PAHOA, HAWAII: A fundraising campaign for Caleb Coffee has raised more than $26,000 out of a $100,000 goal despite a raging outcry over the influencer's family "begging for money.”
The TikTok sensation is currently recovering in hospital after suffering severe injuries on August 16, when he plummeted from a substantial 60-80 ft cliff and landed on the rocks below.
After the fall, Coffee was airlifted to a medical facility, where he was diagnosed with a fractured spine, broken femur, elbow, and wrist. Gashes and burns covered his entire body.
In a subsequent health update, Coffee’s father, Jason, revealed that he is now conscious and his condition has improved.
Why Caleb Coffee’s family is facing backlash
This health update came after Jason, who is often seen sharing Instagram ads for huge corporations including Kellogg's, Nintendo, Discovery, and Jimmy Dean, organized a GoFundMe page for Caleb’s medical expenses.
"Unfortunately Caleb did not have medical insurance and we cannot afford these medical bills that is why we are making this go fund me," he wrote in the page description, adding, "We thank you for your prayers, Mahalos."
Many followers are upset with the Coffees' blatant appeal for money after seeing the family frequently post advertisements that will probably have brought in tens of thousands of dollars apiece, according to Daily Mail.
"You clearly aren't a poor family. Why should we be paying for Caleb's healthcare when you were too irresponsible to insure him?" wrote Steven Pierce, a London-based food influencer and journalist.
"A go fund me for a TikTok family?!," one user wrote under one of Jason’s posts. "NO WAY YALL SET UP A GO FUND me," another said, while a third user wrote, "Prayers for your family. Your parents own multiple houses, right? Sell one of the houses to pay his medical bills.”
How huge is Caleb Coffee's following?
Caleb has 11 million followers on TikTok and a million on Instagram, with brands happy to pay him a hefty amount to promote their products.
His father, Jason, also boasts 765,000 followers on Instagram, where he regularly shares ads of him flashing a twinkling smile while selling junk food, dog food, computer games, streaming services, and breakfast cereal.
Caleb and his sister Peyton, who has 16 million TikTok followers and 2.4 million on Instagram, also appear in their father’s paid advertisements.
Jason, who has been an online influencer for nearly two decades, began including his children in his content when they were very young and he still had a Vine account.
The family has been posting bits of their life online for years, and the two oldest children in particular have built up sizable followings of people eager to see their different outdoor adventures.
The family recently relocated to Hawaii from Texas, where they had previously resided for a few years. Though the family's precise financials are unknown, responses rolled in from users who seemed surprised the family would be in need of assistance.
