YoIn 2020, successful family vloggers Myka and James Stauffer made a surprising announcement that would end their influencer careers.
They were “realizing” their autistic son, Huxley, almost three years after adopting him from China.
The boy had been front and center in many of her parenting and lifestyle videos before suddenly disappearing from her posts.
Many among his million followers on Instagram and YouTube began asking why, leading to a jarring confession that sparked swift and widespread backlash.
Now, four years later, they are the subject of a new three-part documentary series premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival. An update on our familywhich takes its name from the title the Stauffers used in their infamous YouTube video in which they revealed Huxley's fate, is directed by Rachel Mason and centers on the Ohio YouTuber family seeking to expose what is “hidden in plain sight.” , unregulated family vlogging industry.”
In a trailer for the upcoming documentary, other vloggers detail the events that led to Huxley's disappearance from Stauffer's YouTube channel, while experts emphasize how much money parents can make by posting content about their children online.
In May 2020, Myka and James Stauffer revealed on YouTube that they had rehomed their four-year-old son almost three years after they adopted him from China.
According to the couple, who also have four biological children, they had consulted numerous medical professionals about Huxley's “serious needs” and decided he had “many more special needs that we were not aware of.”
“In international adoption, sometimes there are unknowns and things that are not transparent in the file,” James said in the video. “And once Huxley came home, there were a lot more special needs that we weren't aware of and that we weren't told about.
“It has been very difficult for us to listen to medical professionals, many of their comments and things that we have found disturbing. We never wanted to be in this position. And we’ve been trying to meet his needs and help him as much as possible… We really love him.”
Myka explained in the video that they believed their son “needed more” medical assistance, but maintained that there was “not a shred of our body that doesn't love Huxley with all of our being.”
“Do I feel like a failed mother? Like 500 percent,” she said, before revealing that Huxley had found a “new forever family” with the help of the adoption agency.
“They found someone who they felt would ultimately be the best fit and he is thriving, he is very happy, he is doing very well and his new mom has professional medical training and is a great fit,” Myka said.
At the time, the Stauffers shared the update with their nearly one million subscribers: more than 700,000 on Myka's YouTube channel and more than 300,000 on the family's vlogging channel, “The Stauffer Life.” They first announced their decision to adopt on social media in July 2016, when they shared a YouTube video titled: “BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!! BABY #4.”
The Stauffers posted nearly 30 videos throughout their adoption process, culminating in a YouTube video titled: “THE EMOTIONAL Huxley Adoption VIDEO!! GOTCHA DAY Adoption from China.” The video, which was posted in October 2017, had been viewed more than five million times before Myka permanently deleted her channel.
According NBC News, the Stauffers used a GoFundMe page to raise money to pay for Huxley's adoption from China. The couple reportedly earned a total of $800, while they said the adoption cost them $42,000.
In another video uploaded in September 2019, titled: “Emotional Update on Adoption from China Two Years Home,” the parenting blogger said Huxley had been in applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy since his autism diagnosis and that “He was doing very well.”
The YouTuber explicitly revealed the extent of Huxley's needs in an article she wrote for. parade That year, she said she was diagnosed with “a stroke in utero, has level three autism, and sensory processing disorder.”
Myka's last photo of Huxley was posted to her Instagram, where she had more than 168,000 followers, in March 2020, two months before they revealed he had been placed in a new home.
“Last month was the hardest month I have ever had as a mom. And I'm still working on all of it. But instead of leading with my heart, I follow yours!” she captioned the post.
Unsurprisingly, the revelation sparked a backlash in all corners of the internet. Several users claimed that the Stauffers had “used Huxley's adoption to get clicks, likes and praise,” while others called on brands to end endorsement deals with the family.
“Myka Stauffer really gave her son away because adoption wasn't the aesthetic dream journey she thought it would be,” another person said. “These IG moms are another level of disgusting. That poor, sweet boy.
Ohio authorities subsequently launched an investigation in June 2020 into the well-being of Huxley and the couple's four biological children. The Delaware County Sheriff's Office said it received “several inquiries regarding the well-being” of the then-four-year-old boy. In a statement to The independent At the time, a department spokesperson said: “Our primary concern is the well-being of this child, as well as the other children in the home. Our investigation is ongoing and will include contact with all children to ensure their safety.
“All adoption cases are confidential and must go through a thorough process, with specific requirements and safeguards. In private adoptions there are the same legal requirements that must be met. These include home studies and background checks on the adoptive parents. In this case we are confident that the appropriate process is being carried out.”
The spokesperson also confirmed that Huxley “was not missing” and that “both parties are represented by lawyers to ensure full compliance with the judicial process.”
According to the Stauffers' attorneys, the process of finding a new home for Huxley “did not include any consideration for placement in the foster system, but rather carefully selecting a family that is equipped to handle Huxley's needs.”
A month later, the Delaware County Sheriff's Office announced it would not file charges against the Stauffers.
In a lengthy Instagram post shared in June 2020, Myka addressed the widespread backlash and apologized “for all the hurt” they caused her fans and followers.
“This decision has caused anguish to many people and I am sorry for having disappointed so many women who admired me as a mother,” the Instagram statement began. “I'm sorry for the confusion and pain I've caused, and I'm sorry I can't tell more of my story from the beginning.
“I would never have anticipated that the incidents that occurred on a private level would have happened, and I was doing everything I could to get through the hardest thing I've ever been through,” Myka continued, acknowledging that she was “not selective nor fully equipped.” “she or he prepared” when she started the adoption process and that she needed more “training”.
“I can't say I wish this had never happened because I'm still so glad Huxley is here and getting all the help he needs,” she said. “I also know that even though he is happier in his new home and doing better, he still experienced trauma and I'm sorry, no adoptee deserves more trauma.”
“I wanted to help so much that I was willing to bring home any child who needed me,” she continued. “That's why I was naive, stupid and arrogant.”
In the statement, Myka also expressed her admiration and respect for “all adoptees, foster parents, and special needs parents” before addressing “a couple of whole rumors” about her family's decision to find Huxley a new home.
He clarified that they did not share content about their “adoption journey” to “gain wealth” and denied claims that the family was “under any type of investigation” by authorities.
“While we received a small portion of money from the videos showing Huxley and his journey, every penny and much more went back into his care,” he wrote, adding that giving Huxley the care he needed was “very expensive.”
Myka concluded her statement, which had comments disabled: “We love Huxley and know this was the right decision for him and his future. Praying that Huxley has the best future in the entire world.”
Since the controversy, the Stauffers have kept a low profile on social media. Myka deleted her YouTube channel and her last Instagram post remains her 2020 apology statement. Her husband James continues to post on YouTube on the Stauffer Garage channel, where he shares videos of himself flipping, cleaning and detailing his car with his 1 .3 million subscribers.
Meanwhile, Huxley's new adoptive mother, who works as an accessible education teacher, changed his name to the Chinese name Yue Lin after his adoption in 2020. She continued to share photos of him on Instagram, where he is seen surrounded by his siblings. foster and adoptive. .
An Update On Our Family premieres at the New York City Film Festival on June 6 at the AMC Theater 19th Street East 6 in Manhattan.
