If you are on the internet at all, then you may be at risk for getting involved in some sort of conflict or another. In this modern day, we have a whole spectrum of people caught in scandals: musicians, authors, online creators, etc. 

On a Youtube video titled, “Spectacular Finale Paper Mario Sticker Star Music Extended HD,” an intense year-long fight broke out in the comments section on a Youtube video after a user by the name “Lunar1314” said they liked the song. The ensuing back-and-forth between Lunar1314 and multiple other accounts ended after about 500 comments, and all of this happened because Lunar1314 said they liked it. This really goes to show that the internet spares no soul.

But the everyday internet user is less at risk for controversy as compared to international sensations. Of course, Lunar1314 didn’t actually do anything morally wrong in any way, as opposed to several celebrities who were revealed to be child predators and/or sex offenders.

A popular Twitch streamer by the name of Dr. Disrespect was suddenly hit with a permanent ban for reasons unknown in 2020. The internet exploded in June of 2024 after it was reported that Dr. Disrespect was inappropriately messaging minors. A former Twitch employee by the name of Cody Connors publicly stated on X in a tweet referring to Dr. Disrespect (although not naming him) that he was sexting a minor on a messaging system called “Twitch Whispers,” NBC reported.

A month after the news broke of Dr. Disrespect, Ava Kris Tyson from the Youtube channel MrBeast was exposed for similar alleged offenses. The Tyson case was a very big deal since MrBeast has been the biggest channel on Youtube since mid-2024 when it hit 268 million subscribers, surpassing that of the channel T-Series with 266 million subscribers at that time, according to BBC News. To make matters worse, the MrBeast channel sometimes includes children in their competitions, most notably on the “MrBeast Gaming” channel that became popular during the pandemic.

Despite this major news, I stopped hearing about the case a month or so after the news first broke, and I saw fewer other Youtubers talking about the situation. And the MrBeast channel still uploads its regularly scheduled programs. It might have helped that Tyson agreed to permanently step away from everything related to MrBeast.

I definitely think that this decision was a good idea, both for the look of the channel and the safety of others, but even if Tyson was still with the MrBeast team in the end, I probably would still watch the channel. This is just simply because I find the channel’s videos entertaining. I just want to consume enjoyable content.

Similar things can be said when it comes to popular musical artists being put in the spotlight from allegations. Maryanna Teelucksingh (11) was surprised to hear about the abuse allegations against former One Direction member Liam Payne from his ex-fiance Maya Henry, who wrote a novel based on her alleged experience with Payne. According to NBC, the allegations sparked online backlash against Payne.

“After his death, people were discussing, ‘Oh, do we feel bad for him, that he died, because he was really abusive to his girlfriends?…’ So I had to separate that [from his art] and be like, ‘You know, he’s still a person that made art that really impacted me,’” Teelucksingh said.

It is hard to let go of figures who have had a major impact on your own life. Which is why I say this: Why should one have to change certain aspects of their life because of someone else’s wrongdoings? The consumer is not at fault for abuse or assault committed by a celebrity. So why should the average person have to be shamed for liking a celebrity’s work?

This kind of thinking allows me to listen to the music I want to listen to and watch the movies I want to watch. In addition, I find it quite easy to separate the art from the artist simply because the artists I consume the work of tend not to get themselves into scandals.

An exception to this was Harry Potter, author J.K. Rowling’s most popular book series from the 1990’s-2000’s. Back in fourth grade, I was a big Harry Potter fan; I just enjoyed reading the books about magic spells and did not expect the change of theme in Rowling’s fame. She started getting involved in political topics online around 2017 and really stopped holding back on her political views in 2020 according to NBC News. Looking at Rowling’s X page, I didn’t have to scroll too far to find her talking about her political ideologies.

“There are no trans kids. No child is ‘born in the wrong body,’” Rowling said in a tweet on Dec. 28, 2024.

I saw a few other tweets from Rowling that said similar things regarding gender identity. I was quite shocked to find out about these tweets since the Harry Potter franchise was mostly a fun series for younger audiences.

Now, it’s been a while since I’ve read any Harry Potter books, but I can’t recall any character or detail in any installments of the franchise that may be seen as a negative portrayal of transgender people or any representation of the LGBTQ+ community at all, although the 90’s were a little before the more recent diversity movements.

Perhaps this instance of a controversial author may be easier to look past, seeing as how Rowling didn’t appear to use Harry Potter, her most popular work, to spread her ideologies. This is not to say that she didn’t use her writing to spread transphobic messages, as in 2020, Rowling wrote the fifth book of “The Cormoran Strike” series under the pen name Robert Galbraith. In the book, there is a male serial killer who dresses as a woman to kill his victims, furthering Rowling’s beliefs on gender identity.  

Librarian Monica Caldicott still enjoys reading Harry Potter despite Rowling’s comments. Caldicott said she would still recommend the series to students, but she might warn them about the author’s views. Since Rowling’s work doesn’t appear to reflect these ideologies, Caldicott thinks that the Harry Potter books themselves shouldn’t need trigger warnings.

“If someone had an opinion about transgender people and they wrote a story in which the character, a transgender person, was portrayed in a really negative way…they’re using their work to share that opinion,” Caldicott said.

Rowling’s work would have looked very different had she decided to make Harry Potter a front to express her views on identity. The franchise would likely be canceled by today’s standards due to Rowling’s views, but how many readers would be willing to overlook the politics and focus on just the magic of the series?

There is a recurring issue that pops up when it comes to ignoring controversial artists: Should we financially support people who have done or said terrible things? 

Guinness World Records referred to Rowling as “the first billion-dollar author,” but she claims to have given away a lot of it through taxes and charities. According to UK newspaper The Telegraph, Rowling donated £70,000 (about $87,213) to help a Scottish feminist group obtain a Supreme Court ruling saying that men cannot become women and later made fun of activists who opposed her decision on X.

It’s especially difficult to decide whether to set aside the controversies when the artist uses their earnings to support highly disputed topics. Again, the consumer is doing nothing wrong just enjoying an artist’s work and it’s impossible for the fans to control what the creator chooses to do with their influence. The feminist group Rowling financially supported lost the case, but if Rowling had got what she wanted, I would expect much outcry from transgender people in the UK and maybe all over the world. Some might feel that would be a violation of their rights.

There is also the issue of what to do with Tyson. Multiple MrBeast videos show the crew going on expensive trips all over the world, sometimes with Tyson. I personally would feel wrong about helping to pay for the luxury of an alleged child predator. I said earlier that I probably would’ve kept watching MrBeast’s content, and my stance on that has not changed solely for the purpose of personal entertainment. I would definitely feel a little guilty for this, but I am not to be blamed for Tyson’s alleged past behaviors.

I am not saying that we should all just forgive and forget what these people have done, though, as Rowling’s controversial statements regarding identity have no doubt hurt many people who may not identify with their gender assigned at birth. Those statements could also spark societal movements that normalize this type of speech, negatively impacting the lives of countless LGTBQ+ people.

Everybody makes bad decisions in life, even people who are creative geniuses. Despite the crimes that some artists have committed, some accused artists are popular and enjoyable enough that they may never truly die out for years to come. People like to consume the music, books and movies that they find entertaining. Nothing will change that. But sometimes, we have to overlook details about a particular artist in an attempt to make our lives a little more enjoyable.