Cullen and Katie: Debt who? All our stuff has to be brand new! | Part 28

[Haulnarse]

Sure explains where all the cash has come from to eat out, new furniture, closing costs, all those nights in hotels while moving. And their “debt payments”.

Anyone needing $25k government handout to “live” and buy groceries, doesnt have also have $50k spare to “pay off” debt.

[LuckyCharm]

This has to be fraud. I’m sorry but any of these youtube families that took money out should 100% be investigated for fraud. I read an article about people being investigated for fraud with the ppp loans because they had 0 employees. There were so many small businesses that struggled or went under because they couldn’t get loan money! Well they couldn’t get any because it was taken by selfish greedy people like this! There is a number to report & I guarantee people report this stuff. When I think I can’t be shocked anymore.

[Boymomma123]

This has to be fraud. I’m sorry but any of these youtube families that took money out should 100% be investigated for fraud. I read an article about people being investigated for fraud with the ppp loans because they had 0 employees. There were so many small businesses that struggled or went under because they couldn’t get loan money! Well they couldn’t get any because it was taken by selfish greedy people like this! There is a number to report & I guarantee people report this stuff. When I think I can’t be shocked anymore.

I hope they get investigated and have to pay all or some of it back. My father in law is a small business owner and although he could have applied she chose not to because his business was essential and doing great. Because he is a good person and isn't greedy and wanted the businesses that really needed it to receive the money.

If there really was a drop in ad revenue through yt all they had to do was put out more content.

I can't even with their no child care bull crap either. All of us who could work from home all of a sudden had to juggle parenting, distance learning and work. Most of us had to attend zoom meetings with screaming kids and do real work. All these idiots had to do was film themselves for 20 minutes a day and edit.

I just don't see how they cannot see how morally wrong what they did was. This is why people have a hard time with self proclaimed "Christians" like them. Nothing they do is christ like.

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[SomeoneActually]

This has to be fraud. I’m sorry but any of these youtube families that took money out should 100% be investigated for fraud. I read an article about people being investigated for fraud with the ppp loans because they had 0 employees. There were so many small businesses that struggled or went under because they couldn’t get loan money! Well they couldn’t get any because it was taken by selfish greedy people like this! There is a number to report & I guarantee people report this stuff. When I think I can’t be shocked anymore.

I hope they get investigated and have to pay all or some of it back. My father in law is a small business owner and although he could have applied she chose not to because his business was essential and doing great. Because he is a good person and isn't greedy and wanted the businesses that really needed it to receive the money.

If there really was a drop in ad revenue through yt all they had to do was put out more content.

I can't even with their no child care bull crap either. All of us who could work from home all of a sudden had to juggle parenting, distance learning and work. Most of us had to attend zoom meetings with screaming kids and do real work. All these idiots had to do was film themselves for 20 minutes a day and edit.

I just don't see how they cannot see how morally wrong what they did was. This is why people have a hard time with self proclaimed "Christians" like them. Nothing they do is christ like.

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There videos dropped by an 70% so of course there income dropped just as much if not more. In November 2020, December 2020 and January 2021 they produced 15 videos, in November 2019, December 2019 and January 2020 they produced 50 videos.

[socks123]

I get that they are “technically” using this forgivable loan for what it was intended. What bothers me is that it was used for payroll for them only. I kept waiting for her to say “it was used for payroll for us AND our editor”... or some other person they would be employing with their business but the fact that it was just them is so selfish. Like many people said there were businesses that went under because they couldn’t get help like this. After the initial dip in revenue I’m sure it went back up, it looks like she only showed a few weeks on the graph. They would have been fine without it.

[NMiller2017]

DCP is going IN on C&K, Aaryn Williams, & The Hendersons and I'm here for it. She came across so smug and condescending in her IG story yesterday and he ripped her apart in his video. Can't wait for him to do a deep dive on their videos. They may actually have to get real jobs after this.

[Ducklings4]

This has to be fraud. I’m sorry but any of these youtube families that took money out should 100% be investigated for fraud. I read an article about people being investigated for fraud with the ppp loans because they had 0 employees. There were so many small businesses that struggled or went under because they couldn’t get loan money! Well they couldn’t get any because it was taken by selfish greedy people like this! There is a number to report & I guarantee people report this stuff. When I think I can’t be shocked anymore.

I hope they get investigated and have to pay all or some of it back. My father in law is a small business owner and although he could have applied she chose not to because his business was essential and doing great. Because he is a good person and isn't greedy and wanted the businesses that really needed it to receive the money.

If there really was a drop in ad revenue through yt all they had to do was put out more content.

I can't even with their no child care bull crap either. All of us who could work from home all of a sudden had to juggle parenting, distance learning and work. Most of us had to attend zoom meetings with screaming kids and do real work. All these idiots had to do was film themselves for 20 minutes a day and edit.

I just don't see how they cannot see how morally wrong what they did was. This is why people have a hard time with self proclaimed "Christians" like them. Nothing they do is christ like.

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To see the morality, they must have morals.


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[BishandDish]

They are so selfish. They don't get it truly. They got a 25000 check that helped them last year when they are fixing their supposed debt and never mentioned it. They didn't mention it because they knew it was WRONG.

[HashtagBlessed]

New video all about Cullen and Katie!


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It's refreshing to see someone on YouTube call out this behavior. He gets more views on these videos than Katie and Cullen get on theirs! They're clearly very nervous about what this means from a PR perspective.

She's beyond condescending, which is hilarious because she struggles to explain basic concepts and deflects like crazy.

If they were ever going to be open and honest about this, they would have addressed it before they got called out and had to do damage control. Period. They could have addressed the PPP loan anytime between August and now. Doing it in an Instagram story that will disappear in 24 hours is particularly shady. They know it looks bad and they know it's shameful, which is why they didn't address it in a sit-down YouTube video the way you would about any other major debt update.

Honestly, Cullen probably could have done a better job from a PR perspective of making them look sympathetic, but we all know he doesn't have the ability to shamelessly deflect and bullshit the way Katie does. He'd much rather lay low in the background and clap for his wife's completely nonsensical and laughable response.

I highly doubt these loans were intended for family vloggers masquerading as "production" companies, where their only employees are themselves. But clearly Katie and Cullen were all too willing to swoop in and take advantage of a loop hole. And it bears repeating that they have flat out refused to look for employment or pick up additional work because their social media business does so well. And yet here they are accepting government assistance because their business wasn't doing well?

I doubt they will ever be investigated for fraud for this because it sounds like they took advantage of emergency relief that had very little oversight, so unfortunately legally speaking they're in the right. But they were completely dishonest about it, even though they pivoted their content to focus on their finances and their debt. They know from an ethical standpoint, it looks very bad. Their brand deals and income is dependent on being trustworthy and likable. This was a big mistep.

[Nifer9900]

Like many others, I have unsubscribed and stopped following them after this fiasco. It’s BS that they took this loan. The comment about childcare is RIDICULOUS! I watch Brad and Rach and they were able to put out daily videos while at home with 3 children under the age of 3. While they do work outside of the home, they weren’t able to work during the pandemic because their offices were closed (they’re eye doctors). Cullen and Katie are so lazy it’s not even funny! It’s actually quite sad. I’m curious as to what their family thinks of all this!?!?!

[HashtagBlessed]

My mistake, I didn't realize their videos are in the 40,000 view range. I wonder how many people viewed Katie's Instagram story.

I love that she's all, "I feel like we talked about this before..." No, you obviously didn't, but you're trying to sound all breezy and casual about it as if it just slipped your mind.

[ICantEven]

It's great that these guys are being exposed by the Dad Challenge Podcast. However, I wish he wouldn't rush his material as much so he can actually get the facts straight. He clearly is trying to break this news for the views (which whatever, that's his job). But it still bugs me that he's got getting everything correct.

While wildly unethical and "un-Christian", I'm pretty sure nothing they did breaks the law. They have a legitimate business and used the loan to pay themselves (their employees). The employer and their income sources have no control over how an employee spends paycheck money, so... Yeah they used that money to pay off debt (but not more then they would have normally). They also spent a bunch of it on alcohol and pet food and Christmas gifts. That's not actually the main issue.

The issue is that they took money that could have helped other businesses and basically decided to work 25% less this year. Normally they said they pay themselves 100k/year or 8k/mo. So 25k covers 3 mo of pay without work. They seemed to still have plenty of sponsorships and found the time to do those. They just took extra time off and put out crappy videos.

Also, their views were way up in 2020 because they introduced the debt content. Late 2019 videos were getting around 10k views. Debt content started in January 2020 and they got 100k + views on some of those. It's dwindled down to 30k-50k views per video, but truly their views are up.

I'm pretty sure something independent of covid caused ad revenue to go down on YT last year (can't remember but several vloggers talked about it. Maybe it was the whole "kid content" thing?). Anyway it may be true they were making less per view. Or less overall. But covid was not destroying their business.

Sorry for the somewhat scattered post! There's so much to be said

[LuckyCharm]

They might have to show proof of what they spent the money on maybe? Also most people out there if their hours were cut or they were making less would have to... I don’t know GET A SECOND JOB?! We wouldn’t have the choice to take out a free loan.

[wishes]

I also lol'd when Katie took a screenshot of a question about internet trolls and there was a text box that read, "No one will stalk you more than your haters, so what does that tell you?" Umm... pretty sure no one is stalking these two low-life's. Hopefully they aren't confusing their VIEWERS for internet trolls when all we want is the TRUTH. How about be honest so we don't have to find lies and call them out on it, which they consider internet trolls.

Man, I've got my popcorn ready for this crap-show. Is this the straw that breaks the camels back to make them hit rock bottom and go under? I sure frickin' hope so! No more handouts pleeeeeeeeease.

[HashtagBlessed]

The issue is that they took money that could have helped other businesses and basically decided to work 25% less this year. Normally they said they pay themselves 100k/year or 8k/mo. So 25k covers 3 mo of pay without work. They seemed to still have plenty of sponsorships and found the time to do those. They just took extra time off and put out crappy videos.

Do we think this $100k figure they've claimed in the past is after taxes? We all know they weren't paying taxes the way they should have been as independent contractors. $8,000 a month after taxes (but before health insurance) is still an awful lot of money for them to claim they couldn't properly budget.

Not only did they take $25,000, that income is not taxed. However, depending on the tax laws in Alabama, they may not be able to deduct those "payroll expenses" from their state taxes. That's where a lot of businesses are getting dinged. They find that they have a much higher tax bill than they anticipated.

[YTIG60]

Cullen and Katie also had the choice to work from home and not be exposed to Covid-19. That's a big deal they ignore.

I imagine the bank that C&K has a brand deal with and who administered the PPP loan, will not be too crazy about this type of image with giving them money they didn't need. I think Katie is concerned about this aspect too.

He is going to continue going after Cullen and Katie and I think this is just the beginning for him looking at this topic and others. This is probably a big YouTube creator business going after family vloggers and I have no problem about it.

[Mclindy]

I hope this has attached a screenshot of Cullen's IG story for anyone who missed it. I think they should have consulted with someone before they knee-jerk defended themselves.

This shows exactly how wrong they are. They wanted to supplement their income so that, in a global pandemic where everyone is affected, they are whole, untouched and still on track with their f***ing "debt journey". So that when people may lose their jobs and livelihoods, they don't see a "dip" in income and can carry on as though nothing has happened. So that, unlike the entire rest of the world, they don't have to stress about juggling childcare and maintaining income. They're like, "duh! You dummies! We needed our $125000 a year and we couldnt have a shortfall - don't you know we need to save for a house and pay off debt? We needed to supplement our income, you idiots! We can't earn $100000 this year. You trolls! Hating on us when we're just doing what's best for our family". (and f*** everyone who was laid off because their employers couldn't get a Ppp loan because we needed to pretend 2020 was business as usual).

How are they not getting the outrage? Are they really that entitled?

Their families must be so embarrassed. All this at a time when they were supposed to be having insight into their disturbed relationship with money.

[HashtagBlessed]

Yep, they show zero self-awareness.

1) They are their only employees. They are the business owners who put themselves on the business payroll. They weren't in danger of firing themselves.

2) They work from home and make their own hours. They didn't need to expose themselves to other people inorder to run their business, and they have the flexibility to get their work done on their own time. They are capable of managing their time and taking care of their kids.

3) They received $25,000 tax-free from the government for emergency covid relief in order to keep their "employees" (read: themselves) on the payroll. They have a YouTube channel focused on fixing their finances and paying off debt. They never disclosed this $25,000 grant until they were publicly called out. They pretended that they paid off $55,000 in debt legitimately without explaining this extenuating circumstance. They can repeat how "open and honest" they are until the cows come home, doesn't make it true.

4) They are in a business where being publicly likable and trustworthy is paramount. And yet, they lied by omission about this, and then became extremely defensive and condescending when justifying behavior that a lot of people would find unethical. They are deleting or turning off comments. This reflects poorly on their sponsors, and legitimate sponsors will question the effectiveness of working with an influencer with such limited engagement. They are done if their reputation is shot.

5) Lastly, they have literally been lying on the internet for years trying to convince an audience that they aren't deeply unhappy in their marriage, their YouTube career, and their addictions. And yet they both want to point the finger at how miserable their detractors must be. One could argue that "happy people" don't live their lives on the internet for attention. Happy people don't exploit their minor children for a paycheck. And when said paycheck dries up, happy people don't take out a boat load of debt and accept government assistance to keep their delusions of success and grandeur afloat. If they don't appreciate the attention, they can find jobs that don't involve performing on the internet for attention.

[YTIG60]

This isn't going away. Katie referred to themselves as "open and honest," are not words I use to describe these two. Another embarrassing moment for their parents and sister. OMG the comments on The Dad Challenge Podcast are priceless. I wouldn't be surprised if someone doesn't report them to the IRS who they've already had problems with by not paying their taxes correctly. Katie's response has made this situation so much worse.

Here is an article out already about their PPP Loan
Family Finance Vloggers Cullen & Katie Criticized for PPP Loan was the title of the article
https://influence.co/nofilter/cullen-an ... -explained
Whatever the exact circumstances, the extent of viewers' anger—Cullen and Katie disabled comments on all their videos—speaks to how content creation is still very much viewed as a personal, not professional, endeavor.

[YTIG60]

I don't know if the creator in The Dad's Challenge vlog is right by saying they don't have employees is a reason why they shouldn't get the PPP loan or loan forgiven, but he points out correctly how these YouTubers creators were not in dire financial trouble with their channels that may be their biggest problems. These YouTubers are constantly showing their spending habits and in Cullen and Katie's case, they had numerous vlogs showing how they were able to pay back a good deal of debt while receiving a free loan. Think about the 8 passengers taking money from the government while buying and investing in their new home including renovations -> bathrooms - landscaping would make me believe they were not in need of their 40K+ PPP loan during this time. E+J had essentially quit their business so I'm not sure how their financial situation changed other than their choice not to work?

This was a comment from a CPA/CFA
One of the certifications the business owner will be required to certify in good faith on the SBA PPP Loan application is that “current economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations of the Applicant”.
There are serious consequences to the person who would make false statements on the SBA PPP Loan application