The Internet Has Rediscovered Taylor Blake's Racist Remarks Amidst Her Emu's Illness

Not many people can put "reality TV star," "influencer," and "animal wrangler" on their resume all at once, but such is the life of Taylor Blake. Having gotten her start on the internet with some relatively wholesome memes, she rose to popularity as an animal farmer at Knuckle Bump Farms in South Florida. Her TikTok currently has more than 2.4 million followers and her posts have wracked up over 46 million likes. She has also made appearances on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.

But you can't have that big a footprint on the internet without making plenty of missteps along the way. As Taylor and her farm animals make headlines again, people have remembered the controversy she's generated in the past. Here are the details on Taylor Blake's past internet transgressions.

Though she maintains a large and loyal following now, Taylor Blake has been at the center of controversy many times in the past. As her pet emu Emmanuel rose in popularity on the internet over the summer of 2022, Twitter user @popelizbet took the time to remind the internet of the racist acts she had committed in the past.

"The Emmanuel the Emu woman is the same racist white woman who tried to blow up doing Good Ally videos as a Karen character a couple [of] years ago," they tweeted.

They were referring to a 2019 Twitter thread that Taylor participated in during March of that year. In a statement where Taylor encouraged oppressed people to express love to their oppressors, one person replied, "People of color shouldn't have to give love to their oppressors in order to live safely. Talking to a racist might go well for you personally, but it could be dangerous for POC."

Taylor replied, "I understand that the way I respond to racism is going to be different than others. But it is my job as an ally to call people out on their ignorance and do my best to educate and change perspectives. I would not get very far if I chose hatred. That is why I always choose love."

Taylor's statements were construed as a white woman using her innate privilege to speak down to victims of racism. Some believe she speaks against racism from a place of privilege while ignoring the cries of those who lack her platform.

Whether you like her or hate her, Taylor has since been able to establish another following due to her posts about the animals she raises. More specifically, she's gained popularity on TikTok thanks to Emmanuel the Emu, a black-feathered emu that she raises on her farm. Many of her videos are dedicated to Emmanuel photobombing Taylor's posts and interacting with other species on the farm.

In more recent and sad news, Emmanuel was one of many animals who contracted Avian flu. According to Taylor on Twitter, they "lost 99 percent of the birds on [their] farm."

Fortunately for fans of Emmanuel, he is currently on the road to recovery amidst a long and arduous battle with the disease.