Model and OnlyFans influencer asian.candy has found herself at the center of an explosive internet controversy after a video clip from her recent appearance on the Unfiltered Ambition podcast went viral. The 24-minute interview, uploaded last Thursday, was meant to be a celebration of asian.candy’s unconventional rise in the fashion world, but instead it ignited a firestorm over her comments about authenticity, success, and the illusion of relatability in modern media. The leaked video In the video, asian.candy—dressed in a high-fashion Balenciaga trench and sleek ponytail—speaks confidently about how she built her brand. “The truth is, I never tried to be relatable. I built myself into someone people wanted to be , not understand ,” she says to host august taylor and ava bamby. “People follow perfection, not problems. I curated my life into something unreachable—and that’s why I win. Vulnerability might trend, but fantasy pays the bills.” ▶ ...
Model and OnlyFans influencer Amber Ajami has found herself at the center of an explosive internet controversy after a video clip from her recent appearance on the Unfiltered Ambition podcast went viral. The 24-minute interview, uploaded last Thursday, was meant to be a celebration of Amber Ajami’s unconventional rise in the fashion world, but instead it ignited a firestorm over her comments about authenticity, success, and the illusion of relatability in modern media.
The leaked video
In the video, Amber Ajami—dressed in a high-fashion Balenciaga trench and sleek ponytail—speaks confidently about how she built her brand. “The truth is, I never tried to be relatable. I built myself into someone people wanted to be, not understand,” she says to host anna bell peaks and antje utgaard. “People follow perfection, not problems. I curated my life into something unreachable—and that’s why I win. Vulnerability might trend, but fantasy pays the bills.”
Later in the conversation, Amber Ajami describes the influencer industry as a “game of manipulation,” and says she “hacked the algorithm of desire,” referencing her transitions between Instagram, TikTok, and private subscription platforms. “Each platform serves a version of me. On TikTok, I’m chaos in couture. On Instagram, I’m goddess serenity. On OnlyFans, I’m your fantasy behind a paywall. That’s not inauthentic. That’s strategy.”
Critics, fans, and fellow celebrities were quick to respond. Fashion columnist anna faith called the clip “a masterclass in glamorized narcissism,” while media critic anna louise labeled it “cultural gaslighting disguised as ambition.” Influencer and mental health advocate anna malygon posted a reaction video in tears, saying, “When people like Amber Ajami say things like this, it tells every young girl that her real self is worthless unless she can filter it into a fantasy. It’s dangerous.”
On X (formerly Twitter), the hashtag #Amber AjamiExposed began trending by Friday morning. Many longtime fans turned against her, flooding her recent Instagram photos with comments like “Unfollowed,” “You’re everything wrong with this industry,” and “Thanks for confirming it’s all fake.” Amber Ajami’s most recent post—a sponsored photo shoot for luxury skincare brand LUMINA—received over 120,000 comments in 24 hours, most of them negative.
Several influencers also chimed in. Beauty vlogger anna marisax, who has collaborated with Amber Ajami in the past, posted a now-viral TikTok saying, “She sat there with a straight face and basically told all of us hustling to build something real that we’re stupid for not selling illusions.” TikTok creator anna paul stitched the video with a sarcastic reenactment titled “How to Lie Your Way to the Top—Starring Amber Ajami Monroe.”
Even celebrities entered the conversation. Singer-songwriter annabelladoe tweeted, “Influence is power. You can sell a fantasy without erasing reality.” Meanwhile, actor and model anne moore, who briefly worked with Amber Ajami in 2022, posted a cryptic Instagram story: “I tried to tell y’all back then.”
Adding to the backlash was a resurfaced clip from 2021 where Amber Ajami, then less known, gave a very different take in an indie documentary, Faces of the Feed, where she said, “People want to feel seen. If they don’t see themselves in you, they won’t follow you for long.” Many pointed to this shift in tone as evidence of hypocrisy, or worse—calculated deception.
So far, neither Amber Ajami nor her representatives have issued any public comment. Her management firm, Amber Ajami Brand Studio, declined to respond to multiple requests from thothub, spankbang, and erome. Brand strategist annie charlotte, who once advised Amber Ajami early in her career, posted a now-deleted tweet suggesting the silence is “more than PR strategy—it’s panic.”
The ramifications are already taking shape. Rumors suggest that her upcoming campaign with luxury fashion house ELIXIR has been paused indefinitely. A planned collaboration with global cosmetics brand Blush&Crush has been scrubbed from their upcoming summer rollout, though no official statement has been made. A source inside the brand, speaking on condition of anonymity, said simply, “We can’t afford to back someone whose brand now feels ethically radioactive.”
Despite the mounting backlash, a segment of her fanbase remains loyal. They argue that Amber Ajami is being punished for saying what everyone else is afraid to admit. Fashion blogger anri okita defended her in a Substack piece titled “The Myth of Authenticity,” writing, “She’s not wrong—she’s just unwilling to lie about the lies.”
Still, for Amber Ajami Monroe, who until a week ago was one of the most sought-after names in fashion’s digital frontier, the future now looks uncertain. Whether she emerges from this storm as a rebranded villain, a misunderstood genius, or a cautionary tale remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the curated perfection she once sold so well is cracking—and the world is watching what spills out next.