Anna Paul is having a very bad week.

For years now, Anna Paul has been known as Australia's influencer 'sweetheart', documenting her life on TikTok with an infectious air of positivity. Now, her sunny reputation may be under threat.

Last week, fellow influencer Mikaela Testa — who dated Anna's brother Atis for two years, before the pair split in 2022 — posted an eight-minute video 'exposing' the OnlyFans star.

Six days later, Anna Paul finally responded to the viral video to address some — though not all — of the accusations. Now, she has lost almost one million followers.

Watch: Mikaela Testa calls out Anna Paul in viral TikTok. Post continues after video.

Here is a timeline of everything that has happened so far.

January 29: Mikaela Testa makes a video about Anna Paul.

Along with serious allegations against Paul's brother Atis, describing him as emotionally and physically abusive, Testa also levelled some claims at her former friend, Anna. Here's what she said.

Mikaela claimed Anna Paul's 'body positivity' message is fake.

Mikaela claimed that Anna Paul was 'fake'. Image: Instagram/@mikaelatesta

This is the allegation that has garnered the most traction. In her video, Mikaela claimed that Anna's brand of 'body positivity' and 'self-love' is a facade, recalling an alleged incident with a plus-sized fan.

"[The fan] asked for a hug and a picture. You smiled at her. You told her that you loved her. She told you how your words online have helped her be more comfortable in her body," Mikaela claimed.

"Things like this were a common occurrence. Seeing your fakeness in the flesh was such a disturbing experience."

Speaking about the allegations on Mamamia's daily entertainment podcast The Spill, Mamamia's Head of Entertainment, Laura Brodnick said the fan encounter, if true, "made [her] feel sick" and she understood why it had received so much backlash.

"If you are at enough of these influencer events over the years… that sort of interaction of someone being so nice and then fat shaming behind the scenes is just such a common occurrence," she said.

"I don't know if she actually said that, but I've seen it happen so many times that I think that's why that particular moment has hit such a chord with people."

Mikaela claimed Anna Paul was using her fans for a 'plot for profit'.

During her time in the public eye, Anna Paul has been lauded for sending money to her subscribers. But Mikaela suggested that her intentions aren't as altruistic as they appear.

"By posting Instagram stories advertising that you're sending money to subscribers, you are directly trying to lure new customers over to your page, a page which costs $16 to access," Mikaela said in her video.

"This $16 is essentially a lottery ticket. With the seven-hour difference in time between posting your initial promo story on Instagram to actually sending money, it's clear that in that time you allowed the subs to reel in."

The influencer described this as a "plot for profit rather than a giveback situation as [Anna] disguises it".

"The whole premise of you luring your largely underage fan base to a website containing pornographic photos of you in the hopes of them winning your illegal lottery gambling scheme is so twisted and weird."

After hearing these allegations, Spill guest host Ksenija Lukich did a bit of a deep dive into the legalities of lotteries in Australia.

"From what I could gather, there is a little bit of a grey area here," she said.

"Anna Paul is not specifically saying, 'If you subscribe to my OnlyFans in six hours' time, I'm going to give away $500 to five winners.' That is a very clear competition and that is a pay-to-play. She's not doing that."

Ksenija added that she assumed Anna would be working under an ABN.

"She would be technically her own business. I obviously don't know how her tax situation works, how her money works. But it is a really interesting point and there could be some legal consequences here."

Mikaela claimed that Anna Paul lies about being 'poor'.

Anna Paul found herself at the centre of controversy. Image: Instagram/@annapaul

In her content, Anna Paul often references her humble upbringing, and how grateful she is to be able to give back to her family. According to Mikaela, this is far from the truth.

"In my opinion, it seems the Paul siblings have scamming running through their blood," Mikaela alleged.

"I'm not sure why, because they were raised with amazing parents that provided a lot for them. Their dad, making triple the average Australian income per week, had them living in a beautiful house on the water with a built-in pool. I've seen the house in person. It's beautiful. Being upper middle class is not being poor, Anna."

Mikaela went on to allege that Anna's "exaggerated stories" make her dad "upset" and herself "just angry".

"I was a real victim of the system and poverty like you portrayed yourself online," the influencer said.

According to Laura, this kind of financial tale has become a common occurrence in the media landscape over the years.

"[It's] this idea that you could celebrate your wealth but only if it looked like you had earned it on your own," she said on The Spill.

"I think a lot of people romanticised themselves, especially in the last decade, [saying] 'I grew up with nothing and I've made something of myself.'

"We're very happy to see people flaunt wealth online as long as we think that they have earned it."

Listen to the full episode of The Spill. Post continues below.

February 3: Anna Paul responds to Mikaela Testa.

Nearly a week after Testa's video, Anna Paul posted an eight-minute response on TikTok, addressing the allegations.

"If I made a video addressing every time anyone said anything bad about me, I would be posting all day long, every single day… But I think we can all agree that this has gotten a little bit big, and a little bit much," Paul started the video.

The influencer explained that her response took a while as she does not have a PR team or a script, and she was "just talking to camera".

"This all took me by surprise, and it was a very big shock to me, because somebody that I thought was my friend and that I was close with really hurt me," Paul said, referring to Testa.

"Two months ago, she was asking me to go to Fiji with her on a girls' trip. And last year when my dad was apparently homeless, and that was going crazy on TikTok, she was the one helping me through it."

Anna Paul responded. Image: Instagram/@annapaul

Paul then went on to address the allegations made by Testa in her initial video, starting with her claims that the OnlyFans star had called a fan "fat and sweaty" behind their back in 2021.

"I do not call my fans fat," Paul said. "That is not who I am. That is not what I stand for. That's not what I've ever stood for. But you guys know me, surely you know that is not what I stand for.

"Sweaty, however, I may have called her sweaty," she added. "Because when somebody is wet, and they touch you, and then they leave, and when you're with your best friend, and you are now wet because of them, you may say, 'I am now wet.'"

The TikTokker emphasised that this interaction was four years ago, but it "may have happened".

"I also know that people would have hugged me, walked away and said, 'Anna Paul is sweaty'. That does not make them a bad person. That is just them pointing out that after two people touch, they are now sweaty or wet."

Paul also explained that during her meet and greets, when she hugs "thousands of people", she will sometimes wipe her shoulders with a wet wipe because they smell like sweat.

"That is just a human thing. And, of course, you can twist and make it sound bad in a video."

The 25-year-old went on to deny Testa's claim that she "lied about growing up broke".

"When I say I grew up broke, that is my experience," Paul said. "That is how I felt. When I can hear my parents talking in the kitchen that the budget for the groceries that week is $30, it makes me feel broke.

"When we can't afford school uniforms, it makes me feel broke. When I'm 10 and all my friends can afford something and my parents can't, it makes me feel broke. When they say, 'Oh, I don't know how we're going to afford rent next week', that makes me scared and makes me feel broke.

"That does not mean that I was the most broke person on earth. There are definitely people in way worse situations than me, but that does not mean that I'm lying about the fact that I felt broke during those times."

She then addressed resurfaced photos from her childhood where Paul was in first class on a flight, and wearing a Gucci watch. The influencer explained that her uncle had paid for an economy flight, but that the family was upgraded after her brother fell ill. The Gucci watch, she said, was from a garage sale and not real.

"You cannot determine things from photos. It is crazy. And those are just a couple of examples."

For the last part of her video, Paul described the "bullying" that had "festered and grown" from this situation as "dangerous".

"Bullying like this kills people. It kills people. You might think it's funny to set up your phone and think, 'Oh, what's trending right now? I know. I'll say I met Anna Paul once and say something bad, that'll get views.' Your views aren't worth someone's life, I'm telling you.

"Another [claim] is that I'm a manipulative liar because I called pasta 'noodles' or something like that. Insanity. I think we can all agree it's gotten very insane."

Paul said she was "fortunate enough" to have a "very strong support system" and thanked her fans for standing by her.

"What I can't imagine is going through something like this alone. There are children that go through this kind of bullying alone. And for that, I cannot even imagine how they even survived," she said.

"I do not want a single nasty mean comment in my defence. Even if it is pushing me up but being mean to someone else, you do not comment anything hateful or DM anybody anything hateful. It's all internet fun until someone dies. I'm not joking. It is dangerous. So, do not send any hate."

She finished her video: "This is not what my account is about, ever. I mind my business. I stay in my peace. I post my nice videos, and that's all I do, and that's all I will ever do. I love you so much. Be nice. Be kind. And if you feel the need to be mean, lock your phone and go outside. Let's just encourage kindness 'cause the world needs more of it."

The internet's reaction.

For the most part, Anna Paul's response didn't go down well on TikTok. While some supported her, many users believed she avoided addressing the more serious allegations about the legality of the 'lottery' and her brother Atis.

"Funny how she thinks addressing noodles is more important than her lottery," one user wrote.

Paul did, however, respond to a comment about the giveaways, writing: "For anyone wondering, over 93.8 per cent of my IG audience is 18+."

Others called out Paul's assertion that she "feels broke", saying that was not the same thing as being broke.

Before Testa released her initial video, Paul had 7.2 million followers. She has now lost around 400,000, leaving her with 6.8 million. The influencer has also lost hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram.

February 3: Mikaela Testa responds to Anna Paul's video.

Mikaela Testa warned that she has 'receipts'. Image: Instagram/@mikaelatesta

Following Paul's response video, Testa took to her Instagram story to reveal Anna had blocked her comments on TikTok.

Sharing a screenshot of a comment she had attempted to post under Paul's video, Testa wrote: "Of course Anna would block my comments. I guess I'm forced into explaining myself in full."

The comment read:

"Anna, please do not try and paint me as a liar... I will come with receipts. Do not make me come on here with it all. You said what you said and you said it in entirety.

"I thought we were friends too. Until your friends have come to me with everything you've been saying about me the entire time. I reached out because I thought we were friends. We weren't. You are fake and this doesn't cut it. I care about children and you're extorting them."

February 4: Mikaela Testa says she's pursuing legal action.

In a follow-up statement on her Instagram story, Mikaela Testa said she is "moving forward legally".

"Hi guys," she wrote. "I did promise receipts."

"While going through and actually collecting them and reviewing them I realised something very, very sinister was happening to me for many years. This is something the police should be seeing, not the internet."

She went on to say that while she will, one day, "be able to share [her] story in full," she will have to "delay" posting the "receipts" for the time being.

"I will be moving forward legally, the way it should be," Testa finished.

Watch Mikaela and Anna's videos below.

@mikaelatesta

I speak better when my words are on paper. <3

♬ original sound - Mikaela Testa

@anna..paull

🫶🏼

♬ original sound - Anna Paul

Feature Image: Instagram/@annapaul/TikTok/@anna..paull

Mamamia has reached out to both Paul and Testa for comment.

This article was originally published on February 1, 2025, and has since been updated with new information.