Charli D'Amelio's Dad Speaks Out About Controversial Influencer Trip To Bahamas
"She's 16 so she has no say in where we're going."
In case you're not invested in TikTok drama, Charli D'Amelio and a group of influencers faced some major backlash after jetting to the Bahamas to celebrate New Year's Eve in the middle of the pandemic.
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While Charli and her travel companions — including her sister Dixie D'Amelio, Noah Beck, Chase Hudson, and Madi Monroe — never posted any photos from the trip, they were spotted by several fans during their stay at the Atlantis resort in Nassau.
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TikTokRoom / Via instagram.com
Fans were definitely not happy to hear about the trip to the Bahamas, especially after Charli had just denounced "inconsiderate" teens who were still socializing despite the pandemic.
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@charlidamelio / Via instagram.com
"If you're using this time to hang out with your friends since you don't have school, I'm asking you to please stop being so inconsiderate to others. You may think, 'Oh, this isn't going to affect me, it's not that bad.' You're thinking you're a teenager, you're immune. You're putting other people at risk to get hurt and to be in pain," Charli said during an Instagram Live.
However, it turns out that the teens were not the only ones on the trip — Charli and Dixie were also joined by their parents Marc and Heidi, who apparently sanctioned the controversial vacation.
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@dameliofamilyofficial / Via instagram.com
In fact, Charli's father Marc told photographer Kevin Wong that she had no choice about the family vacation and had to come along because she's underage.
Kevin Wong / Via youtube.com
"She's 16 so she has no say in where we're going, so you guys can put it on me," Marc said in the paparazzi video.
Marc's additional comments seemed to echo that of Noah Beck, who previously said the crew needed to "disconnect" and "get away from everything."
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"We did what we had to do. We went away," Marc added in his own interview.
Despite the apparent need to escape LA, Marc acknowledged the devastating impact of COVID and admitted, "We left a hotbed and went to a place where there's very little corona."
@Marcdamelio / Via instagram.com
He continued, "Corona is real and people have to take it seriously... We do take it seriously and want to protect other people. We don't take it lightly. It's a real virus and many people have gotten killed."
Kevin Wong / Via youtube.com
As for the critics, Marc told them that they "hear them loud and clear" but at the end of the day, "it is what it is."
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@heididamelio / Via instagram.com
Marc's message didn't sit well with fans, who continued to criticize the trip and question their need to "get away" to another location:
YouTube / Via youtube.com
YouTube / Via youtube.com
YouTube / Via youtube.com
Others chose to call out Dixie and Noah specifically, because they are both over 18 and have the right to make their own decisions:
YouTube / Via youtube.com
YouTube / Via youtube.com
While Marc didn't offer any further remarks in response to the commenters, you can hear all that he had to say in his interview below:
