Photo: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock
She allegedly photoshopped pictures of them together.
By Alice Kelly — Written on Jun 08, 2021
YouTuber Gabbie Hanna has been called out for allegedly pretending to be in a fake relationship with Bo Burnham amid growing concerns related to her online activity.
Social media users have been pointing out Hanna’s admitted history of fabricating a romantic relationship with the musical comedian after Burnham appeared to poke fun at the YouTube star in a recent comedy sketch.
Burnham’s Netflix special, "Bo Burnham: Inside," featured a parody song called “White Woman’s Instagram” in which the comedian was shown with words written all over his face.
The look is similar to one in a post shared by Hanna in the past.
This is the closest Burnham has come to addressing Hanna’s well-documented obsession with his work.
Shortly after the release of the song, a TikToker recalled an alleged stalking incident that occurred between Hanna and Burnham, both 30 years old, over a decade ago.
Did Gabbie Hanna stalk Bo Burnham?
In 2014, Hanna released a YouTube video detailing her obsession with Burnham.
Hanna labeled Burnham “my idol, my inspiration, he is the reason I have a Vine account,” in reference to the video-sharing app that made her famous.
Gabbie Hanna called herself Bo Burnham’s “stalker.”
In her video, Hanna describes herself as a “stalker” and “creepy” as she shares screenshots of comments she would leave on Burnham’s social media accounts during her early days as his fan.
The comments show Hanna telling Burnham she is attracted only to men who look like him as she says that she was desperate to meet him.
Hanna pretended to be in a relationship with Burnham.
“One day I was talking to my group of friends,” Hanna says, “I decided to pretend like I was in a relationship with Bo Burnham.”
Hanna then claims she created a fake Facebook profile for Burnham where she posted photoshopped images of him hugging her. She then added herself as a friend on the fake Burnham profile and changed his relationship status to appear as though he was in a relationship with her.
“I was telling myself the whole time that it was a joke,” she says adding that she would tell her friends it was a real relationship. “But lowkey I was living this really creepy fantasy.”
Fans believed Burnham and Hanna were dating.
Hanna says the “joke” went so far that someone once edited Burnham’s Wikipedia page to say that he was in a relationship with, “a Pittsburg girl named Gabrielle Hanna.”
Hanna later met Burnham at a meet and greet and used their photo together to continue to fabricate the relationship online. She also says she gave Burnham her phone number but never heard from him.
Why people are concerned for Gabbie Hanna.
Though the viral TikTok contains old information that has been public on Hanna’s channel since 2014, Hanna’s recent behavior has pushed people to look at the stalking allegations in a new light.
Hanna has previously talked about her ongoing mental health struggles and some of her recent social media content has raised concerns about her well-being.
Hanna has also been the subject of revived controversy with ex-Vine star Jessi Smiles. Smiles has been critical of Hanna for allegedly defending and maintaining a friendship with her alleged rapist, Curtis Lepore.
Lepore pleaded guilty to felony assault in 2014; however, as part of the plea deal rape charges were dropped.
Smiles recently shared an audio recording of a phone call within which Hanna denies remaining friends with Lepore, demands a public apology from Smiles, and threatens legal action.
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Catch her covering all things social justice, news, and entertainment. Keep up with her Twitter for more.