TikTok stars Benji Krol and his boyfriend Jorge Garay have found themselves in hot water over allegations of grooming a minor.
Garay, aka Jeyjeygardi, has been missing from social media and his whereabouts are unknown after a 15-year-old posted a thread to Twitter where he accused the celebrity couple of sending sexually explicit photographs along with requests for the minor to perform sexual favors.
Benji Krol has both denied and confirmed some of the allegations; he has also been hospitalized following an apparent suicide attempt. Meanwhile, boyfriend Jorge has remained silent.
His Instagram account had been deactivated at the time of writing, and there’s an entirely unconfirmed internet rumor circulating that he is dead.
The allegations of grooming surfaced in the last couple of days when an anonymous Twitter user who claimed to be 15 years old posted a thread where they detailed alleged inappropriate behavior by Garay and Krol.
The user claimed that in the first instance 18-year-old Jorge had sent them a screenshot from one of the couple’s Facetimes, which showed 19-year-old Benji performing a sexually explicit act. It was allegedly accompanied by another photo of Benji’s manhood.
This allegedly occurred in February, and the user then claimed to have been subjected to a series of sexually explicit photos from Facetime along with suggestions they perform sexual acts.
The alleged victim wrote, “They used their powers as an influencer to manipulate me into doing what they wanted because our feelings were ‘mutual,’ ‘I knew what I was doing,’ and because ‘I wanted it.’ Looking back at all of this, it is very easy to be manipulated by someone older than you.”
Benji Krol addresses grooming allegations on Twitter
Krol took to Twitter with a lengthy statement to address the allegations. He started by stating that the reason he had taken so long to address the claims was that he been hospitalized after an attempted suicide.
Krol claimed he was not looking for sympathy but was simply stating the reason for his delayed response. He went on to admit to the explicit pics via Facetime and said he knew it was wrong but that he had asked the victim beforehand if it was ok.
He then blamed Jorge for pressuring him into the Facetime posts. He also claimed that the other allegations of grooming were false but that he had apologized to the victim.
Jorge Garay has gone missing but is not dead
The Brazilian Benji then went on to say he had not spoken to Jorge after he had dropped him at the hospital. He said he thought his boyfriend had returned to his family home.
Krol then appeared to publicly announce the break up of one of TikTok’s most well-known couples. He wrote, “I just don’t think it’s best for us to continue together.”
He then added, “I hope he gets the help he needs.”
Since Garay removed himself from social media and has not yet addressed the allegations, rumors have been circulating around the internet that he is dead.
However, these rumors are completely unsubstantiated.
There has been plenty of scandal amongst TikTok stars of late. Earlier this month, Colin Rea revealed that he had done time in jail after being arrested for robbery in his troubled past.
TikTok star and ex-boyfriend of Charli D’Amelio, Chase Hudson, sent jaws dropping recently when he accused some of the biggest stars on TikTok, and his so-called friends, of cheating on their partners. It was a reaction to accusations he’d cheated on Charli.