Charli and Dixie D’Amelio know that going viral on TikTok can sometimes be a harrowing experience.
Since catapulting to fame on the platform in 2019, the social media stars have learned to cope with negative comments and the mental health effects that come with being in the spotlight. In the first season of family’s Hulu reality series, “The D’Amelio Show,” Dixie sobs to her parents about negative comments she’s received online. Charli has also opened up about her struggles with panic attacks and anxiety throughout the series as she and her family navigate their newfound social media fame.
“It’s just so much easier to not answer anything,” Charli said in a recent interview with FN regarding hate comments online. “So I just keep my mouth shut and go to therapy.”
With more than 150 million TikTok followers, Charli, 19, is the second most-followed person on the platform. She went viral with dance and lip sync videos in 2019 and has since partnered with brands like Dunkin’ and Prada. She’s also become an advocate for mental health, often speaking candidly about her struggles and experiences with therapy calming her anxiety.
“I think it’s incredibly important if you are in a position where you can talk to a professional, get help and don’t be scared to ask for it. And don’t be scared to apply yourself in therapy,” Charli said.
With more than 57 million followers on TikTok, older sister Dixie, 21, is also accustomed to the scrutiny and negativity that can come with social media fame.
“We obviously have our own separate feelings and emotions, but we do have most of the same coping mechanisms,” Dixie said. “I just keep my friends really close and I have a very good group that I don’t post about and no one knows about. And just having them and living with my sister and being so close with my family has been so amazing.”
These days, the family says they are better at tuning out negativity and avoid engaging with hate comments as much as possible. Their latest venture, D’Amelio Brands, will lay the framework for a true family business that will create products under the D’Amelio name, starting with footwear. It will also give Dixie and Charli a potential financial safety net, should they ever decide to leave social media.
“We have a really tight knit group of us four and we lean on each other and I think we’re comfortable in our own skin even through this process,” their father, Marc, said. “And it’s as simple as don’t look at it and don’t let it get to you.”
With the D’Amelios having mostly grown into their new life of fame, Dixie and Charli said they try to lend their support to other rising stars when they can.
“We can tell when someone is blowing up on TikTok and we always reach out and be like, ‘Hey, hope you’re okay. This gets scary. Just want you to know we’re here if you need anything,’” said Dixie. “And it usually ends up in a great friendship.”
The sisters said they appreciated this type of support from other creators and celebrities when they were new to their social media fame. Charli has previously discussed the words of encouragement she received from Jennifer Lopez and what that meant to her as someone starting their own public journey.
“I think it’s important for those new people to know that they have someone that’s been through it before that has their back,” Charli said. Now, Dixie and Charli say they enjoy playing this mentor role as they use their platform to pay that support forward.
“We’re not the new kids anymore,” Dixie said. “It’s fun having the opportunity to do that for someone else.”
