In 2020, parenting YouTuber Myka Stauffer and her husband James made headlines internationally for giving up the four-year-old boy they adopted from China, practically three years after welcoming him into their household.
On the time, the Ohio-based couple confronted excessive backlash after posting a tearful video saying they’ve determined to ‘rehome’ Huxley, who was identified with autism, citing that ‘there have been much more particular wants that we weren’t conscious of’ as their reasoning.
In a YouTube video posted earlier than the adoption, she advised viewers ‘my youngster shouldn’t be returnable’ and that they ‘would love’ the teenager, ‘it doesn’t matter what state’ he got here to them in – making what occurred later much more stunning.
Now, 4 years later, the viral scandal is being revisited in a brand new docuseries known as An Replace on Our Household, which explores the couple’s fall from grace and contains clips from Myka’s now-deleted YouTube movies, in addition to diving into the household vlogging business.
Right here, MailOnline seems at what occurred to the Stauffer household, after the collection premiered yesterday at Tribeca 2024 Movie Pageant.
In 2020, parenting YouTuber Myka Stauffer and her husband James made headlines internationally for giving up the four-year-old boy they adopted from China, practically three years after welcoming him into their household
In a YouTube video posted earlier than the adoption, she advised viewers ‘my youngster shouldn’t be returnable’ and that they ‘would love’ the teenager, ‘it doesn’t matter what state’ he got here to them in – making what occurred later much more stunning
After the announcement of their resolution to rehome Huxley in Could 2020 and the inflow of hate that adopted, the Stauffers swiftly left YouTube and their channel was deleted.
Myka had amassed 717,000 subscribers through the years on her channel, wither an additional 300,000 individuals tuning into the household’s vlog channel, ‘The Staffer Life’.
A few of Myka’s hottest movies included, REAL New child Morning Routine 2019, What I Eat In A Day To Keep Wholesome And Lean, and SURVIVE Quarantine like a BOSS! THRIVE AND get your life BACK!
Her sponsor companions included big-name corporations like Massive Tons, TJ Maxx and Danimals yogurt. Others manufacturers she had labored with to advertise their merchandise included Fabletics, Suave, and Playtex Child.
Whereas all of their YouTube movies throughout each channels have been deleted, Myka’s Instagram account stays, with its final put up being an apology she posted in 2020, the place she penned that she ‘takes full duty for the entire damage’ she prompted.
Her husband James’ ‘Stauffer Storage’ YouTube channel stays energetic however with no household content material. The channel is concentrated on automotive flipping, detailing, and cleansing.
Except for this, the Stauffer couple, who’ve 4 organic kids, have utterly disappeared from the web – Myka had first started arrange her YouTube channel in 2014.
Between 2016 and 2020, the pair had extensively chronicled the journey of adopting Huxley – from selecting him, to elevating cash, to the day he arrived.
After the announcement of their resolution to rehome Huxley in Could 2020 and the inflow of hate that adopted, the Stauffers swiftly left YouTube and their channel was deleted
On the time, the Ohio-based couple confronted excessive backlash after posting a tearful video saying they’ve determined to ‘rehome’ Huxley, who was identified with autism, citing that ‘there have been much more particular wants that we weren’t conscious of’ as their reasoning
Myka featured Huxley on her YouTube channel and social media pages till early 2020
Whereas they have been already fashionable on-line, it introduced them a brand new period of success, and their adoption video of Huxley was watched by greater than 5 million individuals.
Myka additionally wrote about Huxley’s adoption and his particular wants. In a chunk she had penned for Parade in September 2020, she stated that they have been stunned once they got here house with their adopted son and realized his file was ‘inaccurate.’
‘Our son ended up having a stroke in utero, has stage 3 autism, and sensory processing dysfunction,’ she wrote. ‘It took lots of time to course of and to readjust to his new analysis.’
She shared that Huxley obtained ’30 hours of ABA [Applied Behavior Analysis] in-home remedy every week and went to to ‘personal preschool’ to assist together with his wants.
‘He is a good child and his situation doesn’t contain that a lot total care—all you want is a giant coronary heart and follow persistence on daily basis,’ she stated.
Myka featured Huxley on her YouTube channel and social media pages till early 2020.
Moments resembling his first Christmas with the household, bonding together with his new siblings, and household days out have been all shared on-line.
Considered one of Myka’s final pictures that includes her adopted son was posted on February 16, and within the captions, she opened up about how troublesome it may be to take care of his particular wants.
Whereas they have been already fashionable on-line, the adoption introduced them a brand new period of success, and their adoption video of Huxley was watched by greater than 5 million individuals
The backlash was swift, with many critics accusing the couple of adopting Huxley as a stunt to realize viewers
‘Now we have arduous days, a lot of them. I want autism and adoption trauma had a guide to direct you thru all of it,’ she wrote.
After months of followers questioning what occurred to Huxley, Myka and James shared a household ‘replace’ on her YouTube channel, saying their adopted son has a brand new ‘endlessly household’ that’s higher outfitted to tackle his particular wants.
‘With worldwide adoption, typically there are unknowns and issues that aren’t clear on recordsdata,’ James stated. ‘As soon as Huxley got here house, there was much more particular wants that we weren’t conscious of, and that we weren’t advised.’
Myka added that an adoption company had helped place Huxley together with his ‘endlessly household’ – he has now additionally been renamed.
‘He is thriving, he is doing very well, and his new mommy has medical, skilled coaching,’ she added.
The backlash was swift, with many critics accusing the couple of adopting Huxley as a stunt to realize viewers.
After going through a barrage of criticism on social media, Myka allegedly responded within the feedback, saying Huxley ‘wished this resolution 100 per cent’ – it was deleted shortly after.
She added: ‘A number of scary issues occurred inside the house in direction of our different kids, and if these occasions occurred with one in all my organic children, in any case the assistance and after the behaviors we witnessed sadly we might don’t have any different selection then to hunt assist and get their wants met.’
4 years later, the viral scandal is being revisited in a brand new docuseries known as An Replace on Our Household, which explores the couple’s fall from grace
Within the trailer, different vloggers talk about what occurred, together with the occasions main as much as the kid’s disapparance from their YouTube channel and the way a lot cash household YouTubers could make by posting about their children on-line
The brand new docuseries, An Replace On Our Household, gained its title from the infamous video that was posted by the Stauffer’s to announce that they had rehomed Huxley.
Within the trailer, different vloggers talk about what occurred, together with the occasions main as much as the kid’s disapparance from their YouTube channel and the way a lot cash household YouTubers could make by posting about their children on-line
Its description reads: ‘Myka and James Stauffer have been the image of the twenty first century American Dream: completely satisfied marriage, stunning children, and a self-built YouTube vlogging empire.
‘On the heart of all of it was Huxley, an cute younger boy they adopted from China. Huxley was extra than simply their star — he was their son. Till sooner or later, he wasn’t.
‘A provocative three-part collection, An Replace On Our Household exposes the hidden-in-plain-sight, unregulated household vlogging business.’
An Replace on Our Household premiered at Tribeca Movie Pageant 2024 on Thursday June 6
