Controversial social media influencer Caroline Calloway’s refusal to evacuate from her Florida home ahead of Hurricane Milton baffled the internet.
Now, she is facing accusations that she faked it for clout.
“caroline calloway is planning to grift the hurricane,” quipped one person.
While plenty of fans have been supportive and hopeful for her safety, some critics are hypothesizing that Calloway secretly evacuated from her home in Sarasota, which fell under Zone A evacuation orders.
“I think it’s just as likely she already left and is trolling everyone for the attention/so she can fake the story of surviving the hurricane,” someone wrote on X.
“Does anyone else find it suspicious that Caroline Calloway posted two videos of Hurricane Milton taken by neighbors and one of herself in front of a dark window purportedly showing the eye of the hurricane? There’s still a strong possibility Caroline Calloway isn’t really in FL,” another person said, referencing videos shared by Calloway, which she noted came from someone else within her condo’s group chat.
The sentiment was widely echoed in her Instagram comment section, with users stating “you’re being conned” if you think she didn’t evacuate and claiming she’s “using this for attention and is probably safe.”
“This is extremely inappropriate and disrespectful,” commented one person. “We all know damn all you evacuated. Please learn how to think critically and have an ounce of compassion for people whose lives are being torn apart by the climate crisis.”
“She’s probably posting from Manhattan…scam,” replied someone else.
The accusations are flying in part due to Calloway’s past reputation as a scammer. Critics point to her failed creative workshop tour, her admission of lying to get into Cambridge, and a long-delayed book release that led many to believe it was a grift (her memoir Scammer was ultimately published in 2023, seven years after she first received a book deal).
In an Instagram story posted Tuesday, Calloway said she would not be evacuating ahead of the hurricane making landfall because the last time she evacuated, it was “very traumatic.”
“I can’t drive, first of all. Second of all, the airport is closed. Third of all, the last time I evacuated for a hurricane, I went to my mom’s house in Northport for Hurricane Ian,” she said. “Her whole street flooded and we were evacuated after three days without power or running water by the U.S. military. It was very traumatic and so I don’t want to evacuate to my mom’s house because the last time I did that, it was the worst time ever!”
Calloway leaned into the attention her evacuation refusal fueled, posting multiple promotions of her book on Instagram with captions playing on the idea of her dying during the hurricane.
“She died doing what she loved: Posting about her books on Instagram, which nobody believes exist, but are actually very good,” she wrote in one caption.
“If I actually die in this storm, my books are going to go WAY UP in price. Order now,” she posted on her story.
Calloway did not post for more than 12 hours as the storm made landfall, worrying fans, but a Thursday morning post quelled those fears.
“I lived bitch,” she wrote in a screenshot of a text message.
At least nine people have been confirmed dead from the massive storm and 11 million people remain at risk of flash and river flooding, according to NBC News. More than three million people in Florida are without power.
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