Spiraling over the months, this big influencer has hit the point of no return. Terryon Thomas, more widely known as “Mr. Prada” on TikTok, has seemingly taken a huge fall from popularity into the darkness of crime. Fans, spectators, and the jury alike have recently been wondering what has come over Mr. Prada. This is no longer comedy but a complete tragedy.
As of Oct. 1, Thomas has been in custody following the arrest.
Before his apprehension, footage of Thomas shopping at the mall was released on the news. He was allegedly seen driving a stolen vehicle belonging to William Abraham, the victim of the murder case. Abraham was a therapist in Baton Rouge, as well as a former Catholic priest and motivational speaker. Fox 8 reported that on Sept. 29, Abraham was found unresponsive in Baton Rouge.
With the reputation that he held, people were shocked to hear this news. Even more shockingly received the news that in 2015 he was arrested for inappropriately fondling an 11-year-old boy. Though this arrest led nowhere and the charges were dropped, people are still speculating if this unfortunate dealing with the law led to his demise. The child in question has been widely believed by fans to be Mr. Prada.
Mr. Prada is only 20 years old and could be facing the death penalty for a crime that no one saw coming. On social media, he has produced skits and lip-syncing clips that provided smiles to many, including myself. With 4.3 million followers on TikTok, there was nothing to suggest this drastic change in his behavior, right? Several think pieces have been published on the situation, all conveying the same message: “Influencers have lives off camera.”
As spooky as it may be to witness a beloved influencer make wrong choices, one must ask how much of this change viewers contributed to.
Off-camera, influencers face mental health battles, family issues, and everyday life problems without the public’s knowledge. Mr. Prada’s winding battle with mental health issues was not as silent as many insisted. A couple of months ago, Mr. Prada had shoulder-length hair, but recently he posted a video of himself going unevenly bald while repeating, “The hair has to go.” It was chilling, to say the least. His next actions shook me to the core as he began shaving off his eyebrows as well. These frantic phases can be categorized as manic episodes.
At the time, this video blew up, as most of his videos do, and people thought it was the funniest thing to date. Following the new hairstyle, he started to dress differently. His content began to feature lace shirts, crop tops, and even leggings. This new feminine demeanor still didn’t invoke concern among his influencer peers. Instead, edits of his poor decisions circulated with sad, slow music playing in the background. This further raised awareness of his struggles but did not inspire genuine recognition.
Several intrusive piercings, an emo phase, and one arrest later, Mr. Prada now has the concern of many. I think it’s unfair how quickly we are to shame and label someone just to share an opinion. Most of the videos being produced portray this unfortunate situation as a grand conspiracy theory. These videos come from the same influencers who preach privacy and boundaries offline. If being a fan of Mr. Prada is too difficult without the constant need to speculate about the details of his life, perhaps the best thing to do would be to tune out.
Life doesn’t start for an influencer when they press record, and they are in no way obligated to keep viewers entertained while they scroll. The internet is not black and white; common sense is not common. The charges brought against Mr. Prada are serious and should be treated as such. His social media presence does not dismiss the allegations he faces, nor does it mean we should ignore the fact that he has been publicly struggling. The released information on this tragic and untimely disaster is limited, but the truth is out there if one looks intentionally and without bias.
