That of the Family Vlogs it is a phenomenon that knows no crisis in the United States. The trend of video blogs on the lives of ordinary American families exploded in 2014 and since then has attracted millions of curious people and generated million-dollar turnovers. Thanks to the videos shared on YouTube, families like the Shaytards and the Bratayleys have built their fortune simply by describing their daily lives through videos and live broadcasts as if it were a sitcom. Among the many success stories, however, there is one that in 2020 marked the whole of America, arousing indignation and displeasure. It’s the story of Stauffer family ended up at the center of a very harsh controversy for having adopted an autistic Chinese child only to then return him to the institute for minors, where he had grown up, because it was considered too demanding.
“The Stauffer Life”, how success arrived
The story of influencers Myka and James Stauffer follows the example of hundreds of other American families who became famous thanks to family videos shared on YouTube and Instagram. Video diaries of everyday life, directed to exchange ideas and advice on young children, real life images shared with thousands of users since 2014. Thanks to their channel “The Stauffer Life”, where they told their lives every day, Myka and James and their four children attracted over 250 thousand followers on Instagram and almost one million users on YouTube, generating business worth hundreds of thousands of dollars thanks to views, sponsorships and contracts with companies who had chosen them as testimonials for their products. The turning point came in 2016. The Stauffer family decided to take an important step and start the procedures for the international adoption of a child.
The international adoption of little Huxley
Between 2016 and 2020 Myka and James Stauffer tell the complex story ofadoption of little Huxley, a child of Chinese origins with some health problems. They talk about the little one’s needs, the reasons that led them to want him in their family and raise funds to fly to China to pick him up. “My son is non-returnable, we will love him with all our hearts, no matter what state he is in“, declares the couple on the eve of the trip that will take Huxley to Ohio, where the family lives. The first video of the child shared on the family diary exceeds five million views. The consensus around the Stauffers increases, the followers multiply and with them also the income thanks to new sponsorships. But happiness lasts less than a year.
The Stauffers’ step back: “Too many special needs”
A few months after the arrival of little Huxley, Myka and James Stauffer begin to talk about their difficulties in accommodating their adopted son’s special needs. “Our son had a stroke in utero, he has a autism level 3 and a sensory processing disorder. He does thirty hours of home applied behavioral analysis therapy per week and attends a private school“, reveal the Stauffers, who nevertheless continue to share photos and videos of their son until mid-February 2020. When Huxley disappears from the family’s social profiles, followers begin to worry and the influencer parents are bombarded with comments and requests for clarification. point Myka and James confess to having canceled the request for adoption and to have brought the child back to the juvenile institution, where he lived before the adoption. “There were many other special needs that we didn’t know about and weren’t informed about. He’s doing well now, his new mom has medical and professional training“, declares the couple in a video, which goes around the world, triggering a fierce controversy.
The controversy, the apology post, the cancellation from social media
Myka and James Stauffer are accused of having chosen to adopt little Huxley only to increase their popularity and gain a mere financial advantage. Their social channels are bombarded with negative comments, criticisms and phrases of disdain that force them to step away from the web. On June 25, 2020, Mika published an apology message on Instagram before closing all the family’s social profiles, including the Vlog The Stauffer Life: “I want to apologize for the uproar and take full responsibility for all the pain I have caused. Mi sorry for being so naive when I started the adoption process, I wasn’t prepared, I was naive and arrogant”. Since that day nothing has been heard of the Stauffers.
The documentary film on the Stauffer social media case
Today, four years later, a documentary film has been released on the history of the most discussed family in America, An Update On Our Family, where the producers retraced the phases of their social phenomenon and the rapid descent towards decline of the two influencers after their adoption. “Myka and James Stauffer were the picture of the 21st century American dream: happy marriage, beautiful children, and a self-built YouTube vlogging empire. A dream that was shattered with the last risky move. Huxley was more than just their star: he was their son.
Until one day it wasn’t anymore”, explained the producers of the provocative docufilm, which focused attention on the phenomenon of family vlogging. An Update on Our Family premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival.
