Alix Earle: 10 Facts About The TikTok Star
If you haven't heard the name Alix Earle, you may be living under a rock. The TikTok sensation, who seemingly blew up overnight, is the new It-girl in town. The New Jersey resident has come a long way since her first video, in which she and her friends wore outfits made from trash bags. Today, she has millions of followers on TikTok, has partnerships with brands like Rare Beauty and Tarte, parties with celebrities like Miley Cyrus, and has inspired many to copy her white eyeliner trick.
So what is it about Earle that has the world obsessed? Most can agree it comes down to her relatability and authenticity. Whether she's opening up about her acne struggles, showing off her messy dorm room, or suffering through a hangover after a wild night out, Earle feels like a girl we can all be friends with, or at least makes us feel better about not having it all together. "This legitimately made me feel so much better about the fact that I am also just a messy girl," read one TikTok comment.
From her tumultuous love life to exciting future projects, we've rounded up everything you need to know about the internet's favorite influencer.
Alix Earle gained over 2 million followers in one month
To date, Alix Earle is one of the fastest-growing creators ever on TikTok. In December 2022, Earle had 1.2 million TikTok followers. By the end of January, that number had soared to 4.2 million. One user tracking her growth reported that Earle gained a whopping 600,000 followers in just six days. So what is the secret sauce to Earle's success? As Earle put it on "The Howard Stern Show," the second she stopped trying to be the hot, picture-perfect girl is when things started to take off.
Culture and finance commentator Samantha Tannor attributes Earle's success to what she calls "The Cool Best Friend Effect." "Because she feels like your cool best friend, you feel like you know her, and that means you'll be loyal to her," she explained on her own TikTok. It also comes down to her authenticity. It's clear social media users have become fed up with the "picture-perfect" artifice of filters, Photoshop, and the pressure to depict a glamorous lifestyle.
Meanwhile, Earle isn't trying to pretend that everything is perfect all the time. From her self-deprecating humor to her candidness about her anxiety, Earle's authenticity is a breath of fresh air for users who have spent years feeling insecure and inadequate. People relate to her. They trust her. And it's paying off, because her following doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
She has a marketing degree from the University of Miami
Alix Earle can do it all. We've watched her attend wild college parties, struggle through debilitating hangovers, and attempt to finish a 25-page paper in time to celebrate her 22nd birthday (she did). Somehow she managed to balance her jam-packed party schedule with her schoolwork and graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in marketing in May 2023.
Earle took to Instagram to celebrate her success, posting a carousel of pictures in her graduation gown, popping champagne, and rocking a white lace dress. "The day has finally come ... 4 years ago I cried when I found out I was accepted to my dream school," she captioned the post. "Little did I know these years would be the best years of my life. I've gained lifelong friends, made memories I'll never forget, and learned life lessons inside and out of the classroom. ... I can confidently say that the University of Miami has shaped me into the person I am today and I'm forever grateful I got the opportunity to attend such an amazing school."
Earle also shared pictures from her graduation celebration, captioning the post "celebrating with the people I love most." For that, she donned a white two-piece set, featuring a ruffled off-the-shoulder crop top paired with a matching midi skirt. Of course, users were swooning over both her graduation looks, and style websites everywhere compiled lists of similar dupes.
Alix Earle has been open about her struggle with acne
In an attempt to destigmatize skin problems, Earle launched a TikTok series called "All Things Acne," in which she shares before-and-after pictures of her skin, her journey with Accutane, and how acne has affected her confidence and mental health. "I just want to talk about the fact that [acne is] normal. This time last year, I would cry probably three times a day. I did not want to leave my house," she said. "[My] self-esteem was like -1,000. ... I was so down bad, I never thought I would recover from this."
While most influencers use makeup and filters to create the illusion of perfect skin, Earle reminds viewers that it's normal to have skin problems. "What you see on social media, it's all filters, it's all edited out, it's all fake. And I feel like all my friends that I've been surrounded with have very clear skin. I would always compare my skin to theirs," she said.
The series also covers Earle's experience with Accutane, which helped cure her acne, warning users of side effects such as dry lips, mood changes, cracked skin, and thinning hair. "You are beautiful, your skin does not define who you are," she said. Her message has resonated with viewers, with one commenting, "You were genuinely the first influencer that made me feel comfortable with my acne," and another adding, "You are going to help so many girls."
She went through a public breakup with former New York Yankee Tyler Wade
Alix Earle confirmed she was dating New York Yankee Tyler Wade in September 2022. "The way he asked me out was actually really cute," she gushed on TikTok, and then shared a video in which he had spelled out "Will you be my GF?" in rose petals on a bed. However, on November 19, 2022, Earle seemingly confirmed their breakup with a video of her lip-syncing to "Kill Bill" by SZA. With lyrics like "I might kill my ex," they probably didn't leave off on good terms.
During their whirlwind romance, the couple enjoyed at-home date nights, trips to New York and California, and multiple weddings. Earle often posted videos of their time together, but Wade did not. "We have been fighting for a bit. I just was not happy with the way I was feeling. He wouldn't post me," she explained in a TikTok Live. "We went to a wedding and got all these good photos together and two selfies of him, and he was like, 'Oh how many pictures should I post?' and I was thinking, 'Aw he's going to post me.'"
Fans loved Earle's unbothered response to the breakup, posting a TikTok of herself on a private jet with an audio clip of someone saying, "Damn, y'all broke up? Nah, she broke, I'm up." Fans rallied behind her, with one user commenting, "One time Alix broke up with her bf, so I did too."
Alix Earle is candid about the cosmetic work she's had done
Unlike most celebrities, Alix Earle has been honest about the cosmetic work she's had done, including Botox, fillers, and a breast augmentation. "Growing up, I saw a lot of perfection on social media, and would compare myself to it, a lot," she told Rolling Stone. "And as I got older, I realized that that's not real."
After her breast augmentation surgery, she made a "Get Ready With Me" TikTok in which she talked her followers through her journey and answered many of their questions. She also references how she celebrated her "boobaversary," aka the one-year anniversary of her breast augmentation, telling her followers she'll be having a party with "little booby cupcakes and champagne."
"From the start, I decided I was going to be open with this, especially on social media," Earle said in the video. "[I]f you're paying to get something done, wouldn't you want people to notice? Like, if I paid all that money for a surgery and no one noticed anything different about me, I'd be pissed." She emphasized that she was not trying to push plastic surgery onto her followers, but wanted to remove the stigma for those who are interested in getting work done. "This is also not me convincing anyone to get a boob job," she said. "You should love yourself. But if there is something you want to do for yourself, then do it. Don't care about what other people think."
Alix Earle parties with A-listers
Alix Earle's social calendar has come a long way from frat parties and dive bars. How many people can say they've had Selena Gomez do their makeup for them? After being invited to the launch of Rare Beauty's new highlighter and under-eye shimmer in December 2022, Earle filmed a "Get Ready With Me" on her TikTok with the pop star, who showed her how to apply the highlighter.
She then cracked an invite to Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton's New Year's Eve Party" in Miami, where she celebrated the end of 2022 with celebrities like FLETCHER and Dixie D'Amelio. "Why am I invited to this? I don't know," she said in a "Get Ready With Me" video.
She also attended the OBB Studios launch party in LA for Hailey Bieber's skincare brand Rhode, where she snapped a pic with the style icon and mingled with stars like Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner. "How are you hanging with Hailey Bieber on the weekend and going to college classes two days later?! What is your life!" one TikTok user commented.
She's also been invited to star-studded events like New York Fashion Week and the 2023 Super Bowl. In July 2023, she attended the world premiere of the "Barbie" movie, where she slayed on the pink carpet in a silk gold gown. Us? Jealous? Never.
Her romance with NFL player Braxton Berrios caused a stir
It seems Alix Earle has a thing for athletes. In July 2023, she made her red-carpet debut with Miami Dolphins receiver Braxton Berrios after months of speculation about the couple's relationship status. However, a source told People that the couple are not exclusive. "Despite the fact they went to a red carpet together and maybe in traditional Hollywood terms, that could be interpreted as 'a hard launch' of a relationship, that's not what it was at all," they said. "Both have continued to keep things casual and have fun with each other."
The pair first sparked dating rumors in May 2023 after they were spotted at Miami restaurant Sadelle's together. This caused quite a stir because Barrows was coming off a recent public breakup with reality star Sophia Culpo. "Damn Alix stole Braxton from Sophia!" commented one user. Barrows attempted to clear the air on Instagram, revealing that he had split from Culpo back in January 2023 because the relationship just wasn't working. "It had nothing to do with anything else. It had nothing to do with anybody else for that matter." However, Culpo contradicted his claim, saying "We broke up after the Drake concert Super Bowl weekend where he was seen making out with another girl."
Earle went on TikTok Live to establish where they stand, saying "Me and Braxton are good! There is no tea. We're just not super serious. We didn't want that for the summer."
Her stepmom is Ashley Dupré
Just like Alix Earle, her stepmother Ashley Dupré is no stranger to the limelight. The former escort was embroiled in a nationwide scandal in 2008 after one of her clients turned out to be then-governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer. The press lambasted Dupré, while Spitzer resigned from office and was left by his wife. Dupré claimed she had no idea who he was at the time and insisted she did nothing wrong. "If it wasn't me, it would have been someone else," she told ABC News. "I was doing my job. I don't feel that I brought him down."
Dupré turned down numerous invitations to appear on reality shows, as well as a $1 million offer to pose for Hustler Magazine. "You stop and think, but that's not who I am," she said. "And that's not what I want to do. I want to go after my music and do what I love. And not lose track of who I am on the way."
Since the scandal, Dupré has done some modeling, appeared on the reality show "Kell on Earth," and had her own advice column in The New York Post called "Ask Ashley." She eloped in Paris with Earle's father Thomas Earle in October 2013, and the couple have three children together.
Alix Earle signed with Alex Cooper's The Unwell Network
It's the blond partnership of Gen Z's dreams. In August 2023, Alix Earle signed with The Unwell Network, launched by Alex Cooper, host of the popular podcast "Call Her Daddy." The network is described as a platform for "unique voices that embrace social challenges and personal insecurities through honest conversation," according to Variety.
Earle and popular U.K.-based creator Madeline Argy are the network's first two partners. "Alix Earle and Madeline Argy both have a unique presence that captivates an audience, but I love how they approach content in very different ways," Cooper said in a statement, according to Deadline. "Alix took the U.S. by storm with her 'Get Ready With Me' videos, college lifestyle, and endearing personality. I feel honored to be at a place in my career where I can pass along knowledge and advice for a new generation of creators to flourish."
The Unwell Network's official Instagram account celebrated the partnership by posting a picture of Earle lying on a boardroom table, while Cooper pours champagne into her mouth. "2 blondes walk into a boardroom... the world is not ready!!!" read the caption. According to Deadline, Cooper said that The Unwell Network will cover topics like fashion, beauty, pop culture, lifestyle, and "all sorts of topics in a way that isn't exclusive or intrusive," and will be "the source everyone can go to for unique perspectives exploring what's top of mind today for this generation."
Her kiss with a 17-year-old landed her in hot water
Fans were outraged after Alix Earle was spotted kissing Sebastian de Felice, Donna Karan's grandson, who was only 17 at the time. The incident took place in the Hamptons in July 2023, a few days after the 22-year-old went public with Braxton Berrios. The pair were then spotted leaving a Hamptons nightclub together that night. Earle was also photographed sitting next to de Felice at a Rove x Casa del Sol dinner two days prior.
Celebrity gossip account Deux Moi posted the clip to its Instagram account, and fans were not happy. While the age of consent in New York State is 17, and de Felice was only 10 days away from his 18th birthday, many were critical of the age difference. "Girl are you dating a high schooler," commented one user, while another wrote, "Why did you hook up with a minor? That's illegal."
Earle responded to the backlash on her TikTok, leaving comments claiming she had no idea he was a minor. "I found out about this the same time you guys did," she wrote. "Just as shocked as you are," she wrote in another comment, this one on her Instagram. It seems fans are not accepting ignorance as an excuse, with one user commenting, "Nah. It's your responsibility as the adult to make sure. You are older, which means you were in a position of power. You are at fault. You are a creep."