A budding love triangle on TikTok is captivating fans and encouraging them to support their favorite influencers — a culmination of months of flirting, drama and in-depth detective work from three of the platform’s popular creators.
But is it real love or just for show?
Only the three TikTok stars involved in the case know the answer, but the drama is generating millions of views and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It all started in December, when digital influencer and host Ayamé Ponder posted a TikTok video asking her millions of followers to guess where she was. She used the question as a hook for her video and quickly moved on to reviewing her room service meal.
A month later, Yuval Ben-Hayun, well known on TikTok for correctly guessing the information the creators are trying to hide, responded in a post, accurately identifying the hotel where Ponder made the video. Ben-Hayun used details in the video like the headboard of a bed and the pattern on a plate. Ponder’s horrified reaction video received 3.3 million likes.
In an interview with NBC News, Ponder said she initially saw Ben-Hayun’s video when her now ex-boyfriend sent it to her, fearing she was being harassed.
“My first initial reaction was a mixture of fear and confusion,” Ponder said. However, she had seen another long video that Ben-Hayun had posted debunking a man’s height, which helped her feel better, because she wasn’t the only one he did this to. In March, Ponder appeared to directly challenge Ben-Hayun. . “Disclaimer: As this is posted, I have checked out of the hotel,” Ponder said in a new video. “Then try to find me.” Ben-Hayun did so and his resulting video received 2.8 million likes.
A few weeks later, after another video, subscribers thought they captured the affectionate vibes between the two creators. “Yuval, she doesn’t want you to find her, she wants you to go “find” her!!! Even I realize it! » » a user wrote under Ben-Hayun’s post. The comment received 44,200 likes.
Ponder seemed to agree. “I decided to flirt with him,” she recalls. “I consider myself a pretty confident girl. So if you’re trying to find me, you’re obviously in love.
The open flirtations between Ponder and Ben-Hayun, who have 3.8 million and 2.9 million followers respectively, took a turn when Ponder met a third influencer, Oliver Mills, on the set of a commercial they both filmed for Audible. Ponder posted a video of Mills on May 2, announcing that a “hard launch (was) coming soon” – presumably with Audible.
Some fans were devastated, however. “Where is Yuval,” one commenter asked with a crying emoji to hundreds of likes.
Although Ponder recalls that Mills was initially confused, he has since played into the love triangle narrative by making his own video declaring his love for Ponder. Hundreds of fans commented, including the official NYX Cosmetics UK account, trying to draw attention to the drama. Ben-Hayun posted his own response: sending roses to Mills. The moment Ponder posted the Audible ad on TikTok, where his character called Mills “loverboy,” fans saw it as an extension of the love triangle content they wanted.
“And I watched the ad willingly,” one user commented. Other followers begged Audible to work with Ben-Hayun as well.
The development of the saga is an illustration of the unique power of parasocial relationships in the age of social media. Even though Ponder’s fans knew the story was developing thanks to an Audible commercial, they were left wanting more.
One fan, who says she owns a social media agency in her TikTok bio, raised the question of whether this love triangle has been an Audible campaign this whole time. She guessed no, because some videos are explicitly marked as ads while others are not, but she said she still likes the brand’s overall marketing strategy.
Brooke Erin Duffy, a professor at Cornell University who studies the social media industry, noted that guessing whether this is real or a stunt may be part of the appeal for fans, as well than the long-standing trope of love triangles. She cited reality TV shows as an example.
“Another thing that’s striking is the parasocial dynamic,” Duffy said, “that really plays a role in social media culture, which encourages people to view creators as relatable creators. That could being your best friend trying to solicit relationship advice.
Duffy noted that it’s difficult to know for sure whether this is a set-up. For his part, Ponder insisted that the love story unfolded naturally.
“A lot of this is up to fate,” she said.
Ponder, Ben-Hayun and Mills have cultivated a fan base beyond the drama surrounding their love triangle. Ponder has gone viral several times for her reaction videos. Ben-Hayun rose to fame on TikTok thanks to his WordleBot. According to USA Today, Taylor Swift once told Mills, “I love your videos. You are so funny.
However, they have all seen their number of followers increase significantly since posting videos hinting at a love triangle. According to Social Blade, Ponder gained 200,000 followers in the last 30 days, while Ben-Hayun and Mills gained 200,000 and 100,000, respectively.
Additionally, Ben-Hayun told his followers that he would only buy an international plane ticket to see Ponder if they helped reach a GoFundMe goal of $200,000 Canadian dollars to help his family members. friend to leave Gaza. They did, and Ben-Hayun and Ponder continued to raise money.
In a statement from Ben-Hayun provided by Ponder’s agent, he called the relationship “100 percent organic” and said, “I’m really proud of us for capitalizing on the momentum we had to make good. »
Yeast Bakery, where Ponder and Mills filmed their commercial, temporarily released a drink called Yuvamé to show support for Ben-Hayun after he contacted him. The bakery also made a sign stating that Mills is now banned from its premises.
Ponder noted that although she and Mills have connected in person, she has yet to meet Ben-Hayun. In a note sent by Ben-Hayun, he promised to be there by June 21.
“When I see it, I’ll fall in love even more,” Ponder said. “I’m really scared about this.”