Kick streamer Adin Ross has accused celebrity news outlet TMZ of paying someone to leak the news of his sister Madeline Ross’s death. Ross, in his recent stream, called the situation “absolutely insane” and said he is personally going to track down whoever gave TMZ the information. Madeline was someone Ross always called his “best friend,” and the family had not made any public announcement about her passing when TMZ decided to run the story.
Ross has not provided any evidence that a payment was made. His fans, however, have been going after TMZ on X and Instagram, calling the outlet out for not letting the family break the news themselves. For Ross, this was not just about a news leak. The family lost the ability to control how and when people found out, and that is what seems to have angered him the most.
Ross Claims He Has Been Struggling With His Health Since Madeline’s Passing Away
Ross opened up about how badly the loss has affected him. He said it has been the worst week of his life. He admitted to unhealthy coping habits and said he has gone through noticeable weight changes since Madeline passed away. He credited his parents for keeping him grounded through everything and said they have been his main source of support.
There has also been a separate issue on social media that made things worse for the family. People started posting photos of Adin’s other sister, Naomi Ross, in tribute posts that were supposed to be about Madeline.
Related: Adin Ross’ Sister Madeline Ross Passes Away At 36 In Florida
Naomi is a known influencer with her own audience, but Madeline lived a mostly private life, and a lot of people did not know what she looked like. Because of this, the wrong images kept circulating online. It is one thing to deal with losing a family member, and something else entirely when the internet cannot even get the basic facts about your family right while you are still grieving.
The Allegations Against TMZ Have Brought Up Old Questions About Paid Sources In Celebrity Journalism
Paying for tips is how a lot of celebrity news gets made. TMZ and outlets like it have operated this way for years, and it generates traffic. But this time the reaction has been different, and that is mostly because of what was being leaked.
Getting early word on a celebrity breakup is one thing. Running a story about someone’s death before the family has had a chance to process it or put out their own statement is something else. People online have been saying there needs to be boundaries around this kind of reporting, specifically when it involves a death and the family has not spoken yet.
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Ross said his investigation into the leak is ongoing. He has not given any timeline on it. As of now, there is no public confirmation that TMZ actually paid anyone for the information. However, given how Adin Ross handles situations like these and how public he tends to be about going after people, it is likely we will hear more about this in the coming days.
