Celeb Spellcheck: Major changes after fan backlash to ‘pro-drug posts’

Celeb Spellcheck has announced a significant change to its content after fans accused the Instagram gossip account of promoting drug use.

The profile’s anonymous administrator, a Melbourne woman in her late twenties, said during a Q&A on Monday she would no longer be sharing posts about illegal drugs after listening to feedback from her followers.

Going forward she won’t publish footage of celebrities using drugs, spread rumours about alleged drug use, or allow users to post comments alluding to drugs.

Changes: Instagram gossip account Celeb Spellcheck has announced a significant change to its content after fans accused the anonymous admin promoting drug use (stock photo)

The Celeb Spellcheck admin decided to ban drug posts after being called out for her own recreational cocaine use, which she often alludes to in her weekly Q&As.

She said: ‘I got some feedback from a follower saying they felt I promoted drug use because I mentioned it a few times in Q&As, and the comment got quite a few likes. 

‘The reason I was open about it was because I don’t think it’s fair for me to judge influencers for doing lines when I occasionally dabble myself.

Lesson learned: The profile's anonymous administrator, a Melbourne woman in her late twenties, said during a Q&A on Monday she would no longer be sharing posts about illegal drugs after listening to feedback from her followers

Lesson learned: The profile’s anonymous administrator, a Melbourne woman in her late twenties, said during a Q&A on Monday she would no longer be sharing posts about illegal drugs after listening to feedback from her followers

Moderation: Going forward she won't publish footage of celebrities using drugs, spread rumours about alleged drug use, or allow users to post comments alluding to drugs

Moderation: Going forward she won’t publish footage of celebrities using drugs, spread rumours about alleged drug use, or allow users to post comments alluding to drugs

‘However, I think their feedback was warranted and I’ve taken it on board. I would never want people to think I promote or encourage drug use.’

A new drug policy wasn’t Celeb Spellcheck’s only announcement on Monday.

The administrator also apologised to former Bachelor star Laurina Fleure for sharing a video on March 14 of her appearing to snort a line of white powder at a party.

Apology: Celeb Spellcheck also apologised to former Bachelor star Laurina Fleure (pictured) for sharing a video on March 14 of her appearing to snort a line of white powder at a party

Apology: Celeb Spellcheck also apologised to former Bachelor star Laurina Fleure (pictured) for sharing a video on March 14 of her appearing to snort a line of white powder at a party

The video was filmed by a party guest without Laurina’s knowledge or consent.

The footage was viewed on Celeb Spellcheck more than 100,000 times before it was deleted, and Laurina later said she felt ‘humiliated’ by the exposure.

‘I feel sick. I am humiliated. I don’t know what else to say. I am really embarrassed,’ she told The Herald Sun, adding that she mostly lives a ‘sober lifestyle’ but sometimes ‘the scales tip the other way and I have a blowout… when I go out’.

When asked if she regretted posting the video of Laurina, Celeb Spellcheck said: ‘Yes I do. That was unfair of me and I have apologised privately to her.’

Regrets: When asked if she regretted posting the video of Laurina, Celeb Spellcheck said: 'Yes I do. That was unfair of me and I have apologised privately to her'

Regrets: When asked if she regretted posting the video of Laurina, Celeb Spellcheck said: ‘Yes I do. That was unfair of me and I have apologised privately to her’

Elsewhere, the administrator said she wasn’t concerned about defamation threats from disgruntled influencers like Sophie Cachia and Ruby Tuesday Matthews.

When a follower asked, ‘Are you worried about legal action if you continue,’ the admin replied: ‘No, I am very comfortable with what I post from a legal perspective.’

She also made it clear she wouldn’t be silenced by influencers who flout Covid-19 rules, then complain about being called out for it.

No worries: Elsewhere, the administrator said she wasn't concerned about defamation threats from disgruntled influencers like Sophie Cachia and Ruby Tuesday Matthews

No worries: Elsewhere, the administrator said she wasn’t concerned about defamation threats from disgruntled influencers like Sophie Cachia and Ruby Tuesday Matthews

 

'I will never apologise for that': She also made it clear she wouldn't be silenced by influencers who flout Covid-19 rules, then complain about being called out for it

‘I will never apologise for that’: She also made it clear she wouldn’t be silenced by influencers who flout Covid-19 rules, then complain about being called out for it

‘If I stand by one type of content on this account it’s calling out Covid law-breakers. I will never apologise for that,’ she said.

Several influencers and reality stars have criticised Celeb Spellcheck, accusing the account of ‘bullying’ them by spreading gossip and correcting their bad spelling.

However, a top Sydney lawyer has claimed that successfully suing an account like Celeb Spellcheck for defamation would be almost impossible. 

Employment and media lawyer John Laxon told the Outspoken podcast on March 29 it’s very difficult to prosecute someone hiding behind an anonymous account.

Celeb Spellcheck explained 

Celeb Spellcheck began a few years ago as an account making fun of Instagram models’ poor spelling, but has since become a platform for holding influencers to account for their lies and irresponsible behaviour.

The profile is also a hub for user-submitted gossip about influencers.

Celeb Spellcheck has attracted criticism in recent months, with the likes of Tayla Damir accusing the page of ‘bullying’.

 

‘[Social media platforms] aren’t ever going to volunteer who’s behind [accounts like Celeb Spellcheck]. You need to use court procedures to compel the platforms to tell you,’ he said.

‘It’s really difficult when you’re up against multinational platforms like Google or Facebook,’ he added, noting that such legal proceedings are both expensive and time-consuming.

Even if you manage to identify the anonymous user behind accounts like Celeb Spellcheck, they may not even be worth suing if they don’t have any assets, Mr Laxon added.

‘What if it’s a teenager operating out of their bedroom? There’s no point suing someone who has no assets, because you’re not going to be able to get anything out of them when you do,’ he said.

Mr Laxon also pointed out another challenge: proving the post is actually defamatory (in that it would harm someone’s reputation) and also untrue.  

If post is true it can’t be defamatory, so it stands to reason that simply reposting someone else’s typos may not fall under the definition of defamation.

‘So, assuming that you’ve identified the person, then you need to be absolutely sure that you’ve been defamed and that what they’ve published is defamatory and untrue,’ he said. 

‘If a publisher is easily going to be able to rely on the truth defence, a person would be crazy to sue in defamation.’

Mr Laxon noted that a photo or video ‘typically speaks for itself’, so simply reposting an undoctored image or video of a celebrity would fall under the truth defence.

In January, Celeb Spellcheck revealed that a celebrity once tried to sue her for defamation for uploading a video of them ‘taking drugs’.

However, she insinuated the person’s attempt was unsuccessful, saying: ‘They said it was her “acne medication” lol.’ 

On March 20, Celeb Spellcheck suddenly deleting its archive of content following a wave of backlash from influencers and D-listers.

In a message to their 144,000 followers on March 20, the admin shut down rumours they were facing lawsuits or that their identity was on the brink of being exposed.

Instead, they said they were taking a break to figure out the future of the account.

After ensuring fans they were ‘completely fine’, the account’s owner explained their decision to wipe the profile.

‘I’m not being sued (that I know of, lol) and I’m not at risk of having my identity revealed,’ they wrote.

‘I will be taking a break while I think about the future of this account.

‘Moderating the comments has become quite time consuming (but very necessary), as is dealing with all the other things that come with having a large audience.’

The person behind the account admitted they were considering whether or not to reveal their identity and if they should monetise the page or not.

They also said they were pondering whether to ‘dabble in gossip’ moving forward.

The Celeb Spellcheck account was restored, minus a few dozen posts, on March 29.

Celeb Spellcheck began a few years ago as an account making fun of poor spelling on sponsored Instagram posts, but has since become a platform for holding influencers to account for their lies and irresponsible behaviour.

The profile is also a hub for user-submitted gossip.

Because of this, Celeb Spellcheck has drawn comparisons to DeuxMoi, the popular Instagram account that collects and dishes out unverified rumours about American celebrities from its 820,000 followers.