Influencer OnlyJayus's Controversy Stretches Back to Leaked Texts From 2021

Some TikTok controversies burn bright and hot and dissipate relatively quickly, but others can linger for years and years. The controversy around TikTok influencer OnlyJayus, whose real name is Isabella Avila, falls into that second category.

OnlyJayus has been controversial on TikTok for years, but that has not stopped people from continuing to discuss her story. Now, many want to know what OnlyJayus does that makes her so controversial. Here's what we know about the story.

OnlyJayus's account was best known for sharing a variety of interesting psychology facts, but she became controversial for reasons that had nothing to do with that. The controversy around OnlyJayus stems from leaked text messages that first appeared online in February of 2021. In the texts, OnlyJayus could be seen using racist and homophobic language that alienated her from many of her followers.

Fans were so incensed by the text messages that some even launched and then began circulating a change.org petition that called for her to be removed from the platform entirely.

"They have been caught and called out multiple times for mistreating disabled creators and creators of color," the petition, which now has more than 400,000 signatures and has a goal of 500,000, states.

"Jayus apologized by stating they would 'lift black voices' and 'share their platform with creators of color,' but has failed to hold up on any of their promises," the petition continues. The petition also suggests that Black creators have reached out to OnlyJayus to collaborate but that those messages have been ignored.

"Their problematic issues have also branched out to them making a joke about robbing disabled people and hosting rigged giveaways. Recently, it has since come out that Jayus contacted a ghostwriter to write their initial apology for them which has been taken down from their original page," the petition continues.

In response to the initial wave of backlash, OnlyJayus issued an apology in which she said she would do better.

She attempted to explain the text messages by saying that they had been between her and another Instagram influencer, and that because she eventually blocked him, only her side of the texts ever came out, even though it had been a back-and-forth of "awful s--t" between them both.

She also said that she "cannot rationalize" the things that were said in those messages, and said that she "deserves to be called out" for their contents. She also said that her apology was not ghostwritten.

"There is no excuse, and there are no justifications for what I said, and you guys deserve better," her apology stated. When I first saw the screenshots, I did not even think that they were real, because I forgot how hateful and how angry of a person that I used to be. It hurts my soul knowing that I said those things. But the screenshots and the things I have said in the past are not a reflection of who I am today."

TMZ reported that OnlyJayus's ex Brittany Lee Dejardo sought a restraining order against the influencer for alleged verbal abuse and use of her social media accounts to "berate" her. Ultimately, the restraining order request was dissolved because Dejardo did not appear for the court hearing.