Rolling Stone Menu A Black Creator Made a Video About His Trauma. TikTok Turned It Into a Joke
Joey Cassanova’s video is the latest example of black content being coopted by white creators. “They saw it, they stole it, and they ignored the pain behind the story,” he says
By Courtesy of Joey Cassanova
On April 7th, 2021, retired MMA fighter Joey Cassanova uploaded a video to his TikTok page with the message, “If you only knew what I’ve been through.” In the video, he pretends to be riddled by a spray of bullets as words flash on the screen, alluding to his past trauma: child abuse, foster care, being molested, depression, PTSD, the murder of his ex-wife, the loss of his father two months ago, three heart attacks. “Somehow I’m still here,” the message at the end of the video says as Cassanova stares defiantly at the viewer.