Barely Famous

Episode: Cancel Culture & Credibility With Rei Clarke

Host: Kail Lowry
Guest: Rei Clarke
Date: February 13, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of Barely Famous, host Kail Lowry sits down with TikTok and social media commentator Rei Clarke for a candid and unfiltered conversation. The pair dive into cancel culture, credibility in social reporting, the blurred lines of opinion versus journalism, and the personal toll of online criticism. They also discuss how scandals stick (or don’t) to certain celebrities, the ethics of reporting on private lives, and navigating fact versus rumor in the era of TikTok news. The episode balances humor, vulnerability, and honest debate, providing rare insight into the influencer and reporting perspectives on reality TV and Internet culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How Rei Got Started in Social Reporting

• Rei started on TikTok, cycling through various niches before realizing their passion for reality TV commentary. The "blow up" came when Rei talked about Teen Mom and the Gypsy Rose case.
  • Quote (Rei, 05:25): “I was like, okay fine, I’m just gonna, like, go on TikTok and talk about it and see what happens...just blew up from there.”

2. Bias, Growth, and Accountability

• Kail opens up about past mistakes (the “Isaac and the hair thugging” incident), acknowledges implicit bias, and discusses doing the work to grow beyond it.
  • Quote (Kail, 03:16): “That was implicit bias. And I feel like that... I have really tried to, like, educate myself since then and really do the work with therapy, but also like the books that I read and stuff… But people don’t ever really forgive me for that.”
• Rei shares perspective on separating a single incident from a whole person.
  • Quote (Rei, 03:37): “I can’t just go based off of one thing. Right, Right. So if I’m like, okay, well, yeah, she said something... But what else has she done to improve from that?”

3. The Making of TikTok “T Pages” and Their Ethics

• Reporting origins: Rei’s wife influenced her to share her reality TV thoughts with the world, leading to a passion-turned-career.
• Credibility, Transparency, and Fact-Checking: Rei emphasizes only reporting what can be backed up, distinguishing rumors from facts.
  • Quote (Rei, 11:02): “No, I’m never gonna say... now if it’s like a—a rumor, right? I’m like, yo, like, word on the street, right? This... I’m not saying it’s true, right?”

4. Building Audience Trust

• Radical honesty is key: Rei earns trust by admitting mistakes and updating followers with new info as stories evolve.
  • Quote (Rei, 13:59): “Because I’ve always been 100 honest. If I fuck up, I’m gonna tell my followers, hey, I fucked up.”
• Transparency over speed: Rei prefers to let stories develop rather than chase being first, ensuring accuracy over breaking news.
  • Quote (Rei, 14:24): “I've definitely learned not to make multiple videos back to back and just wait... so that I can come to the full story.”

5. Ethics of Reporting on Non-Public Figures

• Both agree it’s unfair to drag private individuals into the spotlight when they haven’t chosen a public life.
  • Quote (Kail, 37:42): “If the person is not a public figure by choice, like, why are we reporting on people who didn’t ask for this?”
  • Quote (Rei, 38:04): “That’s how I feel about my wife... She just wants to retire and live a quiet life, and I want to respect that…”

6. Cancel Culture: Why Do Scandals Stick to Some and Not Others?

• Discussion about selective cancellation: Why do some celebrities’ scandals “stick,” while for others, controversy is almost a career asset?
  • Quote (Kail, 41:08): “Why do you think that certain scandals... damage people’s careers indefinitely? And then certain people... nothing sticks...?”
• Rei’s theory: If scandal touches a broad or particularly vocal community, cancellation is more likely to have teeth.
  • Quote (Rei, 41:31): “Cancel culture will happen when it affects everyone as a whole. When it only affects one community, then people don’t give a shit because maybe they don’t agree with that community.”

7. Navigating Fact, Rumor, and Sourcing

• Rei's approach: Always seeks direct sourcing or corroboration for serious accusations, citing a recent case involving Stephen Anthony Lawrence (Beans from Even Stevens) as a prime example.
  • Quote (Rei, 16:02): “If it comes down to, like, legal or... I made a video a couple days ago about Stephen Anthony Lawrence…”

8. Work-Life Balance in Content Creation

• Both grapple with the constant pressure to monetize and be “on.”
  • Quote (Kail, 26:01): “It’s hard to live in the moment when in order to make money you have to record those moments, right?”
• Rei shares how she and her wife set boundaries to prioritize personal life over immediate content demands.
  • Quote (Rei, 26:38): “I have learned that yes, it is important to make the money, but it is more important to be present because the Internet can be gone tomorrow and my wife will still be there.”

9. The Blurring Lines of Opinion Journalism

• Both acknowledge their work is part entertainment, part news, part opinion, needing its own category.
  • Quote (Kail, 33:06): “Would you say this is like opinion-based journalism? It needs... there needs to be a new category for what it’s called…”
• Defamatory risks: Rei highlights the legal divide between opinion and defamation.
  • Quote (Rei, 33:24): “There is a line. When you start defaming it is a problem. You can now get sued for defamation.”

10. Social Media Challenges: Hacking, Platforms & Monetization

• Both recount stories of being hacked (especially on Facebook), losing income, and struggling to regain control over their platforms.
  • Memorable Moment (Rei, 50:46): “Because everyone started with Facebook… I had to start over. Yeah. So I'm going from like 80,000 [followers] to 5,000.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Mistakes and Growth

  • Kail (03:16): “That was implicit bias... I feel like I've done a lot of work to sort of eliminate that or at least be more self-aware… but people don’t really forgive me.”
  • Rei (13:59): “If I fuck up, I’m gonna tell my followers, hey, I fucked up.”

• On Fact-Checking

  • Rei (15:21): “Did you hear from the horse's mouth?...No?...Let’s move on with life.”

• On Cancel Culture’s Selectivity

  • Rei (41:31): “Cancel culture will happen when it affects everyone as a whole. When it only affects one community, then people don’t give a shit…”

• On Reporting Ethics

  • Kail (37:42): “If the person is not a public figure by choice, like, why are we reporting on people who didn’t ask for this?”

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [02:35] – Kail grills Rei on ever being a “Kail hater” and past controversy.
• [05:25] – How Rei’s TikTok reporting went viral.
• [10:27] – Sourcing and fact-checking in the era of bite-size TikTok news.
• [13:59] – Rei on building credibility by owning mistakes.
• [16:02] – The line between reporting rumors and serious allegations.
• [26:18] – The challenge of balancing work, content, and real life.
• [33:06] – Debate: Is TikTok reporting “opinion journalism”?
• [41:08] – Why some scandals do lasting damage—and others don’t.
• [50:46] – Social media hacking nightmares and the struggle to rebuild.
• [51:11] – Where to find Rei’s content on various platforms.

Closing Thoughts

This episode pulls back the curtain on social reporting in the digital age, laying bare the human side behind influencer news, how transparency and ethics are maintained (or not), and how cancel culture can be both fickle and career-ending. Kail and Rei’s honest conversation will resonate with anyone interested in reality TV, Internet culture, or simply what it takes to have a career when your whole life is public.

Where to Find Rei Clarke:

• TikTok: @reiclark
• Facebook: @reiclark
• Instagram: @reiclark

Closing Quote:
Rei [48:24]: “I'm standing 10 toes down. And everybody... knows I'm always going to be 100, transparent.”