Will Power Black Baby Controversy

Overview

Will Power Black Baby Adoption Controversy refers to a viral TikTok of influencer Will Power holding his newly adopted baby and asking Black parents to guide him on how to take care of his baby's hair. The video garnered considerable controversy as it spread online in mid-January 2024, with people discussing and debating Power's reasons for sharing the content — some notably accusing him of seeking clout.

Background

On January 21st, 2024, TikToker and influencer Will Power^[1] posted a video (since deleted) holding his newly adopted Black baby and asking for advice, especially from Black parents, on how to take care of the baby's hair. Although the video was quickly removed from the platform, TikTok^[2] user @porciastar reuploaded the content (shown below), amassing more than 73,000 plays and 430 likes in two days.

Developments

As of January 23rd, 2024, the influencer deleted the video and made his TikTok account private without commenting on the viral debate that followed.

Online Reactions

Following the influencer's controversial video, several people stitched the original post with replies criticizing Power as it went viral. For instance, on January 22nd, 2024, TikTok^[3] user @mericolaaa stitched a reply commenting on the creator's attitude for asking people for help on how to take care of his baby, even tho he was aware of the baby's gender and race during the adoption process. Her video (shown below, left) amassed more than 1.9 million plays and 234,000 likes in a day.

On the same day, TikTok^[4] influencer @auntkaren0 shared a screenshot of Power's private account after the controversy to which she commented "You don't go private unless you get caught up." The post (shown below, right) received roughly 3,900 likes in a day.

The controversy also was the subject of jokes and memes on other platforms, like Twitter / X. For example, on January 21st, 2024, X^[5] user Gcwanini04 replied to a post about the viral video and said, "Am I the only one sensing something dark about him? His energy is off and I'm afraid we will read a story in a few years." The tweet (shown below) amassed roughly 1,000 likes and 27 retweets in two days.

Search Interest

External References