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Drew Afualo
Born
Drew Tyson Afualo

(1995-09-18) September 18, 1995 (age 29)
Inland Empire, California, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Hawai'i at Manoa
Occupation(s)TikTok creator, influencer, podcaster, author
Known forTikTok videos
RelativesDeison Afualo (sister)
TikTok information
Page
Followers8.2M
Likes419.7M
Last updated: August 14, 2024

Drew Tyson Afualo (born September 18, 1995)[1] is an American influencer, podcaster, and author. She is known on TikTok for her videos responding to and roasting men with misogynistic and fatphobic viewpoints, often punctuated by her distinctive high-pitched laugh; she had over eight million followers on the platform as of March 2023.[2] Afualo also hosts the podcasts The Comment Section, produced by Brat TV, and Two Idiot Girls with her sister Deison. As an influencer, she has provided red carpet coverage for events like the Black Adam premiere and the 95th Academy Awards.

Early life

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Afualo was born to Tait and Noelle Afualo and raised in Southern California's Inland Empire area.[3] She grew up in a Samoan family, the middle child between an older sister, Deison, and a younger brother, Donovan.[4][5][6][7] Her father, Tait, grew up in Samoa[8] and played football professionally, as did her grandfather, uncle, and many other men in her family.[5] She has described her child self as "strong-willed", "bossy", and a "know-it-all",[4] and credits her family and Samoan heritage for instilling her self-confidence, sense of humor, and feminist viewpoint.[9][10][7][4][5]

Initially seeking a career in sports journalism as "the next Bob Costas",[11] Afualo attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she was the sports editor of the student newspaper Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi, worked for the school's athletics department, and appeared regularly at March Madness and Pac-12 Conference sporting events.[5] She graduated with a communications degree in sports and journalism.[12] Her first job as an undergrad was doing public relations for a construction company.[5] At 23, she was hired as a digital media coordinator and content creator for the NFL, something she had seen as a "dream job", but she became disillusioned with the work and was laid off after ten months, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][9][13][14]

Career

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TikTok

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Afualo joined TikTok in March 2020 at the encouragement of her boyfriend, who had seen her rants about college life she had posted to Snapchat.[15][5][16][3] She initially ran the account casually, posting a handful of personal dating stories for a smaller audience, before going viral in early 2021 with a video in which she listed "very specific red flags" in men. The video attracted a large volume of hate comments from male viewers, and Afualo's series of humorously insulting response videos to those comments gained her a newfound audience.[13][15][5][17] Her follower count subsequently expanded from 1.5 million to 4 million in the span of two months,[16] and would ultimately surpass 8 million as of March 2023.[2] Additionally, she has over 90,000 followers on Twitter and over 530,000 on Instagram.[6]

Afualo's TikTok videos typically consist of her responding to, mocking, and roasting men who express misogynistic, fatphobic, racist, transphobic, and otherwise bigoted views,[5][13][15][18] earning her nicknames such as "crusader for women",[9][10] "defender of women",[5] and "Queen of the Roasts".[18] Her videos often feature her signature high-pitched giggle-laugh,[6][17][15][4][5] which Bloomberg News describes as "a staccato, full-chested explosion of high-pitched emotion and outrage"[14] and HuffPost says "strikes fear into every internet misogynist".[5] Afualo herself characterizes it as a natural Polynesian laugh,[14] calling it "unmistakably Islander".[15] Since mid-2022 she has been a full-time content creator, earning a living from views, advertisements, and brand sponsorships.[4][14]

Afualo was one of several online influencers spotlighted in eTalk Daily's "Influenced" television special, including Alex Cooper, Jaboukie Young-White, Megan Stalter, and Donté Colley.[19] She was also included in TikTok's International Women's Day creator spotlight alongside Molly Burke and Dylan Mulvaney,[20] in the app's 2022 Discover List, and in Meta's "Creators of Tomorrow" list.[21]

Podcasting

[edit]

Afualo hosts the podcast The Comment Section with Drew Afualo, originally created in 2021 for Brat TV's Past Your Bedtime YouTube channel.[15][13] The podcast consists of Afualo interviewing fellow online creators and media figures about feminist issues, misogyny, relationships, and empowerment.[13][10][14] Notable guests have included Brittany Broski, Kamie Crawford, Jackie Aina, Chappell Roan, Melissa Ong, Manny MUA, Pokimane, Trixie Mattel, Johnny Sibilly, and InStyle social media host Tefi Pessoa.[5][10][15][22][23][24][25][26] On March 8, 2023, Tubefilter reported that Spotify had signed a deal with Afualo for The Comment Section to become a Spotify exclusive starting April 5.[27] The show's first season on Spotify saw guests including Bretman Rock, Meghan Trainor, Shea Couleé, Monét X Change, and Tess Holliday.[28]

Additionally, Afualo and her sister Deison co-host the podcast Two Idiot Girls, where they discuss topics such as media representation of minorities, racism, internalized misogyny, and mental health in both serious and light-hearted ways.[6][8] Drew mentioned in a May 2022 interview that the podcast had been signed to a "major company".[15] In January 2023, a Two Idiot Girls live show was held at the House of Blues in San Diego.[29][30]

Both The Comment Section and Two Idiot Girls were nominated for the 15th annual Shorty Awards in the Comedy Podcast category.[31][32]

Outside of her own shows, Afualo has been a guest on podcasts including Kamie Crawford's Relationshit,[33] Emily Ratajkowski's High Low: Talk Back,[34] DeuxMoi's Deux U,[35] triple j's The Hook Up,[36] Spencewuah's I'm Literally Screaming,[37] Morgan Absher's Two Hot Takes,[38] and Christy Carlson Romano's Vulnerable.[39]

Other work

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Afualo made her first VidCon appearance in June 2022,[15] hosting the panel "Hot Gurlz Only" with fellow TikTokers Chrissy Chlapecka and Sarah Schauer.[40] In October 2022, she published an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times entitled "How to confront bigots on social media — and win".[41] Later that month, Afualo attended the New York City premiere of the film Black Adam as a red carpet host, where she interviewed the film's star, Dwayne Johnson.[42][8][43] She also appeared in Meghan Trainor's "Made You Look" music video alongside Scott Hoying, Chris Olsen, and JoJo Siwa.[44] Known for her roasts on TikTok, Afualo was the subject of her own roast by the members of Smosh in a YouTube video entitled "Drew Afualo is Dead - The Funeral Roast".[45]

She and four other TikTokers were interviewed by Trevi Moran for SmashBox Cosmetics' Prime Time TV: 5 Seconds to Great Skin!, a TikTok series on skin care.[46]

In March 2023, Afualo and fellow TikTokers Reece Feldman and Khaby Lame were invited to cover the 95th Academy Awards pre-show red carpet alongside YouTuber Lilly Singh;[47][2][48] Afualo interviewed Jamie Lee Curtis and once again encountered Dwayne Johnson.[48][2]

Afualo told Teen Vogue in April 2023 that she was writing a book, in partnership with Questlove's publishing imprint.[28]

She has often expressed interest in hosting a talk show.[5][14]

Personal life

[edit]

Afualo lives in Southern California.[14][9] She and her fiancé, Pili Tanuvasa, have been dating since 2017.[8][12][14][18] She has two pet French bulldogs named Squid and Tuna.[4][49]

Afualo is outspoken about her Samoan heritage, crediting it for her headstrong nature and desire to uplift women.[5] While covering the Black Adam premiere, she wore a custom dress by Samoan designer Nancy Elizabeth that incorporated a tapa cloth corset[42][43] and spoke Samoan to actor Dwayne Johnson.[2] She has a malu, a tattoo traditionally reserved for Samoan women of royal blood, on the back of her left hand.[4] In addition to Johnson, she has cited Parris Goebel as an important Samoan inspiration, having seen the choreographer wear a puletasi to the MTV Video Music Awards growing up.[28]

Often the subject of online criticism and backlash, Afualo uses daily affirmations to help maintain her self-confidence.[4][10] She is a fan of rapper Megan Thee Stallion,[10] of Disney films like Monsters, Inc. and Ratatouille,[5] and of the video game Ghost of Tsushima.[14] She has noted that she is "a lot more laid back" than her online persona.[4]

Afualo is a supporter of intersectional feminism.[3][5] She has said that, while she supports body positivity, she leans "more towards body neutrality, which in essence just means your body just is what it is. It just exists. It has no bearing or reflection on you as a person, your character, your worth — nothing. It's just keeping you alive".[10] During a May 2022 New York Times interview, Afualo condemned the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling it "terrible" and "horrifying".[4] In an October 2022 TikTok video, she described her past experiences of sexual harassment, saying that she had "made a promise to herself" to "never [...] waste time being nice to a man who doesn't deserve it— especially when I'm alone, and especially when I'm in public. Because you know what the stories I have all have in common? There were hundreds of men standing around, watching it happen".[50]

References

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  1. ^ Afualo, Drew (Sep 18, 2022). "YA GIRL IS 27 TODAY BABYYYY 🤪 & all these gifts/flowers are just from..." TikTok. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e Staff (2023-03-16). "Drew Afualo Defends Her Place On The Oscars Champagne Carpet". Centennial Beauty. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  3. ^ a b c White, Lexy (May 11, 2022). "TikToker Drew Afualo On The One Time She Wanted To Quit". Refinery29. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Issawi, Danya (2022-05-31). "Drew Afualo, TikTok Star, Goes On a New York Breakfast Crawl". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Samuel, Ruth Etiesit (2022-09-06). "TikToker Drew Afualo Is Silencing Misogynistic Bullies, One Clapback At A Time". HuffPost. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  6. ^ a b c d Merlo, Anna (2022-03-16). "If You Grew Up Without Sisters, 'Two Idiot Girls' is the Podcast For You". Study Breaks. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  7. ^ a b Fraser, Honestine (2022-05-18). "Drew Afualo Will Roast You — But Only If You Deserve It". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  8. ^ a b c d Sloss, Morgan (Jan 31, 2023). "Drew Afualo Shut Down A Social Media Troll Who Called Her "Basically White," And I'm Cackling". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  9. ^ a b c d Dodgson, Lindsay (Jan 6, 2022). "Drew Afualo, TikTok's 'crusader of women,' says she's 'constantly shoveling' misogyny out of the app with her viral takedown videos". Insider. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Inks, Lexi (May 13, 2022). "TikToker Has Genius Advice For Boosting Your Dating Confidence". Bustle. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  11. ^ Kam, Erica (2021-08-20). "Drew Afualo Is The Perfect Answer To TikTok Misogynists". Her Campus. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  12. ^ a b Garrity, Caitlyn (2021-12-18). "Drew Afualo: Showing Misogynists How To Be Funny". VALLEY Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  13. ^ a b c d e LaFond, Hannah (2022-04-28). "Drew Afualo Says Making TikTok Videos Is What She Was Meant To Do - Exclusive". The List. Static Media. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barinka, Alex (2022-08-01). "One of TikTok's Biggest Stars Roasts Dudes for Their Misogyny, Racism, and Fatphobia". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i Phillips, Hedy (2022-05-17). "Drew Afualo Interview". EUPHORIA. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  16. ^ a b Moore, Andria (Jan 14, 2022). "This TikToker Is Blowing Up For Obliterating Toxic Masculinity Online And Forcing Misogynists To Eat Their Words". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  17. ^ a b Farmilo, Kathleen (2022-03-30). "We Spoke To TikTok Queen Drew Afualo About How She Shuts Down Fkn Gross, Sexist Men Online". Pedestrian. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  18. ^ a b c Song, Sandra (June 8, 2022). "TikTok's Drew Afualo Makes Grown Men Cry". Paper. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  19. ^ Weir, Owen (2022-12-28). "8 internet celebs who blew up beyond the internet in 2022". etalk. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  20. ^ Gutelle, Same (2023-03-08). "On International Women's Day, TikTok celebrates creators who "forge change"". Tubefilter. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  21. ^ Gutelle, Sam (2022-11-15). "TikTok is once again inviting you to "Discover" its most influential voices". Tubefilter. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  22. ^ OFF THE RAILS | Drew Afualo ft. Melissa Ong | THE COMMENT SECTION EP 14 (Podcast). Past Your Bedtime by Brat TV. May 18, 2022 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ "PICK ME GIRL?" MORE LIKE...DON'T PICK ME | Drew Afualo ft. Pokimane | THE COMMENT SECTION EP 40 (Podcast). Past Your Bedtime by Brat TV. Nov 16, 2022 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ THIS B*TCH CAME BALD | Drew Afualo ft. Trixie Mattel | THE COMMENT SECTION EP 27 (Podcast). Past Your Bedtime by Brat TV. Aug 17, 2022 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ WE NEVER SAID WE WERE NICE | Drew Afualo ft. Johnny Sibilly | THE COMMENT SECTION EP 37 (Podcast). Past Your Bedtime by Brat TV. Oct 26, 2022 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ Jokic, Natasha (2024-07-18). "Chappell Roan Said She's "Pumped The Brakes" On Anything That Will Bring Her More Fame". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  27. ^ Hale, James (2023-03-08). "Spotify doubles up on video podcasts with Markiplier, Drew Afualo deals (Exclusive)". Tubefilter. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  28. ^ a b c Fraser, Honestine (2023-04-04). "Drew Afualo Dreams of Going Through Taylor Swift's Comments Section". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  29. ^ "Things to do: Two Idiot Girls: On Tour featuring Drew and Deison Afualo". San Diego Union-Tribune. 28 July 2007. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  30. ^ "Two Idiot Girls: On Tour featuring Drew and Deison Afualo". House of Blues. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  31. ^ "The Comment Section - The Shorty Awards". shortyawards.com. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  32. ^ "Two Idiot Girls - The Shorty Awards". shortyawards.com. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  33. ^ Crawford, Kamie (2021-09-17), "Navigating F*ckboys with Drew Afualo", Relationshit with Kamie Crawford (Podcast), Spotify, retrieved 2023-03-24
  34. ^ Drew Afualo (Ad-Free), 2022-12-13, retrieved 2023-03-24
  35. ^ Hairlinegate, Cheating Comedian, Exclusive Blind Items w/ Drew Afualo, 2022-06-02, retrieved 2023-03-24
  36. ^ BONUS: Blasting TikTok bigots with Drew Afualo, 2022-03-03, retrieved 2023-03-24
  37. ^ WE FINISH EACH OTHER'S.... SANDWICHES | Spencewuah ft. Drew Afualo | I'm Literally Screaming EP 1, 2022-10-13, retrieved 2023-03-24
  38. ^ 42: Unhinged 2.0 w/ Drew Afualo, 2021-11-11, retrieved 2023-03-24
  39. ^ TikTok Icon Drew Afualo Gets Vulnerable, 2022-11-08, retrieved 2023-03-24
  40. ^ Mendez II, Moises (2022-06-28). "VidCon: TikTok 'Hot Gurlz' discuss dating red flags and what fans get wrong about them". Passionfruit. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  41. ^ Afualo, Drew (2022-10-06). "Op-Ed: How to confront bigots on social media — and win". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  42. ^ a b Sloss, Morgan (Oct 13, 2022). "Drew Afualo Just Repped Samoa From Head To Toe On The Red Carpet, And I Feel So Seen". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  43. ^ a b "Representing Polynesian style: Nancy Elizabeth". Shift London. 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  44. ^ Paul, Larisha (2022-10-21). "Meghan Trainor Reclaims Her Power with Boundless Confidence in 'Made You Look' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  45. ^ Smosh (Nov 14, 2022). Drew Afualo Is Dead | The Funeral Roast – via YouTube.
  46. ^ Denton, Elizabeth (2023-03-16). "TikTok Superstars Drew Afualo, Chris Olsen & More Star Talk Skincare Routines & Dealing With Haters". StyleCaster. SHE Media. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  47. ^ Teotia, Ryan (March 13, 2023). "Oscar awards 2023: Lilly Singh arrives at Oscars 2023 with Vanessa Hudgens & Drew Afaulo as co-hosts". WION. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  48. ^ a b Munck, Victoria (March 18, 2023). "Second Take: Diverse influencers make it to the red carpet; Hollywood should take them farther". Daily Bruin. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  49. ^ "A Sonic Boom Personified with Drew Afualo and Trixie | the Bald and the Beautiful Podcast". YouTube. 9 July 2024.
  50. ^ Lisitza, Alexa (October 21, 2022). ""Everything I Say To Them Is Meant To Be Mean": Drew Afualo Says She Refuses To Be Nice To Men Who Don't Deserve It". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
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