What Happened to Ted Cruz's Daughter Caroline? She Talked About Mental Health on TikTok

Content warning: This article contains mentions of self-harm.

The Gist:

• Ted Cruz has two daughters, Caroline (born April 14, 2008) and Catherine (born Oct. 28, 2010).
• Caroline went viral on TikTok in 2021 after answering fan questions regarding how it felt to be the daughter of a senator.
• In 2022, first responders were called to Cruz's residence in reference to a 14-year-old who had suffered self-inflicted stab wounds. Thankfully, she's OK and has since returned to TikTok.

The Houston police and fire department were called to the home of Texas senator Ted Cruz on Dec. 6, 2022, following reports that a 14-year-old needed treatment for self-inflicted wounds.

Following those reports, many wondered whether Cruz's daughters were OK and if one of them had been involved in the incident. Now, we know that Cruz's daughters are both OK. Here's what we know about the incident and more about Cruz's eldest daughter.

Police could not confirm whether the incident involved a member of Ted Cruz's family, but many have naturally assumed that the incident involved one of the senator's daughters. Police reported that they were called to the upscale neighborhood of River Oaks to treat a teenage girl with self-inflicted stab wounds on her arm. The girl was taken to the hospital, where she was treated for her injuries.

Houston ABC affiliate ABC13 reported that representatives for Cruz said this was a family matter, but they did confirm that both of Cruz's daughters were OK. Cruz's representative also said that there were no serious injuries during the incident.

"The family requests that the media respect their daughter’s privacy at this time," the representative added.

Cruz was in Washington at the time of the incident.

On Dec. 7, 2022, Caroline took to TikTok to comment on the matter. While reading off a script, the teen explained, "I'm not suicidal, but I am experiencing some mental issues and am working through it and getting the help I need."

Although Caroline did not clarify what exactly happened on the night first responders arrived at her home, she did make sure to blame the media for “altering the story” and "using a 14-year-old girl as a publicity tool.” She continued, “I also don’t enjoy the assumptions on why I did what I did. No, it had nothing to do with my sexuality or my father."

Caroline went viral in December of 2021 after the daughter of a Texas judge posted a photo of the Cruz family Christmas card in which Caroline looked completely miserable.

Caroline's TikTok follower count exploded in the aftermath of the video.

In her first video after her explosion in followers, Caroline offered a list of pros and cons to being Ted's daughter, which included her reemphasizing that she disagrees with him on pretty much everything. Caroline also explained that the Christmas card photos had been edited to make it look like the shirt she was wearing covered her torso when it was actually a crop top, and added that she's bisexual but has yet to tell her father. She did say that she didn't think he would be mad.

Just hours after Caroline revealed that she was bisexual, her TikTok account suddenly became private. This sudden change in the account's status led many to believe that Caroline's father had discovered the account and ordered his daughter to make it private. Ultimately, though, we don't know what happened, and all of this may have little or nothing to do with the self-harm reports that surfaced in December 2022.

Now that Caroline is back active online, she's provided the public with some insight into how the incident at her home has affected her. She also made it a point to remind the media that she is just a teen, which we all know can be quite a confusing time in one's life.