TikTok
"I didn't groom Connor," she said. "He's a kid and I'm aware of that. It just happened."
A 19-year-old TikTok star has apologized for kissing a 13-year-old boy in a leaked video.
Zoe LaVerne, who boasts almost 18million followers on the app, faced massive backlash after kissing fellow TikToker Connor Joyce — who is six years her junior — in a vid that was posted online.
In a livestream, LaVerne denied grooming the teen, insisting they were just friends who had caught "feelings for each other."
TikTok
Diplo Responds to Backlash Over Living Arrangement With 19-Year-Old TikTok Star
View StoryWaiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
"I didn't groom Connor, I wouldn't do that," she said. "He's a kid and I'm aware of that. It just happened."
"We both were in a dark place when we first became friends and we both just ended up catching feelings for each other. And friends do that, they catch feelings for each other. That's not a bad thing. Yes, the age is a bad thing."
"Yes, it's wrong. Yes, it’s not good. And We both realized that and we stopped, because we didn't want to get this out of proportion. We didn't want this to happen."
Connor meanwhile posted a statement insisting Zoe "did not rape me", informing his followers he would address the situation "as soon as I am stable enough" to do so.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
LaVerne and Joyce — who goes by @cxnnorjoyce on TikTok and has almost 400k followers of his own — frequently appear in each other's videos:
However the clip that leaked online certainly appeared to show them acting more than just friendly:
TikTok / shanaquiapo
Texas Walmart Employee Spectacularly Quits Over PA System in Viral Video
View StoryCommenters online lashed out at the older teen, branding the age gap inappropriate, which even prompted LaVerne's mother to jump on a live steam and defend her daughter.
"Anybody can reach over and kiss somebody, they're best friends," she insisted, adding to the critics: "This needs to stop you guys... why are you doing this?"
UPDATE: Zoe Laverne’s mother defends Zoe (19) kissing a 13-year-old fan. Zoe’s mom says “Anybody can reach over and kiss somebody. They’re best friends.” pic.twitter.com/jOlN1BYWgn
— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) October 28, 2020 @defnoodles
The controversy first came to light when a text exchange between LaVerne's ex Cody Orlove and another TikToker Amber VanPelt leaked online, in which Orlove reportedly told VanPelt he broke up with LaVerne "because of her interactions with Connor."
"They got very intense and it's something I do not stand by whatsoever. It's p**dophillia." he wrote, per Dextero.
The kissing video leaked online shortly afterward.
In the meantime, both LaVerne and Joyce seem to have moved past the controversy:
Getty/Instagram
