2 weeks ago
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A falling-out between two influencer BFFs sounds like a recipe for drama - complete with shady comments, shadier unfollows and irresistible promises to 'spill the tea'.
But what if the 'feud' is all a publicity stunt, cooked up to squeeze more engagement out of their already overstimulated followers?
Thousands of Gen Zs had the rug pulled out from under them last week when size-inclusive fashion guru Riley Hemson (aka Riley J) and Jaz Hand, the face behind cult jewellery label Jaz Hand Made, seemed to abruptly end their years-long friendship.
After being joined at the hip for a decade at least, eagle-eyed fans were aghast when the two women quietly unfollowed each other on Instagram. An alert was quickly flashed on the buzzy 'Tea Time' Facebook group before mysteriously vanishing.
The timing was alarming: Riley is getting married to fiancé Vita in April... and Jaz was meant to stand by her side as a bridesmaid.
Naturally, the online gossip mill went into overdrive - but suspicions were there from the beginning.
A falling-out between two influencer BFFs sounds like a recipe for a public‑facing meltdown - but fans were left feeling short-changed when it turned out to just be a publicity stunt
Riley Hemson (left), better known as Riley J, and Jasmine 'Jaz' Hand (right) unfollowed each other on Instagram last week
The first outlet to report the unfollowing was Influencer Updates AU, a popular news and commentary account for social media stars run by journalist Amber Paul.
The fact that someone had conveniently gone searching through both women's following lists and tipped off Ms Paul had some fans immediately suspecting it was a 'drop'.
'I'd put money on it being a PR stunt!' one fan wrote, noting that there was no other sign of discord between the two women apart from the unfollowing.
Another user responded: 'Embarrassing brand behaviour if so…'
Now, influencer feuds are hardly a rarity these days (we're still recovering from a certain eastern suburbs mum's back-to-back friendship implosions), but this one struck a nerve - not for being messy, but for how manufactured it felt from the outset.
The red flags started waving furiously when Jaz then posted a video 'reacting' to the unfollow while sitting in her office surrounded by her Gen Z staffers.
She insisted she was 'genuinely confused', before unfollowing Riley back.
By this point, no one was buying it.
The red flags started waving furiously when Jaz then posted a video 'reacting' to the unfollow while sitting in her office surrounded by her Gen Z staffers
Jaz filmed herself unfollowing Riley on Instagram
By Tuesday afternoon, the truth was officially out. Riley's brand, Remmie By Riley, uploaded a video confirming the so-called bust-up was nothing more than a send-up
In the clip, Riley dramatically stormed around her room, ripping up photos of herself and Jaz and furiously scribbling about her 'bestie' in a Mean Girls-style burn book
'Absolute cringe': A sample of some of the negative feedback to the fake friendship break-up
Comments quickly flooded in suggesting the entire saga was a stunt, with many convinced the pair were simply teasing an upcoming collaboration.
By Tuesday afternoon, the truth was officially out. Riley's brand, Remmie By Riley, uploaded a video confirming the 'bust-up' was nothing more than a send-up.
In the clip, Riley dramatically stormed around her room, ripping up photos of herself and Jaz and furiously scribbling about her 'bestie' in a Mean Girls-style burn book.
The final frame said it all: Jaz Hand Made is launching a collaboration with Remmie By Riley early next month.'
In hindsight, the signs had been there all along.
Just three weeks earlier, the pair shared a TikTok of themselves screaming at each other in a bathroom during a mock argument, joking that this was the reality behind their 'perfect' friendship.
The fact they would use their long-standing friendship - and the prospect of Jaz being kicked out of Riley's bridal party - as engagement bait may have yielded some short-term buzz, but in an industry where authenticity is everything, it may have risked reputational damage, too.
Digital marketing and publicity expert Adrian Falk, the founder of Believe PR and Advertising, certainly thinks so.
'When everyone is striving to be raw and real on social media, being contrived and going against the grain can ultimately affect your credibility and your personal brand,' Falk told the Mail.
'Your followers will then think twice about your future content and its authenticity.'
'Your followers will then think twice about your future content and its authenticity,' warns PR strategist Adrian Falk (pictured)
Another social media talent manager, who asked to stay anonymous, said: 'Using a friendship your followers are invested in to drum up hype to launch a brand just isn't it.
'Fans really care about this stuff.'
But if you're looking for a real friendship bust-up with no underwhelming 'gotcha!' at the end, look no further than the Mail's favourite chaotic influencer, Elle Salagaras.
Salagaras, better known as 'EasternSuburbsMum' on social media, and fellow influencer Cindy Kilian, who goes by 'RegardingCindy', had been friends for years before a nuclear falling-out about 12 months ago.
Their feud began when Salagaras made explosive and untested allegations about being the victim of an assault - which Daily Mail cannot publish for legal reasons - and later accused Kilian of failing to take her claims seriously.
After their bust-up was plastered all over TikTok and podcasts earlier in 2025, things took a shocking turn in late November when Salagaras and Kilian had a run-in at an influencer event at the five-star InterContinental in Double Bay.
If you're looking for a real friendship bust-up with no underwhelming 'gotcha!' at the end, look no further than the Mail's favourite chaotic influencer, Elle Salagaras (pictured in June 2024)
Salagaras (left) and fellow influencer Cindy Kilian (right) used to be best friends, even collaborating on social media content, like this advert for the fashion brand Meshki
Glamorous onlookers - many popular creators with tens of thousands of followers - were shocked when the friends-turned-enemies began yelling at one another at about 5pm.
Clad in a colourful blouse, Salagaras - who is known for documenting her life as a young stay-at-home mum with a wealthy husband - could be heard shouting at Kilian off-screen: 'She wants to dish it but she can't take it? Yeah?
'You wanna dish it but can't take it? You wanna f*** around, saying? [Inaudible] You started yelling! Tell your [redacted for legal reasons] girlfriend, yeah, to shut the f*** up.'
In response, a frustrated Kilian told Salagaras to 'go home', and Salagaras answered: 'I'm not following you, babe.'
At one stage, Salagaras actually started filming a video for her public TikTok in the middle of the pair's argument - a clash marked by hurtful accusations and vicious insults flying across the party, with Kilian even overheard threatening to issue a 'cease and desist tomorrow' if Salagaras didn't delete her posts.
'Babe, send a f**king cease and desist. A cease and desist for what?' Salagaras said.
When Salagaras then made a particularly cutting allegation against Kilian, a man's voice could be heard pleading in the background: 'Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, STOP!'
Following the loud verbal confrontation, Salagaras and Kilian are both believed to have left the event early. Salagaras would later post a mocking Instagram Story filmed on the ride home, making light of the 'cease and desist' threat.
It's understood their dispute stems from about a year ago when Salagaras first made her assault allegation against a co-owner of a well-known venue (not the InterContinental).
According to Salagaras - who is married to the managing director of a large real-estate investment firm - Kilian responded by saying that she would continue to visit that venue despite her friend's allegation.
Of course, DailyMail+ subscribers will know that Kilian isn't the only former friend that Salagaras has fallen out with recently.
In November, Salagaras set the influencer gossip sphere alight by publicly declaring the dramatic end of her decade-long friendship with lawyer Carla-Rose Brett.
Salagaras (back, middle) in November publicly declared the dramatic end of her decade-long friendship with lawyer Carla-Rose Brett (right). The two are pictured in February 2023
'Got uninvited from the wedding (as a bridesmaid) in a TEXT,' she raged in a deleted comment
Their rift stemmed from a lavish 'Barbie Dream House'-themed hens weekend hosted by bride-to-be Carla-Rose roughly three weeks earlier.
While Salagaras offered only hints about what drove them apart, the fallout was so severe that she was dropped as a bridesmaid and cut from the wedding entirely.
That unfortunate saga might have stayed private - if Salagaras hadn't aired their dirty laundry to her 14,000 Instagram followers.
Was it messy? Undeniably so. But at least it was authentic. Take notes, Riley and Jaz.
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