TikTok influencer Bryce Hall and the Sway House are under fire for hosting a huge 21st birthday party for Bryce, with the number of guests estimated at around one hundred. There was also controversy over the presence of strippers.
This isn’t the first time that large groups of influencers have been called out for hosting parties. Larri ‘Larray’ Merritt’s 22nd Hype House birthday party in July saw guests such as the likes of James Charles, Charli D’Amelio, and notably Bryce Hall.
Early YouTube star Tyler Oakley called them out publicly on Twitter, tagging many of the guests in his post, calling them “bad influences” and urging them to use their “huge platforms to encourage responsibility.”
The outrage over influencer parties was ramped up when videos began to emerge on August 14 of hoards of people gathered in Hall’s LA mansion to celebrate him turning 21.
One such clip shows Hall standing on a kitchen counter, speaking to the huge crowd. “This is about to get so crazy, I appreciate all of you guys for coming out tonight.”
Bryce Hall, Josh Richards, Jaden Hossler and Blake Gray at the beginning of the party at Sway House pic.twitter.com/SAjAQjz2zo
— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) August 15, 2020
The videos from the party, collected in an extensive Twitter thread by commentary YouTuber Def Noodles, show that the guests were in very close proximity to each other, both the guests that were outside as well as those on the inside.
This close proximity was heightened once strippers were brought in for Bryce. This has created tension within itself, as he and fellow TikTok star Addison Rae have been rumored to be an item for some time now.
Another angle of the strip showing all the people at Bryce Hall’s party at Sway House pic.twitter.com/ldzLYMFixG
— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) August 15, 2020
Bryce Hall “forced” by friends?
Although not exclusive, many people have pointed out the moral grey area involved in hiring strippers. Some fans insist that Bryce was “forced to be a part of it” and that he tried to “walk away but his friends pushed him back.”
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He was forced because it was a surprise party thrown by his friends and he was forced to be apart of it when the stripers came there are videos of him trying to walk away but his friends push him back it’s sad tbh
— Mia26dance (@mia26dance) August 16, 2020
Others argue that he had “plenty of opportunities to get up and walk away” but chose not to as he was enjoying it too much.
Exactly, it’s a stripper. What did he expect to happen at a party with strippers. In the videos he had plenty of opportunities to get up and walk away (like when everyone was off of him and the girl was dancing infront, not ontop)
— emma (@emmaxtreme) August 15, 2020
Some fans think that Addison was referring to this situation when she tweeted “isn’t it weird how your heart actually feels things” and said she was “taking a break for the day.”
isn’t it weird how your heart actually feels things
— Addison Rae (@whoisaddison) August 15, 2020
taking a break for the day. i love y’all.
— Addison Rae (@whoisaddison) August 15, 2020
The party was eventually shut down by the LA police department at around 4am. When confronted by the Hollywood Fix the following day, Bryce dodged questions about the party. To the question “is Addison upset with you?” he simply replied, “stay safe.”
Whether or not there will be legal repercussions for the violation of recent guidelines remains to be seen, as the fallout from the party continues unfolding.