From rape threats and acid attack threats to the public humiliation of her parents — did Apoorva Mukhija, better known as The Rebel Kid, truly deserve this level of hate in the aftermath of the India’s Got Latent controversy?
Apoorva recently broke her silence in a heart-wrenching live video on YouTube, where she detailed the emotional trauma she and her family endured after the incident. With tears streaming down her face, she gave viewers a raw, unfiltered account of how one episode — one moment — spiraled into a wave of unimaginable abuse. The backlash she faced wasn’t just criticism. It was brutal, personal, and dangerously dehumanizing.
It all began with a controversial joke — a moment of poor judgment, maybe, but certainly not a crime deserving of death threats. In a show centered around dark, boundary-pushing humor, Apoorva’s segment sparked offense. While some interpreted her jokes as sexual and inappropriate, what followed was far beyond proportion.
Let’s be honest: was the joke in poor taste? Possibly. Did she acknowledge that? Absolutely. In her own words, she said, “I never wanted to hurt anybody. I am very, very sorry. I will be very mindful of my words. I promise I will do better going forward. I have learnt my lesson.” Apoorva even admitted, “When I heard them, I didn’t find it funny. I don’t know why I said those jokes to seem cool.” That is remorse. That is accountability. What more do we ask of someone who made a mistake?
What she received in return was a terrifying avalanche of hate. “I checked my DMs and it was flooded with acid attack threats. One guy wrote, ‘I know your building and I am going to do… this to you.’” she said during her live. “I was scared because the one thing I liked about Mumbai was security. I went to a friend’s place because I was advised by my friends: ‘YOU CANNOT COME BACK HOME.’”
That’s not criticism. That’s terror.
She didn’t just fear for her own safety. Her parents were dragged into the firestorm as well. “People found my mother’s social media ID and commented all those harassing things. They are really simple people and taught me good things. But they had to go through so much during this entire controversy,” Apoorva said. When even family members are targeted for something they had no part in, it reflects how far our digital mob mentality has fallen.
And if all of that wasn’t enough, she was also gaslit in the places she sought help. “I went to the lawyer’s office. Even they said it is my fault and I shouldn’t have said such words. I mean, whose side are you on? I thought they would be supporting me because I am paying such an amount of money. But I accepted defeat and requested them to save me.”
In a society that constantly claims to uplift women, to support mental health, to promote safe spaces — where was all that when Apoorva needed it? We live in a digital age where accountability can easily spiral into abuse, and the line between criticism and cruelty often disappears.
Apoorva shared several screenshots of how social media attacked her – the graphic hate is gruesome.
No matter how bad a joke was, no one deserves to feel unsafe in their own home. No one deserves to have their parents harassed. No one deserves to be threatened with rape or acid attacks — ever. It is not social justice.
Spewing sexist hate and attacking threats in retaliation for Apoorva’s choice of words, how do you justify your choice of words on a public platform? It’s not them who needs reflection — it’s you.
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