Original subtitles

(STATIC CRACKLES)

-YOUTUBER 1: Truly disgusted... -YOUTUBER 2: It's just too bad...

YOUTUBER 3: Oh my God, it's so sad.

YOUTUBER 4: Hey, what the hell is going on?

YOUTUBER 5: Like, it's literally content fishing.

YOUTUBER 6: They're the worst kind of people.

HANNAH CHO: I don't know if the Stauffers had any idea

that this huge community of people...

YOUTUBER 7: Failure as a mom, failure as a human being.

HANNAH: ...was about to rip them to pieces.

YOUTUBER 8: Fuck you, Stauffer family.

HANNAH: I mean, it was really scary.

-♪ (EERIE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪ -(KEYBOARD KEYS CLACKING)

I'm gonna stand outside of your house with pickets

with a bunch of people who hate you.

I hope you're scared to go out in public

because of the decisions you have made.

Because I'm telling you, I will come after you,

and I will find you.

You know, why'd they even fucking adopt this kid?

So they can make some fucking money!

(PHONE RINGING)

(PHONE RATTLES)

OFFICER 1: Delaware County Sheriff's Office.

OFFICER 2: This family that was being accused were vloggers.

And then we started getting phone calls

and multiple emails from concerned citizens.

People are making accusations.

It only takes one phone call.

♪ (THEME MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

♪ A million eyes Following around ♪

♪ Do they see anything? ♪

♪ Do they, do they ♪

♪ Want to break you Love to hate you ♪

♪ Need to take you down ♪

♪ (THEME MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪

-(WIND RUSTLING) -(BIRDS CHIRPING)

♪ (SOFT MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

HANNAH: Personally and honestly,

I look back now and I feel like Myka was this friend.

Let me see if I can get it to play.

-(CHATTER OVER VIDEO) -Oh, there we go. Okay, good.

I am so excited for this video.

HANNAH: Leading up to China when they went to get Huxley,

it just felt like they're throwing out little crumbs,

giving us all these details, and I was really eating it up.

And I'm not just saying this because I am biased,

but I feel like Huxley just gets cuter and cuter and cuter.

Just touched base with the orphanage,

and she gave us 40 photos of our kiddo,

and I cannot wait

to wrap my hands around his little hand.

With Huxley in particular, he brought so much viewership

to their channel and he was like the main character.

This is my little guy. He'll be two when I pick him up.

HANNAH: It was literally built up that way.

The introductions to his name,

going to get him, like, it was this big moment.

When we saw his video, it was like, done.

HANNAH: I would just let her videos play, and I'd listen.

I'd be getting ready every day being like, "Oh my gosh."

Like, looking at this, "I can't believe--"

"Yeah, that makes sense."

You know, I ate it up just like the rest of the world.

MYKA STAUFFER: We are waiting to formalize our I-800A,

which is immigration for the U.S.

HANNAH: She was gonna give all these details

'cause we are part of the community

and we wanted to know.

MYKA: Jim and I are already starting to look at flights

because, I mean,

we're most likely traveling in three months.

♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪

(BIRDS CHIRPING, CAWING)

♪ (GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

ANNA: We had originally found the Stauffers

just by kind of going down

the rabbit hole of searching for adoption online.

And you know, one thing leads to another,

and then we got to one of their videos.

They were just, you know,

this seemingly typical, happy family

going through this adoption journey,

which is something that we were also looking to do.

And then you just get, like, so invested

that you have to follow it along.

-(MOUSE CLICKS) -(CAMERA RATTLING)

ANNA: Going through adoption, there's so much

and it's so overwhelming.

And so being able to kind of see the Stauffers live through it...

Hi, I wanted to check on the status

of my I-800 application.

It gives you hope, because you're like,

"Okay, if these people can do it, I can do it."

So, this is all of, like, our paperwork.

SARAH: A lot of information,

and yet a little stack of papers.

For adoption in general, like,

that we have to prove

we're free of communicable diseases

and like, stuff like that.

ANNA: This is our judgment.

There's a couple different things.

Like, the first one actually is

when he first came home with us

and the adoption wasn't yet finalized.

SARAH: When we were guardians, right?

ANNA: Yeah.

Watching those videos

at the time when they were coming out,

it just kind of motivated us to keep going with our process.

Like, "Okay, there's light

at the end of the tunnel" sort of thing.

We have made it through so many steps

of this journey so far,

and I know we're just getting closer and closer.

(INHALES DEEPLY, SIGHS)

I can't wait.

-(MOUSE CLICKS) -♪ (MUSIC TURNS PENSIVE) ♪

But at the same time, it's so many emotions at once.

It's like excitement and nervousness,

but also, you know, the sadness because of the situation.

We did get some imaging done recently on our son.

I'm not gonna talk about his diagnosis,

but I kind of wanna let you know what his diagnosis pertains to.

His diagnosis is neurological.

You know, in total,

there's four different doctors involved,

and two main ones and then two side doctors...

ANNA: They went to all the medical professionals

and it did seem like they just felt

so confident about their decisions.

This is our boy, and we don't need to consult

with any more physicians

until I bring this little guy home.

-♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪ -He's our son, and that's that.

-(MOUSE CLICKS) -♪ (INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

HANNAH: YouTube was really pushing playlists back then,

and so they created a playlist for Huxley's adoption journey,

and they were uploading to it constantly.

So, when the algorithm sees that,

they're gonna keep pushing people towards that.

SEAN CANNELL: A lot of people don't know

Google owns YouTube, and Google owns search.

YouTube really studies your behaviors.

Whatever you've been searching on Google,

because they're connected,

YouTube will start serving you videos

based on your expressed intent of interest,

and so you don't even really have to search it

for YouTube to start sending you what you want.

You say, "How did YouTube read my mind?"

It's 'cause they're studying your behavior, ultimately.

If someone not just clicks on the video

but spends one, two, three, four minutes on the video.

If it's a ten-minute video, if they watch it until the end,

then why wouldn't YouTube keep showing it to more people

and more people and more people?

♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

View growth history.

Daily subscribers.

At the end of the day, YouTube's gonna reward

where the views and attention goes,

and so adopting Huxley was a moment of growth,

their channel really started to grow.

I think YouTube creators make the mistake of thinking

that the amount of videos they've posted

and the views they're getting is the most important thing.

But when it really comes down to it,

the most important thing

is your relationship with your real fans.

How long can you hold the viewers' attention?

If you can make a connection

in an intimate, meaningful way that is nurtured over time,

that's the real secret to legacy on YouTube

that can grow past just 15 minutes of fame.

HANNAH: (CHUCKLING) Okay. She's announcing,

"Two days until we leave for China."

There's a common saying on YouTube,

"Give the people what they want."

"I keep refreshing your page hoping to see something."

"Ah! So excited!"

"Can't wait to see your next video."

"Thinking about you guys."

I think it's sweet,

but sometimes it can come off a little intense.

♪ (MUSIC TURNS OMINOUS, FADES) ♪

ANNA: By the time that the Stauffers went

to China to pick up their son,

it was like this moment that they've been waiting for.

And honestly this moment

that, like, their whole audience has been waiting for.

♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

(PHONE BEEPS)

'Twas the night before China.

It's finally time to go to China.

Are you ready to go to China?

(RADLEY STAUFFER BABBLES)

-Go get Huxy? -RADLEY: Huxy.

Go get Huxy?

ANNA: They, like, teased it along,

the whole journey. Everyone's so invested,

and so you kind of almost feel those emotions along with them.

And then you're kind of like, "I can't wait to relate

to those feelings as well."

All right. (IN SING-SONG) We're going to China!

Jump up and down if you're going to China!

HANNAH: People are asking for information.

Oh, there's even a hashtag. #bringhuxleyhome.

Doesn't have any posts anymore.

I bet there was a lot more, but not anymore.

Going to China to get Huxley,

they decided to share every part of the process.

(TAPE FAST-FORWARDING)

JAMES STAUFFER: Where are we?

We're in China. It's official, Mom.

We truly made it, guys. We're here.

HANNAH: People wanted hour-to-hour updates.

(TAPE FAST-FORWARDING)

We're on a train. We're heading to Huxley's province,

and, uh, we'll be on the train for about four hours.

Think of it like when you're a teenager

and you have that favorite,

your celebrity crush or whatever,

and you are obsessed with everything they do.

There's a level of that

watching them get prepared for Huxley.

MYKA: For anybody that gets emotional easily,

here's Huxley's crib.

You know what we should get?

We should get a big cake for Hux when he gets here.

"What are you wearing? Your makeup's so pretty!"

"Keep waiting to see a vlog or something."

"I know you've met him by now. Yay."

Myka and I are actually falling asleep.

I'm gonna try to get the vlog done tomorrow morning,

get it up, guys, but...

Bear with us. We'll get the vlogs out. Yeah?

♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪

HANNAH: "Y'all, it's 1:00 a.m.

where they are. They are probably sleeping."

Someone's replying,

literally telling everyone to calm down. (LAUGHS)

-♪ (INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING) ♪ -(POPCORN POPPING)

(MICROWAVE WHIRRING)

(MICROWAVE DINGS)

HANNAH: So, by the time the Stauffers were in China

to get Huxley,

there had been so much buildup.

They're gonna share every moment of it.

I'm starting to get tons of butterflies.

(SIGHS) I was, like, crying downstairs. I just...

I can't believe this is happening.

This is it, guys.

We've literally been pacing for, like, the last ten minutes.

Our guy should be here any second now.

♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

ANNA: It was almost surreal

-because it was like... -It was.

...all of this time

and all of these emotions kind of coming to one point.

MYKA: Hey, Jim,

if you could tell Huxley one thing before you meet him,

what would you tell him?

(MYKA GRUNTS SOFTLY)

HANNAH: It feels like you're the fly on the wall,

like you're along where you get to see all of it with them.

You feel like you're there with them.

And we couldn't wait for him to finally just be with them.

(PA ANNOUNCER SPEAKING CHINESE)

(CAMERA RUSTLING)

-(CAMERA RUSTLING) -♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

(MUFFLED INDISTINCT CHATTER)

HANNAH: I mean, the first time they showed Huxley in the video,

you just feel this almost love

or connection yourself to this boy

that you've just been rooting for.

But then it was a different kind of emotion

and it was kind of hard to watch.

(CASEWORKER SPEAKING MANDARIN)

(HUXLEY STAUFFER CRYING)

HANNAH: You just were wondering what was going through her head.

ANNA: Seeing it before we adopted,

I think, um, you kind of only see,

like, the excitement, the happiness.

(CHILD SQUEALING)

And all of those feelings are true,

but there are so many other feelings involved,

for him as well.

(MUFFLED CHATTER CONTINUES)

They may have felt prepared, but there's no way

you could ever really be prepared.

(HUXLEY CRYING)

It's okay, baby.

Something that, that family kind of opened the world to

is adoption is trauma.

It was harder because Huxley was a little bit older,

so he already had attachments to his foster mom.

But then seeing James' thoughts and his reaction to it,

it was also emotional.

I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it.

It's been rough for us

because he had such a bond with his foster mom.

They gave us all these pictures, all these clothes.

They took him to the beach.

They took him to see dolphins.

They took him to the park every day.

I mean, the kid had a full-blown mom,

-it seems like. (BREATHES DEEPLY) -(LOUD CHATTER)

-(SIGHS) -♪ (SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

The poor kid. (SNIFFLES)

(HUXLEY CRYING)

(MOUSE CLICKS)

You're happy for them...

(VOICE QUIVERING) ...but you're also a little sad for Huxley because, you know,

he's losing something, you know? So, it's complicated.

♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪

♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

CAMERON LEE SMALL: I think a struggle for me

when I think about the Stauffers is how to...

enter this dialogue

without centering adopters again.

CAMERON: White adoptive parents

have been, uh, a very significant,

central voice in the adoption dialogue.

From an adoptee's perspective, we're wondering,

"Is there more to this story?"

I provide mental health services for adoptees,

families, extended family members.

And in my work with families,

my hope is their willingness to say,

"I don't know everything, and maybe love isn't enough,

so what are some ways

that I can be prepared, um, internally

to take this next step into this lifelong journey?"

In my work as a clinician, reflexively,

I think back to my own story.

I am a transracial international adoptee.

So, the-- Okay.

I was a son before I was adopted.

CAMERON'S FATHER: There's Cameron and his tire.

CAMERON: We had a life before we were adopted.

We had names. We had relationships.

-CAMERON'S FATHER: Hi, Cameron. -Hi.

I was born in Korea and lived with my mom and dad

for the first three years of my life.

When I was about three years old,

my dad died,

and then my mom, she decided to place me for adoption.

Yeah, so this was the day I arrived at the airport,

being held by my dad.

My new dad.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

CAMERON: My parents told me

that I jumped out of my dad's arm...

-(BABY CAMERON CRYING) -...ran back onto the airplane,

just screaming in terror.

"Eomma, eomma."

Screaming for my mom.

CAMERON'S DAD: There is the big guy.

I didn't have words or language to put to my experiences.

I wonder with Huxley,

what was it like for him to be removed from his family

and everything that he knew?

Going from all of the sights and sounds

and relationships and sensory experiences,

having to say goodbye to all of that... forever.

(INDISTINCT PA ANNOUNCEMENT)

First time on an airplane. This will be cool. You ready?

CAMERON: Everything that was important

to this new set of sounds

and sensory experiences. And...

this is tough.

♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪

-(HUXLEY COUGHING) -(SEATBELT SIGN CHIMES)

MYKA: Hi, Huxy. Huxy.

Hi, bubba. (CHUCKLES)

-(MOUSE CLICKS) -♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

CAMERON: Probably so confused. "What's going on right now?"

And then joining this new family,

making sense of,

"Wow, there are not many other people

who look like me."

And then having camera there.

What would that be like for Huxley?

(SIRENS WAILING IN DISTANCE)

CAMERON: We're expecting this child

from this place on planet Earth...

(STATIC CRACKLES)

...to come over to this other place

on planet Earth.

Going from the airplane

to this small, predominantly White town.

-(CAMERA RATTLES) -(CRICKETS CHIRPING)

♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪

CAMERON: "And now, I'm here in this stranger's home

and just have a camera rolling."

-JAMES: We're finally home. -MYKA: Home.

JAMES: Huxley's first time in the house.

-MYKA: We're in the house. -JAMES: We're home, Huxy.

So, there's a lot of benefit in being able to share stories

and be vulnerable.

We just don't want to put that out there

at the expense of the very real profound loss

that Huxley has gone through.

(MUFFLED INDISTINCT CHATTER)

CAMERON: Who benefitted from this child's story

being broadcast to thousands or millions of people?

You know, especially when the child is involved,

and not understanding what's going on.

Who's it for?

(VIEWS COUNTER CLICKING)

-♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪ -(BIRDS CHIRPING)

♪ (SOFT MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

-(KEYBOARD KEY CLACKS) -HANNAH: "Gotcha Day."

My parents called it that for me.

And they would celebrate it every year,

like, the day I came to America.

But it feels a little bit like a...

I don't know how to say it. Like you adopted a dog.

"It's your Gotcha Day." Like that sort of thing.

And it's like-- So, it's a little bit, uh, cringey.

This is me at the airport.

Look at that face. Probably not mad

after like a 20-something hour flight, you know?

Probably not happy about it, I should say. (SCOFF SOFTLY)

So, this is stuff that came over with me from Korea.

You can see Korean baby bottle,

onesie, a little can of formula, and a diaper.

It took me up until my twenties

before I was even able to call myself an orphan.

And that's why I think watching the Stauffers

was so beautiful, or at least it felt that way.

Like, it was easy for an adoptee

to romanticize what they were doing,

'cause I mean, that's how they were showing it in, like,

"Going to get him," and, "We're excited,"

and like making it such a positive thing.

This sounds probably a little sad,

but maybe a way to help heal some of my trauma,

because I'm gonna watch people do it right.

(CHATTER OVER VIDEO)

HANNAH: Seeing Huxley's last moments in the orphanage,

it was extremely emotional.

I think that's what the Stauffers didn't realize,

is they were doing this huge thing

when they decided to share adoption,

not considering that these babies and children

already have a whole existence,

and how heartbreaking it would end up being.

-♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪ -(BIRDS CHIRPING)

♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

ANNA: Hey, let's put your shoes on

-so we can play. Come on. -SARAH: I'm gonna get you!

-ANNA: Shoes. Listen. Listen. -(CHILD LAUGHING)

-SARAH: Oh, I got you! -ANNA: Hey.

You know, there are so many different sides to adoption.

(CHILD SQUEALS)

-SARAH: Oh yeah! -ANNA: Ready? Ready? Go run.

SARAH: The adoption is not just what we experience,

it's also what our son experiences and his story.

ANNA: When the Stauffers got back to the States,

they got stuck, really, in this push and pull

of "What should we share? What shouldn't we share?

Enough to keep us relevant,

but not enough to kind of invade our privacy."

-♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪ -(MOUSE CLICKS)

One of the hardest things about our first week in China

was Huxley grieved so hard.

-♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪ -I told Jim, you know,

"I want people to see the hard part,

but at the same time, I want to keep that private

because that's Huxley's hard part."

That's something that he needs to keep to himself,

because if I were daily vlogging every single moment,

I feel like I'd be really wrong.

(MOUSE CLICKS)

ANNA: When you're adopting a child,

people think that they know things that they don't,

and kind of putting it all out there

before you actually really know what you're getting into.

-Yeah. -It could be dangerous.

Watching them, I could see that happening.

-(MOUSE CLICKS) -At the end of the day,

I feel like I wasn't prepared enough

for what trauma truly looked like.

When I started the adoption process,

I never really found very much material

on what it was like when you get home and...

(BREATHES DEEPLY)

...I just pray to be an amazing mom to him

and just take the best care of my family

-as I humanly possibly can. -(MOUSE CLICKS)

Maybe they're thinking they're not gonna

share Huxley as much,

but that's what the viewers are there for.

The viewers want and expect those updates.

We've been a part of the family.

And even further than that,

so attached to a point they're sending gifts.

♪ (INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

MYKA: This is from a viewer. Wow.

"A little welcome home for all the kiddos.

Sending love."

Oh my gosh.

JAMES: There's something in here for you guys.

Wow. That is the most generous thing.

KOVA STAUFFER: Which one's mine?

"Dear Huxley. Ni hao. Thanks for being pen pals.

I'm sending a couple treats that I really enjoy

-and I hope you like them too." -(CHILD CHEERING)

SEAN: When it comes to the Stauffers,

there is something about

the depth of a relationship

that is able to happen because of video content.

We got one of the sweetest packages

in our PO box.

Um, one of our viewers sent us two adoption books

and she sent a little letter.

She also sent a picture of everyone.

And I thought this was so cool.

JAMES: We also got some amazing Christmas cards.

I really feel connected. Like I'm doing this,

and I'm really making connections

with these family members

and I wanna, like, make more friends

out of the viewers, you know?

One of the things that makes a great story

is having great characters,

and Huxley was a main character.

He was a character to be rooting for.

A character, uh, who is loved

and a character who is part of the story.

And you sometimes think, "If I stop pedaling the bike,

is London Bridge gonna tumble down?"

(VIEWS COUNTER CLICKING)

HANNAH: Huxley was getting them the most engagement.

So, even if they were trying to move away

from that a little bit,

of course, they're gonna put him in the video,

because people wanna see what's going on with Huxley.

-That's what we're there for. -(MOUSE CLICKS)

Wanna say hi to your friends?

Can you say hi to my friends?

-Hi, guys. -(HUXLEY FUSSING)

He's like, "What are you talking about, Mom?

Crazy lady."

Can I have a hug?

HANNAH: They wanted to keep sharing him specifically.

So they would create thumbnails that centered Huxley.

Big, bold graphics. It was all him.

And so, it crosses this weird boundary

where he's been the spectacle,

and they had to keep it going

because that's still what people were there for.

♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪

HAROLD EARLS: Can you lead the way? Where are we going?

RACHEL EARLS: Yeah, we need a leader.

HAROLD: We need a big leader.

-CHILD: Oh, no. -Oh, no. Tracker.

RACHEL: Let me go-- Come on, Major. Come on. Good boy.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

-HAROLD: I love you, boys. -(CHILD SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

HAROLD: We definitely left the groceries out, babe.

By the way, this is what we're working with.

By the way, first off, if you all are watching,

we're doing a kitchen renovation,

-which is a disaster right now. -We're a mess.

Everything's falling apart.

-But we have bananas, so... -That are out.

No, no. I'm saying that we need to put away the groceries.

Okay. Here. This is for--

Someone is gonna click on your video

based off of your title and your thumbnail.

And so, for us, we spend a lot of time, like,

"Okay, what's the title gonna be?"

Let's take a good thumbnail."

And every creator does that.

You know what we did on Facebook,

where we did the little Christian fish thing?

I think that's a cool... You know what I mean?

Kind of showing our faith without...

Yeah, I tried to do it, but the stripes on his shirt

-didn't really... It didn't appear. -Oh.

RACHEL: Definitely the title is probably my--

and the thumbnail, my least favorite part,

because it's like,

"Great, we had this wonderful day,

all these great experiences we wanna show,

but we know the only reason

that somebody's gonna watch this video

is based off of that title and that thumbnail."

"Is it interesting enough?"

It's just like any other thing, what are people gonna click on?

The problem is, is like, for us, we're a family channel,

and I think a lot of people don't realize the algorithm

rewards more aggressive videos.

And what I mean by that is the algorithm

makes it so that if you make a more aggressive title

about your kids or about something super dramatic

that happened, it will get more views.

And so I think it puts families in a really tough situation

because it can create this amazing niche community,

but it also can pull people to the edges.

(BEEPING)

-♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪ -(TRAFFIC RUMBLING)

♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

SOPHIE ROSS: I just have a lot of opinions on things.

Like, no one in real life

wants to talk about these things,

so that's why I turn to Twitter.

(CHUCKLES) That's why I love the Internet.

I was scrolling and I noticed that,

you know, Myka and James started posting

Huxley's medical issues. Like, why...

Why was that, you know, YouTube fodder?

You wonder. But then again, it's like, at the time,

fans and followers were kind of eating it up.

They were very invested in Huxley's journey.

And when they saw things they didn't like, they spoke up.

MYKA: Oh, no. This is horrible. I hate it.

JAMES: Show me.

Show me.

Good job, Huxy.

HANNAH: Clearly he's sucking his thumb for too long,

and they wanna break him of that.

But with the thumb guard,

it really made people have mixed reactions.

And Myka was getting frustrated.

She's gonna respond to it.

-JAMES: There's two now. -A lot of people commented

like super rude on Instagram.

They're like, "Why would you put a thumb guard on him?"

-JAMES: You know-- -And we were told by our...

-JAMES: Dentist, especially. -...dentist if we...

That it was highly recommended

or he would need an unnecessary surgery...

-JAMES: Like the upper jaw... -...because he's changing...

JAMES: ...and roof of his mouth surgery.

...the palate of his mouth.

SOPHIE: With the Huxley content, for some fans,

they had started to have a voice or an opinion.

Fans that were investing in her and her family,

investing their time, their views,

because Myka had gotten them invested.

She was the one that got them invested.

And that was just one of many dominoes

that kind of fell.

When they were figuring out

some of the medical stuff going on with Huxley,

James kind of stepped up

and we watched him take Huxley alone

to his first big appointment.

It's gonna be a long day, guys.

We're here for like five to six hours, I think.

HANNAH: People started questioning,

"Why is he more on the forefront now?"

And we were seeing less of Myka.

"Where's Myka?

Shouldn't she be there for that?"

It seemed like James was taking on a lot more.

-(INDISTINCT CHATTER) -(SCREAMS)

So, we're all done, guys. Huxley did amazing.

We learned that he can hear out of both ears perfectly.

Like, his hearing is spot-on.

HANNAH: It looked like to the viewers

that she was checking out from Huxley.

(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

HANNAH: Trolls were starting to say things

like "Myka's being lazy."

She was being disengaged. Like, disengaging from Huxley.

He'll be able to communicate,

it just may take a little bit more time.

But she wasn't gonna just roll over

and be like, "Oh, I'm so sorry," and, "What can I do to make

these people happy with me again?"

So, I just wanna come on here,

and I know I sound hyper-aggressive,

and that's fine. I'll get the brunt for it.

But all I wanna say is I'm bonding with my kid.

I'm doing what I'm doing.

We put our lives on social media,

and I'm not gonna have people sit there

and treat me like a fool,

because I'm not gonna take it.

I take good care of my kids and I'm a damn good mom.

And I'm not gonna have anyone in the comments sit there

and try to tell me otherwise, because you know what?

-It ain't gonna fly. (CHUCKLES) -Preach. High five.

Preach. Boomshakalaka.

MYKA: Come on! This is...

HANNAH: As a mom myself,

to anyone who wants to give hate

on any parenting decisions I've made,

I'm not gonna cuss, but screw you.

Like, you don't know.

As a parent, you're doing the best you can.

So, in these moments, I did feel defensive of them.

But at the same time, she's making good money.

Like, that's what you know is happening.

♪ (INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

MYKA: So, in order to bond with Huxley,

I decided to use Dreft baby detergent.

Dreft baby detergent has this scent

just like a newborn,

so when I'm cuddling a three-year-old baby boy,

I can still feel like I'm snuggling

that brand-new baby,

and I get that baby scent that I never got from my son.

The idea of adoptee situated in a little story like that

to sell laundry detergent,

it seems to objectify the adoptee.

I'm not saying that is anyone's intention

to objectify these children.

It could come across that way.

I wanna thank Dreft baby detergent

for sponsoring today's video.

And if you're new to this channel,

definitely subscribe.

And if you like this video, give it a thumbs up.

That feels icky because that feels like...

(SIGHS HEAVILY)

I don't know. It feels like that's crossing

a little bit of a boundary.

You know, when you see a child

who did not consent to any of this,

advertised using glossy ads,

and really play up Huxley's face with the detergent,

it feels exploitative.

He's kind of the new moneymaker for Myka.

Huxley had been home for about a year,

and, you know, they were seeing that

adopting really brings in the money when you do it right,

when you gain a following on YouTube,

so why not do it all over again?

We are currently talking about another adoption,

and this is one of the reasons

I want you guys to think about it

is videos like this of a little boy.

He was in the foster care system.

CASEWORKER: (OVER VIDEO) You will have a family.

You will have daddy and mommy, okay? Don't cry.

That video breaks my heart to the core.

Guys, adoption does something crazy to your heart.

For some people, it actually might be

kind of an addiction, having children.

Like, I think that there is kind of like a fetish even.

This is what happens to adoptive parents.

They continue to read, and look, and follow,

and continue to monitor these children

-to be adopted. -(IN SING-SONG) Adopt a kiddo.

(NORMALLY) You want a little brother?

JAKA STAUFFER:

-(INDISTINCT CHATTER) -HANNAH: It did feel like...

...another push for views.

Like, "We're gonna tease this." It's clickbait.

That's a great title. "We're thinking about adopting again." Oh my gosh.

So all the viewers that had kinda lost interest at that point

were gonna watch for that.

-(MOUSE CLICKS) -We are adopting again.

I feel like this might be our last.

Like, I feel like this could be our last baby.

We're definitely gonna be doing updates

the entire time,

filling you in on literally everything.

Make sure you're subscribed to the vlog channel, guys.

If you guys are excited for this journey,

give this video a big thumbs up.

She officially is informing her followers

that she is ready to adopt again,

and you know that's going to get her

kind of the attention that she's probably craving.

But barely two months later,

they tease another big announcement.

(MOUSE CLICKING)

And yesterday, another bomb-dropper.

I had so many signs of being pregnant.

Having babies is good content. It just is.

One thing we knew that Myka did really well

is that she knew the type of content

that people would respond to.

MYKA: Okay. Open your eyes.

HANNAH: To celebrate the announcement of a baby,

it would get immediate attention.

But this feels a little staged.

MYKA: I wanna tell you that you are the most amazing man

that I've ever met in my entire life.

And I wanna tell you one more thing.

(JAMES CHUCKLES)

One more little thing for you.

Will you accept this pacifier?

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

She's pregnant again, that is insane to me,

'cause now she has too much on her plate.

It's insane. Like, genuinely, who would do that to themselves?

Bringing new children into their family

was a surefire way to get more views,

get more followers,

get more sponsorships, and get more money.

MYKA: When I was a little girl,

Barbies were my absolute favorite toy.

So having these memories

where the girls can look back on us

is just so amazing.

Thank you, Mattel, for paying me

and helping me create this video.

(CASH REGISTER DINGING REPEATEDLY)

-(DINGING STOPS) -♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪

Things really took off for them

and you could kind of see the lifestyle change.

Hey, guys. Welcome to my new crib.

And come on in.

♪ (UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

JAMES: We have a surprise for you guys.

MYKA: We're going to Disney World.

-MYKA: You wanna go? -KOVA: Yeah!

I feel like we are celebrities going on vacation.

We're at Cartier. And this is one place

that Myka's always wanted to get a piece of jewelry from.

Thank you so much. I could cry.

With YouTube, you know,

it's turned into a full-time business for us.

And it's done really well and it's all thanks to you guys

and all the amazing support that you've given us.

They were about to make it.

Like, they were in People magazine

and it's like they had arrived.

♪ (INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

SEAN: I had an interview with Myka Stauffer,

and we were at an event called VidSummit.

The interview was pretty straightforward,

very tips-based in terms of, you know, how they monetize,

how they build their channel.

If someone turns on your channel right now,

it's really amazing. Almost a half a million subscribers.

-MYKA: Yes. -What's also really impressive

is how well-- You're making a lot of money.

There's way better subscribe-- YouTubers out there.

But one of the big things I did was

I started studying analytics really hard.

You could have a liquid gold mine

and it could be insane.

This interview didn't age well.

Do you have a favorite failure?

So, I wouldn't call it a failure,

but I would call it something that was really, really, really,

really challenging. Um,

we recently adopted a little guy from China.

Definitely not a failure.

I mean, I've never heard an answer like that.

When you adopt a child, it's forever.

And when you adopt a child,

and there's stuff that you didn't know,

it's genuinely just naturally hard.

It just puts you in a spot

you didn't know you were gonna be in.

Usually, it's like, "What's your biggest failure?

What's a failure you've learned from?"

And they'll be like, "Oh, you know,

I posted too many videos in the first year,

and I burnt out," or something like that.

(MOUSE CLICKS)

SEAN: A lot of maybe internal conflict

was already happening in this moment.

-(BIRDS CHIRPING) -♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪

HANNAH: As fans, it was clear that things

were getting hard for the Stauffers.

♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

JAMES: What's your deal? What's wrong?

(HUXLEY CRIES)

-JAMES: What? What's wrong? -CHILD: Give it back.

What's wrong? What's your deal? What's wrong?

We're having some meltdowns.

Daddy has told me that Huxley took a nap,

and I am 100 percent confident,

Huxy, that you did not take a night-night.

You didn't take night-night, did you?

This is Huxley's, like, eighth tantrum.

(HUXLEY CRYING)

MYKA: No more. Come on. Let's go.

You're not gonna throw a fit when you don't get your way.

-That's not okay. Let's go. -(HUXLEY CRYING)

HANNAH: There were definitely hard moments...

(CRIES)

...but then they shared his full diagnosis.

-♪ (MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪ -That felt like the hardest thing

they had been through yet.

It's been a really incredible year

but it's also been...

-Hard. -...our hardest...

-Hardest year of our life. -...year testing ourselves.

You know, I wanna be honest with you right now,

and I just wanna be frank.

We went to get Huxley tested for autism

about four weeks ago,

and then we finally got the prognosis

and diagnosis for him.

He does have several issues, ADHD, um...

-Level three autism. -...level three autism,

"May live with you for the rest of your life,

may never be potty-trained."

Like, when we heard all of these things,

it just hurt.

And then we're just like, "I wanna turn the camera off,"

and I'm so upset that I'm not doing a good job.

-(SOBS) -♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

HANNAH: That was a heavy video,

and you could feel their emotion.

But also, for the next year, you really saw them step it up.

You could see that the Stauffers were really giving 100 percent,

and really trying to give it all to Huxley.

Can you show me your hair?

MYKA: Yay!

Yay!

-Ball. -HUXLEY: Ball.

Ball. Good job! Now, we're gonna throw. Throw.

(CHILDREN LAUGHING)

-MYKA: Oh, are you gonna dance? -HUXLEY: Yeah.

MYKA: Dancing. Show me your dancing, buddy. Oh yes.

We got it on camera! (LAUGHS)

Yes!

HANNAH: "Yes, she's done some things

that I don't necessarily agree with,

but I do feel for her during this time."

Yeah, so she's getting support.

People are seeing that it's hard.

There's two sides.

(WHEELS RATTLING)

(BABY CRYING)

HANNAH: After they had their fifth child,

it seemed like they were less interested

in adopting again and they were showing more

that they were working with Huxley,

and improving his language skills.

HUXLEY: Aba.

MYKA: Do you see another apple? Oh, you do? Good job.

That's a new word that Huxley is trying to say

is apple. "Aba."

-Do you like apples? -HUXLEY: Aba.

-MYKA: Apple. -(MUTTERS SOFTLY)

MYKA: Good talking, buddy.

You're doing so good. High five. High five.

So, when you see happy moments with Huxley and Myka,

and you see her putting in effort,

and really taking on the autism diagnosis

and all of that, I really do believe she tried.

We're gonna run through all of the signs really quick,

just to make sure he knows them,

um, down pat before we teach anything new.

-Show me "help." -(HUXLEY MUTTERS)

Good job. Show me "more." Show me "eat."

-(HUXLEY GRUNTS) -Oh, you did a good job!

Oh!

♪ (VOCALIZES JAUNTY TUNE) ♪

And you wanna believe that it's real,

that she really did have a connection with him.

Slow down. Sit on your butt.

You were trying to give me a kiss?

Give a kiss. Give me a kiss.

(HUXLEY GIGGLES)

Give me a kiss.

-No? Okay. -(MOUSE CLICKS)

HANNAH: You can see that there's tenderness

and love between them.

♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

HANNAH: And it really messes with your head,

because it was one of the last videos

you see of him.

SOPHIE: For two and a half years,

Huxley was the star.

And then, you know, three months go by,

and a lot of fans really started to notice

that he was not showing up anymore.

He had just kind of disappeared from the channel.

(KEYBOARD KEYS CLACKING)

♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪

HANNAH: People were asking, "Where is Huxley?"

Myka deleted them.

-♪ (UNNERVING MUSIC PLAYING) ♪ -(PAPER CRUMBLING)

(KEYBOARD KEYS CLACKING)

-(MOUSE CLICKS) -(PAPER CRUMBLES)

As soon as, you know,

someone starts deleting comments,

you're like, "What exactly are they hiding?"

-(MOUSE CLICKING) -(PAPER CRUMBLING)

-(MOUSE CLICKS) -(PAPER CRUMBLES)

Why wouldn't they just respond to that?

(KEYBOARD KEYS CLACKING)

-(MOUSE CLICKS) -(PAPER CRUMBLES)

It just tells everyone

that there's something going on. You're trying to hide something.

That's the only reason

you would take stuff down like that.

These followers were very, very,

very invested and they were digging.

They were digging for evidence.

JAMES: And to begin this process...

SOPHIE: In this video on James' YouTube channel,

Stauffer Garage,

followers piece together the fact

that Huxley's car seat was missing.

-(MOUSE CLICKS) -♪ (SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

(KEYBOARD KEYS CLACKING)

That's how, you know, tuned in so many of these followers were,

trying to figure out where Huxley went.

But then there was something

suspicious happening with the old videos.

In April of 2020,

suddenly everything with Huxley

is private. You click on it, it's gone.

(BEEP)

(BEEP)

That's sketchy.

(KEYBOARD KEYS CLACKING)

-(MOUSE CLICKS) -(PAPER CRUMBLES)

♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪

♪ (THEME MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

♪ (THEME MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪