YouTube personality Trisha Paytas has been the subject of a year-long online joke that suggests her children are the reincarnation of the royal family. But on Monday, the creator asked the public to stop making memes about her kids and the monarchs.
Paytas’ first and second pregnancies have coincided with the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis, which was announced on Monday.
In a TikTok video on Monday, Paytas, once a creator who leaned in to controversy, expressed discomfort with the jokes.
“I get the meme of it all," she said. "I was able to lean into the Queen Elizabeth one a little bit, but it also terrifies me that people believe in it enough."
Paytas gave birth to her first child, Malibu Barbie Paytas-Hacmon, on Sept. 14, 2022, less than a week after Queen Elizabeth II died. This led to an influx of memes about the queen being reincarnated as Paytas’ eldest daughter.
This week, after it was announced that Charles had been diagnosed with cancer, Paytas quickly started trending on X. Users made more jokes about the king dying and being reborn as Paytas’ second child.
Paytas, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, acknowledged that “the timing is crazy.” But she emphasized that she has “no connection” with or “animosity” toward the royal family.
The creator also reminded people that they are joking about real life-changing experiences. She said her kids, and the king’s health, are not just jokes for internet users.
Charles’ popularity dipped in the 1980s during his marital problems with Princess Diana, who has remained an extremely popular figure since her death in 1997.
“I know we don’t like what Charles did to Diana, OK, I get that,” Paytas said in her video, referring to some people's opinions about the king and his late ex-wife. “But like, once again, this is like an actual baby inside of me.”
She said seeing her name trending on X gives her “a panic attack."
The only king Paytas wants her second child associated with is “the king of rock and roll," she said, referring to a previous social media post in which she revealed she's naming baby No. 2 Elvis.
“I just want my baby to be my baby,” she said.
As for Charles? She said she hopes "he makes a speedy recovery."
