and we respectfully declined because it was not in our budget right now.”
🕸️ Crawling the Web
🤼 The internet is pointing to the number of YouTubers who eventually become wrestlers, as former Try Guy Ned Fulmer’s latest pivot has been revealed.
🍕 Domino’s Pizza is undergoing a rebrand for the first time in over a decade, and for once, people actually don’t hate it.
🔮 The witches of TikTok are turning against Crock-Pot after the company apparently broke their promise to deliver a cauldron this year.
😂 A surreal trend sees the chronically online bringing meme culture into the real world, and the results are hilarious.
🍔 Here’s how to play along with the McDonald’s Monopoly game—without ever ordering a single item.
📱 Looking back at some truly iconic moments in celeb internet history.
🔥 Hot on the Dot
This was the most-read story on the Daily Dot yesterday: