One TikToker went way too far for clicks and views.
Cyril Schreiner, a 27-year-old French social media personality with over 8 million followers on TikTok, broke down in tears late last month, claiming that two people broke into his house and kidnapped his beloved pug, Albert, from his yard.
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He even showed screenshots of the security footage from the alleged incident and begged anyone who knew anything to come forward. Watch the video (below):
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Naturally, many fans became alarmed and hoped for the safe return of Albert. And it happened, so we thought!
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By February 5, Cyril shared a picture of himself in tears with his pup on Instagram after being “reunited.” Take a look (below):
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Everyone may think that is the end of the story, but it is not. Cyril then came clean days later, saying that he FAKED THE WHOLE KIDNAPPING! Yes, really! The content creator posted a video on all his social media accounts on Monday to admit he made up the story of his pug being taken. He began saying in the clip, translated from French:
“Today I will reveal the truth and tell you everything because there are many things that are close to my heart. This last year has been really difficult for me.”
Cyril didn’t get into details about what is going on in his personal life, as he likes to keep that “separate” from what he shares with the public. However, he explained he wasn’t a big fan of his own content lately. In fact, he was enjoying what he created “less and less” these days, adding:
“I wanted to rediscover the joy of the stories I used to tell you, like in 2016.”
So, Cyril decided to orchestrate a faux abduction of his own dog, who he claims wasn’t in the security camera footage at all. It was actually just a sack of potatoes. That doesn’t make things better! The whole thing is still messed up. You don’t toy with the emotions of your fans to revamp your content and for a quick buck. However, Cyril swears his intention was never to create “buzz,” gain more followers, or make a ton of money. Instead, he claimed he actually lost partnerships, credibility, and “a lot of money” in this situation.
Hmm.
Then it wasn’t until “a few days ago” that he realized he should tell the truth and apologize for the terrible prank. Cyril insisted it was nothing more than “a big joke,” and he is sorry for his actions:
“Let’s not kid ourselves, I’m a big a**hole. I screwed up. I assume [responsibility] for what I’ve done. And there you go. I have to publicly apologize to you. I didn’t think you were all going to be so involved emotionally in this story.”
Seriously, what did he expect? Of course, people are going to become emotionally invested in the kidnapping of your dog! IT’S THE INTERNET! IT’S DOGS!
He concluded:
“All my videos were always there to entertain you, create joy. It was really a very bad joke. In the end, I’m still happy that it made you laugh.”
Well, no one is laughing. Not one bit. To joke about a serious situation like kidnapping is not funny and never will be. Many people took to Reddit after the apology video to slam Cyril’s fake kidnapping, saying:
“I can’t imagine sitting down, coming up with this idea, THINKING ITS A GOOD IDEA, and following through with it.”
“I’m really disappointed. I’m a pug owner and loved watching videos of Albert. This was so unnecessary.”
“You know it’s a good apology when you spend 6 paragraphs not even mentioning what you did, but just setting up emotional excuses so you aren’t really to blame..”
“As someone who wouldn’t even fake a pet’s sickness to get out of plans I no longer want to keep, I just can’t wrap my head around doing something like this and… for what?”
“At what point did this man not think to just STOP the bit when it started getting too much attention???”
You just don’t fake a kidnapping for fame or whatever, especially when there are people actually experiencing the horrible situation themselves every day.
Watch the apology video and judge for yourself, though (below):
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Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments!
[Image via Cyril Schreiner/Instagram]
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