Over the past couple of months, I have been quietly watching various groups on Twitter debate (fight about) Eliza Bleu and whether or not she’s a real survivor or a grifter or a character … and all of this time, as more and more info drops, all I could think to myself was, ‘Oh, Sam, you wrote about her. You defended her. Maybe you shouldn’t have.’
Now, in my defense, I tend to cheer on the underdog. I do – I’m a Broncos fan for Pete’s sake. And in my mind, nobody would ever lie about being trafficked because HOLY HELL, how freakin’ evil is that? Right? Like I can’t even think about what karma would look like for someone lying about such a horrendous ordeal.
But I should also know better having been on Twitter for as long as I have that some people will say and do anything on social media to build a following. This morning, reading what looks like almost a ‘goodbye Twitter letter’ from Eliza about moving on to a new project, I just felt like it was time to own my mistake in jumping in gung-ho defending her on Twitter, and even here on Twitchy. Now, I can’t say for certain that she lied, that this was just another attempt for fame and glory (and money), but it certainly sets off my radar. From people claiming they were silenced for tweeting about her background, to YouTube channels being demonetized for showing an old video she was in … none of this sounds like the actions of a free-speech warrior. Not to mention as many others have pointed out, the timeline of her story doesn’t exactly line up.