Influencer Apoorva Mukhija Speaks Out on Harassment and Mental Health After Weeks of Silence

Apoorva Mukhija, a digital creator known to her followers as The Rebel Kid, has returned to YouTube with a personal and emotionally candid video, months after facing a torrent of online backlash linked to the now-suspended comedy panel show India’s Got Latent.

In her latest upload titled Till I Say It Is, the 23-year-old addresses the vitriol that followed a controversial segment on the show, during which she and fellow creators — including host Samay Raina and YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia — faced widespread criticism and multiple police complaints for perceived vulgarity.

Trigger warning: This article contains references to sexual violence, abuse, and self-harm.

The fallout led Mukhija to withdraw from public platforms. In the video, she reveals that in the aftermath of the incident, she was subjected to threats of rape, acid attacks, and death. On Tuesday, she also shared screenshots of some of these messages on Instagram, captioning the post: “And that’s not even 1%.”

“I should have been more mindful, and I truly have learned my lesson,” she says in the nearly 15-minute video, where she reaffirms an earlier public apology. Mukhija describes the moment on the show that led to the backlash, saying she reacted to an audience member’s crude comment that made her feel targeted and violated. “It came from genuine anger and the need to retaliate,” she says. “I was just standing up for myself.”

Beyond the controversy, Mukhija uses the video to speak publicly for the first time about personal traumas—describing an abusive past relationship, being slut-shamed by relatives, and struggling with self-harm in her teenage years.

“I used to live in a house that never felt like home for 17 years,” she says. The segment marks a stark shift in tone for Mukhija, who built a following through comedic sketches and lifestyle content but now finds herself navigating public scrutiny in a digital ecosystem that can rapidly turn hostile.

She also shares her fear of professional fallout: the loss of brand partnerships, housing instability, and a sense of public rejection. “It used to be my worst nightmare that one day I might become irrelevant,” she admits.

Still, she frames her return as a reclamation of her voice. A recent solo trip, which included watching a Sabrina Carpenter concert and visiting the French Alps, gave her what she calls “a new lens.” “I know this is what I’ve signed up for… but I was not ok with it,” she says.

Mukhija’s return to the public eye comes amid ongoing discussions around the mental health toll of internet fame — especially for young women. Her video joins a growing chorus of creators urging for more empathy, context, and boundaries in how digital figures are judged.

While India’s Got Latent remains offline, other participants have also quietly resumed activity online. Ranveer Allahbadia, who was involved in the episode in question, has since returned to posting without directly addressing the incident.

Mukhija recently appeared in Netflix’s Nadaaniyan co-starring Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor.