Controversial influencer couple who euthanised dog refused to adopt baby because of social media ban
Nikki and Dan Phillipi recently made headlines after they announced in a video on their YouTube channel that they had euthanised their dog, Bowser, after he bit their son
(YouTube)A pair of Nashville YouTubers are facing backlash for the second time in a matter of weeks after an old video of them cancelling a potential child adoption resurfaced online.
Nikki and Dan Phillipi recently made headlines after they announced in a video on their YouTube channel that they had euthanised their dog, Bowser, after he bit their son.
Social media users were quick to hit out at the couple, asking why they didn’t attempt to rehome the dog with another family rather than put it down.
Now, the couple is facing another controversy again after a 2018 video posted to their channel resurfaced following the incident involving their dog.
In the old clip, the pair explain that they are no longer choosing to adopt a child from Thailand due to the country’s social media policy surrounding adoptions.
In the video, Ms Phillipi says the agency called her to “make sure [they] are aware of their social media policy”.
“What social media policy?,” the young woman recalls in disbelief while laughing. “I had no idea.”
She explains: "After you pick up your child, they are your child, but you are not allowed to talk about them or share any images, photos, videos, anything about them online for a year."
"I mean, Nikki’s got a YouTube channel, and we share a whole lot,” her husband, Mr Phillipi, adds.
The couple noted that the adoption would also not be finalised until a year after they initially adopted their child, which they explained they would not be comfortable with.
"The kid is gonna be living here in our house for a year and that whole time, it’s not our kid. So, not okay with that either," Mr Phillipi added.
Holt International, the adoption agency referenced in the video, told Business Insider that Thai adoption law restricts the release of an "adopted child’s information, photos, videos and films to mass media or Internet before finalisation”.
Social media users were quick to hit out at the couple, accusing them of wanting to adopt a child for “profit” through the creation of content for the page.
One user said the video had “aged like milk” while another user said: “If you wanted a baby for content and a paycheck, you don’t deserve a baby.”
The family and lifestyle vlogger currently has over 1.27 million subscribers on her YouTube account.
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