It would be an understatement to say that Addison Rae has experienced a serious come up in the past few years. The 20-year-old internet star first joined TikTok back in 2019 and, today, she has over 81 million followers on the platform, thanks to her array of dance videos. Aside from being one of the most popular (and well-paid) TikTokers on the planet she’s now diving into the world of acting with a role in Netflix’s He’s All That and has even made some famous friends along the way. And just recently, she became a UFC reporter, and the internet had some differing opinions on her short-lived gig.
Addison Rae was one of several celebrities who was present at the UFC fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier this past weekend. It’s not clear how she managed to land the job, but Rae surprised plenty of people when she took to Twitter to confirm that she was serving as a reporter. However, she later retweeted her original post, saying that she’d lost the job, apparently due to the public’s response. You can check it out down below:
That original post and Addison Rae’s joke about only having studied journalism in college for “3 months” didn’t sit well with a number of people. Many argued the situation was a prime example of a person only getting a job due to their status or the connections they have. One Twitter user chastised the UFC for the decision to hire Rae as opposed to a professional journalist:
Addison Rae’s post also drew responses from plenty of former and current professionals within the industry. One journalist related the TikToker’s opportunity to her own experiences and was honest in sharing those thoughts:
Despite the criticisms, there were some who came out in support of Addison Rae. One user argued that it was invaluable for UFC to look to someone like Rae for event coverage:
The social media star also received support from none other than sports and political journalist Keith Olbermann. In a lengthy thread, the veteran news personality made the case for Addison Rae’s job by pointing to other well-known journalists who had minimal experience when getting their starts in the industry:
Of course, this isn’t the first time Addison Rae has stirred up controversy. Following an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she received backlash after performing dances originated by other TikTokers. She later responded to the controversy, expressing her support for the other internet stars in the process.
While it would appear Addison Rae is no longer on UFC’s payroll, I think just about all of us can agree that she has plenty of other avenues to keep her busy. Recently, she announced that she was readying to begin the press tour for He’s All That, which could be the first of many acting jobs for her. And of course, she’ll always have more videos to make.
