Good morning. Believe it or not, it’s been seven years since Billy McFarland worked with influential creators to promote the disastrous Fyre Fest. Now, after serving four years in prison, McFarland announced Fyre Fest II is taking place in April—so if you see your favorite creator hyping up a mysterious music festival off the coast of Mexico, we have several documentaries to recommend watching.

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

Political Creators Cash In on Livestream Debates

As US presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump faced off in a televised debate on ABC last night, creators across the political spectrum traded spirited arguments in a different venue: TikTok livestreams.

One 19-year-old creator, a self-identifying liberal named Liam Keyes, told Rest of World that he’s been hosting conservative peers in debates via livestream since the spring—and he’s making up to $7,000 per month.

Context: TikTok launched a feature called “live match” in 2022 that allows multiple creators to go live together over vertical, split-screened streams.

• Participants in these debates ask viewers to award gifts (which cost anywhere from 1.5 cents to $560) to the participant they believe won the debate.

• The creator with the most gifts after five minutes wins the match and cashes out their prizes.

The catch? TikTok takes 50% of the net revenue from gifts to creators—a platform rule some creators have criticized.

“You know who’s really making money off of these…grifters and TikTok,” disinformation researcher Abbie Richards said in an Instagram Reel last October, calling the live matches “f**cking disgusting.”

Zoom out: The question of transparency around how political creators drive revenue is heating up as the presidential election nears its final sprint.

Last week, the Justice Department revealed that Russian operatives were covertly paying US creators to spread pro-Russia propaganda. And this week, Semafor reported that a mysterious conservative sponsor funded a network of creators to spread “sexual smears” of Vice President Harris starting in June.

How #MomTok Got a TV Show

Last week, Hulu released The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, a reality series starring #MomTok creators who gained a following on TikTok for posting dance and lifestyle content about their lives in the Latter-day Saints (LDS) church.

How we got here →

• In 2019, LDS lifestyle creators including Taylor Paul, Camille Munday, and Miranda McWhorter rose to popularity on TikTok by posting dance videos together and with their husbands. 

• They soon amassed a cumulative 5+ million followers and over 60 million views using the hashtag #MomTok.

• In 2022, Paul went viral for revealing the group was “soft-swinging” in her divorce announcement. Paul claimed to be in love with one of the other husbands of a group member, though other MomTok creators denied their involvement.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives picks up where the drama left off, starring Paul and seven other MomTok creators.

So far the show has caused a stir across platforms. The hashtag for the show trended on X over the weekend, with over 3,000 tweets from viewers. And #SecretLivesofMormonWives amassed over 20 million views on TikTok, with cast members reacting to the episodes in real-time, expressing disappointment over their edits, and commenting on each other’s videos.

Big picture: Secret Lives is part of a wave of creator-led streaming releases this summer. But unlike the reality shows that precede it (see: Hype House, The D’Amelio Show) its cast of characters are actively engaging with the show’s storytelling on their own channels, creating a new second-screen experience for viewers.

Support for US TikTok Ban Tanks

Support for a TikTok ban in the US has fallen to just 32% of Americans, according to Pew Research. That’s down from a high of 50% in March 2023.

Big picture: After President Biden signed a law that forced TikTok parent company ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban in the US in April, TikTok sued the federal government—claiming the law violated its First Amendment right to free speech.

That lawsuit faces its first test on September 16, when the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit will hear arguments from both sides.

🔥 Press Worthy

• Roblox is increasing its creator revenue share to 70%, up from 30%.

• Ali Abdaal reaches 1,000 YouTube uploads.

• Adobe is releasing new generative AI video tools, like turning still images into video.

• TikTok is sponsoring the Washington Capitals, a pro hockey team.

• The LadyGang podcast is hosting a three-day “LadyWorld” retreat.