A New York-based artist and small business owner found herself at the center of a social media storm after documenting a roommate dispute in a 20-plus part TikTok series, only to watch the narrative turn sharply against her.
EK, known online as Cozy Grocery, makes worry stones from polymer clay as her full-time job. She has been living in New York for just over a year, bouncing between sublets in search of stable housing. In late May, she announced on TikTok that she had been told by her roommate, Marlyn (Marlynlikethefish), that she would need to leave at the end of June.
“24 hours ago, I was told by my current roommate that I was getting kicked out at the end of June,” she said in her first video.
EK framed the situation as deeply troubling, describing small conflicts over shelf space, dish racks, and food sharing as signs of a difficult living environment. She also suggested her roommate was emotionally unresolved and posted screenshots of their private text exchanges throughout the series, which spanned more than 20 videos on her art and business page.
Things came to a head when Marlyn appeared to go back and forth on who would stay and who would leave, at one point offering, “What if you stay instead and I leave?” EK was taken aback: “I was so surprised at how quickly she folded.”
When EK applied to take over the lease herself, the landlord raised the rent and she did not meet the income requirements to qualify. She launched a GoFundMe, raising a few thousand dollars before ultimately closing it.
That decision drew widespread criticism, particularly because her income came primarily from selling handmade polymer clay items without a traditional job.
Marlyn eventually posted her own response, keeping it direct: “I genuinely don’t know how any of this is my fault. You started subleasing a few weeks ago. A sublease is temporary by definition, meaning I don’t owe you. You are not entitled just because you moved in.”
She also pointed to a broader pattern: “You have moved five times within a year. At this point, babe, there’s a common denominator and it’s definitely not the people that you’re subleasing from.”
Marlyn’s friend joined in as well, noting that EK was not a longtime New Yorker herself: “Baby, me and you both were from Georgia.”
Since then, EK has stepped back from posting and limited comments on Instagram, while her TikTok videos remain up and active with ongoing critical commentary.
