Did Alix Earle Trademark A Racist Slur? The Rumours Explained (2024)

Weeks after fellow TikToker Brooke Schofield apologised for resurfaced Tweets, Alix Earle is now defending herself against a series of rumours surrounding a slur used on an old social media account. Earle, a popular social media personality with a follower count surpassing 7 million on TikTok, made a public apology via her Instagram stories, saying she was “taking accountability”. She also pointed to some rumours circling that were simply untrue.

If you’ve only just tuned in to the latest social media scandal, allow us to enlighten you.

What Did Alix Earle Say? The Slur Scandal Explained

In early August, screenshots were posted to Reddit allegedly showing Alix using racial slurs in comments from 2014. The comments, posted by a user named ‘Alixxxxxx’ (presumed to be Earle), were shared on the social media platform ASKfm.

Alix remained silent on the incident until August 26, when she took to Instagram to share an apology.

“I am taking accountability and want to make it clear that I was 13 years old and did not understand the deeply offensive meaning behind that word,” she wrote in a statement released via Instagram. “That is no excuse for using that word in any context or at any age. That absolutely is not the way I speak or what I stand for. I am deeply sorry that my words have hurt many and have led people to believe that I have any prejudice in my heart. I promise you that could not be further from the truth. My platform has always focused on positivity, entertainment, and uplifting others and will continue to do so. I am sincerely sorry to those I have offended.”

Earle continued to explain that she regretted her initial handling of the situation, and was talked out saying something sooner. “I wasn’t sure how to hand it and unfortunately the advice I was given, although well intended, was wrong.” This silence, she says, “allowed others to fill the void with rumours that simply aren’t true.” This leads us to the next instalment of the drama…

Did Alix Earle Try To Trademark A Racist Slur?

After Alix’s ASKfm comments resurfaced, hosts of the podcast Do We Know Them?, Jessi Smiles and Lily Marston, alleged that Alix Earle’s legal team contacted them, stating they had violated their copyright. “People posted screenshots of [Alix’s alleged comments] in our subreddit, and her lawyer said that they have a trademark to that,” Smiles told Variety, adding that they do not own or moderate the subreddit associated with their podcast. Smiles and Marston went on to release an official statement, explaining they were contacted by an entity claiming to “act as the rights agent for Alix Earle”.

“Based on Alix’s statement, the implication is that this email was sent without her knowledge or authorization. If that is the case, while unfortunate and out of her control, it would certainly be in her best interest to clarify that to set the record straight,” the pair wrote. You can read the statement in full at Variety.

In her Instagram apology, Earle denied the rumours.

“One rumour in particular is that I tried to trademark my old posts, which is absolutely ridiculous and untrue,” she confirmed.

“Regardless of what’s being said online, I wanted to come on here to address the facts and most importantly apologise,” Earle finished her statement.