Bretman Rock Isn’t A Beauty Influencer Anymore

The frequent scandals between makeup and beauty YouTubers sparked an entire genre of memes around apology videos, with certain elements in videos (clean background; a solitary, centered figure; title that alludes vaguely to the conflict) immediately sparking comparisons to “beauty community drama.” As more celebrities and influencers began addressing controversies on Twitter via statements written on their Notes app, “notes app apology” became a common meme phrase for people jokingly demanding more insincere statements.

Rock said the frequency of scandals and infighting was the reason he felt he had to leave.

“How are y’all… do not even know how to apologize?” he said. “It’s as simple as addressing what you did, saying sorry, and never doing it again. But you bitches are gon’ cry, make up excuses, not say sorry, and still do the shit you say. The beauty industry became the sorry industry.”

In the last few years, the influencer economy has expanded beyond a handful of “vlog squads” and elite groups of influencers, as short-form content types like TikTok and Instagram Reels have allowed new creators to break into the makeup content creator scene. Rock said that growing up online and going viral at the moment he did allowed him to uplift Hawaiian communities and Asian Americans with his various television and social media projects.

“And this is whyyyy BRETMAN ROCK IS FOREVER ELITE,” one commenter wrote. “Bretman don’t miss,” another said.