Who Is 'Mama Owl' And Why Is She Being Criticized? The Viral 'Pay Your Penance' TikTok Memes Explained

TikTokers have chosen a new villain and she's a popular content creator with over 2.4 million followers. The TikToker, known as Mama Owl, is currently being criticized after an old, deleted video of hers that some are calling problematic has resurfaced. But who exactly is Mama Owl and what was the video that got her into trouble? Here's what you need to know.

Who Is 'Mama Owl' On TikTok?

Mama Owl, or @mathmanx, is a TikToker with roughly 2.4 million followers on the platform. She started posting content in 2021 and, over the past three years, has gained a substantial following for her skit content. In the skits, which are often trues stories submitted by fans, Mama Owl re-enacts events, often relating to teachers and students, that stem from funny to traumatic.

In her videos, Mama Owl plays the roles of all the characters herself, with many of the characters being children. Between skits, Mama Owl also posts commentary videos and opinion videos and streams live on TikTok. While her content has been praised for bringing awareness to dark subject matter, it's also been criticized by others as being "weird," particularly when she plays children going through traumatic events.

Why Is 'Mama Owl' Being Criticized With Memes?

In August 2023, Mama Owl posted a since-deleted skit where she re-enacts a traumatic moment of assault between a trans student and their substitute teacher. The video, which begins with Mama Owl as the teacher saying, "You're going to pay your penance now," before re-enacting the assault, resurfaced in July 2024. Viewers found it problematic and odd, inspiring memes remixing and editing the clip, along with other clips from her videos.

Mama Owl responded to the wave of criticism in a now-deleted video that was not well received. In the video, she purportedly claimed that the hate was largely inspired by a recent live stream, where she blocked some viewers for spamming the brisket song in her chat and criticized Christianity, which she says some viewers didn't like. Purportedly, she did not mention the 2023 video, which seems to be what most critics are focused on, which only further stoked the memes against her.

For the full history of Mama Owl, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.