Sarah Joy From TikTok Is Accused of Pretending to Be Amish
According to a sleuth creator, Sarah Joy's parents are active leaders of a Baptist church.
Published April 5 2024, 11:51 a.m. ET
A popular influencer named Sarah Joy gained fame on TikTok with her content shedding light on what it's like to live in the Mennonite community, which is similar in many ways to being Amish — although with important distinctions.
Sarah Joy's content was often disturbing, with the influencer alluding to being abused.
But now, her account has been deactivated, and fans are saying that she pretended about being a part of the Mennonite community the whole time.
Here's more about what is going on with the scandal surrounding Sarah Joy.
Sarah Joy may not even be Mennonite according to TikTok fans, who have dubbed her "fake Amish."
A creator who shares content on the social sharing app using the handle @xrobinx91 was clearly upset to report that Sarah Joy had been called out for not being Mennonite.
Her proof is live feeds from 2024 of people who are presumed to be Sarah Joy's parents appealing to followers of their Facebook page.
To be fair, Mennonites are allowed to use technology, although sparingly. And of course, Sarah Joy rose to fame online via TikTok.
But according to the sleuth creator, Sarah Joy's parents are active leaders of a Baptist church, which wouldn't track with her claims to be Mennonite.
In another TikTok, the same creator speculated that perhaps certain people in Sarah Joy's community found out about her TikToks and disapproved, which is why she disappeared online.
But many commenters blasted Sarah Joy for pretending the whole time, and not even being in the Amish or Mennonite community to begin with.
Others expressed sincere worry for the influencer, saying she may have mental health issues if she went to such great lengths to carry on this charade and convince so many people.
Over on Reddit, a thread dug into the alleged ruse even more. "She pretended to look scared in the last video she posted. It literally was made to look like she was forced or held against her will. People called for welfare checks," a commenter said.
"She's an idiot, got caught, and doubled down," the person continued. "There are real women in these communities who are suffering and she made money pretending to be one of them, at the very least she was alluding to it."
Sarah Joy has deleted her account, but old content points to someone who may need help.
Upon her cover allegedly being blown, Sarah Joy took down her popular TikTok account.
But an older account reveals some of the disturbing content that fans are referencing.
"I hope she comes back and explains herself. I know she has a story to tell," one commenter said, while others theorized that Sarah Joy was cosplaying as being Amish, or maybe using the account as an escape from some sort of trauma she did experience.
Many fans said they were concerned that Sarah Joy needs mental health assistance given the upsetting nature of many of her videos, including alleging she was abused by family members.
Whatever is really going on with Sarah Joy, we hope both she and her many upset and concerned followers find peace.
Report online or in-person sexual abuse of a child or teen by calling the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 or visiting childhelp.org. Learn more about the warning signs of child abuse at RAINN.org.