There are certain social media blunders that people imagine late at night in a cold sweat, and Elena Taber just lived one of them in front of an audience.
Taber, a model and influencer who is currently in a relationship with actor Jamie Campbell Bower, was recently exposed after apparently using an anonymous “burner” account to post about herself on the NYC Influencer snark subreddit.
The post, written under the username u/Constant-candy-5197, was a lengthy and personal reflection lamenting the intense online criticism she receives simply for being Bower’s girlfriend. It read, in part, as an attempt to rally sympathy from a community that generally exists to do the opposite.
The situation might have stayed quietly buried in the subreddit, except for one detail. When Taber shared the Reddit post via TikTok, the platform automatically attached a banner to the share that read: “Join Elena Tabor on TikTok,” with a direct link back to her verified, public account. The banner made it immediately clear to anyone in the thread who had actually written the post.
It did not take long for other users to notice. Redditor knittyinbushwick was among the first to call it out, writing simply, “I hope you realize the link says it’s shared from your account, Elena.” The comment quickly racked up upvotes, and the thread erupted.
User xoxonotyour responded with “OMG LMAOOOO,” while Plastic_Taste_9500 added, “Bahaha this is amazing. I don’t know who the person is.”
The self-promotional posting was only part of the story, however. Also surfacing from the burner account were comments that took aim at other influencers and, perhaps more damagingly, at people within Taber’s own social circle. Among the targets was her friend Coco Schiff, whom Taber allegedly accused of purchasing followers. She also reportedly made remarks about fellow influencers including Kit Keenan, Danielle Walter, and Liv Schmidt, among others.
The irony of the situation is hard to miss. Taber’s original post painted her as someone worn down by online scrutiny and unsolicited cruelty, yet within the same account, she directed that same energy at peers and friends. When news of the exposure spread beyond Reddit to entertainment gossip communities, the reaction was swift and largely amused.
One commenter on the celebrity forum Oh No They Didn’t wrote, “Use a sock puppet and the sock puppet will use you,” a sentiment that seemed to resonate with many readers.
Others pointed to an uncomfortable truth: that the habit of public figures lurking and posting anonymously about themselves online is almost certainly more common than anyone admits. As one commenter put it, “I’m sure there are some hardcore stan accounts who defend celebs who are actually the celeb in question, or at least someone related.”
