What's Really Going On With Axel Webber On TikTok

TikTok has over 1 billion users (per The Verge). And over 2 million of those users follow 22-year-old Axel Webber. Over on his YouTube page, Webber describes himself by saying, "I'm Axel Webber and I am going to entertain the s*** out of you! I love making videos about everything from my journey in New York to my progression as an actor. My dream is to dedicate my Oscar to you all one day! I couldn't do it without you."

He first made mainstream news with his videos about, as he puts it, "the smallest apartment in New York "(via ABC News). Recently, he posted about auditioning for Juilliard, and in one video after the audition, he said "The guy gave me absolutely no reaction. He just stared, right into my soul. He didn't even say anything until he said 'thanks' and then joined the other breakout room in the Zoom call."

Webber gave another update reading an email that confirmed that he was no longer a candidate to attend the prestigious performing arts school.

That's when singer Charlie Puth stepped in with his thoughts on the situation.

Charlie Puth commented on Axel Webber's video, saying "Hey friend ... I also didn't get into Juilliard ... but things ended up being just fine for me. I cried too."

Puth followed up with his own video encouraging Webber to carry on in the face of rejection in which he said, "Not only did I not get into Juilliard, but I didn't get into five of these 'prestigious' schools that I wanted to get into that I thought would better my career ... We experience rejection every day of our lives, and as hard as it is to swallow in the moment, it's the thing that pushes you further creatively."

The support came for Webber from around the world, and people flooded Juilliard's social media posts with comments like "Let Axel in!" and "You need to reevaluate your decision on Axel Webber. A personality that can gather 2.2 million followers in mere weeks is a promising prospect. Help his career and talent grow."

Some, however, were suspicious of Webber and here's why. There was an Instagram story clip of Webber partying with Vinnie Hacker, another famous TikTok creator and resident at the Hype House, a collective of TikTok and internet stars that live together in L.A. And Jeremy O Harris, a playwright, posted a video questioning if Webber was actually a Hype House plant.

In that video Harris tagged NY Times tech and internet reporter Taylor Lorenz, and she then posted her own set of videos about the situation and what she found out about whether Webber was genuine or not.

Lorenze said that she found out that Axel was visiting L.A. and he ended up at an event with TikTok stars and members, and while he's being pursued to create content and work in entertainment by a lot of different people right now since he's gone so viral, he's not a member of the Hype House.