Chances are, if you didn't know the name Myka Stauffer before, you certainly know it now. The social media influencer has amassed a following of millions in the last few years — particularly on YouTube and Instagram, where she regularly updates her fans on her daily routines, health and lifestyle tips, and the everyday antics of her five children. But in May, Myka made national headlines after announcing that she had "rehomed" her 4 1/2-year-old son, Huxley, who has autism, whom she adopted from China just three years earlier. The public backlash was swift, but Myka and her husband, James, remained relatively quiet — until now.
On Wednesday, Myka posted an official statement on her Instagram account for the first time since the controversy broke.
In it, she first apologized for the "uproar" her announcement caused and expressed deep remorse for any hurt it created within the close-knit adoption community.
"This decision has caused so many people heartbreak and I'm sorry for letting down so many women that looked up to me as a mother," Myka wrote. "I'm sorry for the confusion and pain I have caused, and I am sorry for not being able to tell more of my story from the beginning."
Of her silence, Myka hinted that there were things that went on behind closed doors with Huxley that are better left unsaid.
"I could have never anticipated the incidents which occurred on a private level to ever have happened, and I was trying my best to navigate the hardest thing I have ever been through," she continued.
This sentiment is one that Myka has hinted at previously — first, in her May 26 video announcement, which has since been removed from YouTube, and later in responses to comments left on her social media pages.
"We would never just give up a child with special needs, this is a personal matter to Hux. It had nothing to do with he just had Autism," Myka reportedly told one commenter, according to E! News. "Multiple scary things happened inside the home towards our other children, and if these events happened with one of my biological kids, after all the help and after the behaviors we witnessed sadly we would have no other choice then to seek help and get their needs met."
But perhaps the most eye-opening part of Myka's apology came when she discussed her approach to adopting in the first place.
"I apologize for being so naive when I started the adoption process, I was not selective or fully equipped or prepared," Myka admitted. "I received one day of watching at home online video training and gained my Hague adoption certification which was required by my accredited adoption agency. For me, I needed more training."
She stressed that she doesn't regret her decision to adopt, but does wish she'd handled things differently.
"I can't say I wish this never happened because I'm still so glad Huxley is here and getting all of the help he needs," the YouTuber continued. "I also know that even though he is happier in his new home and doing better that he still experienced trauma and I'm sorry, no adoptee deserves any more trauma."
Myka said that her decision to adopt was driven by a deep desire to help a child in need. But it seems as though Huxley's complex issues — which she and her husband James previously claimed were not made clear by the adoption agency — complicated matters.
"I wanted to help so bad I was willing to bring home any child that needed me," she explained. "For this I was naive, foolish, and arrogant. I wish so bad I would have been more prepared and done more. I wish the decision to disrupt had never been made. Adoption and all special needs are amazing and I have a ton of respect for every adoptee, adoption parent, and special needs parent. I look up to you in a million ways."
Lastly, Myka addressed some "rumors" that have been swirling since the announcement -- ones she's been eager to debunk.
The biggest accusation? That the Stauffers had only adopted Huxley in the first place as a means for generating more paid content opportunities.
"We did not adopt a child to gain wealth," Myka said point-blank. "While we did receive a small portion of money from videos featuring Huxley and his journey, every penny and much more went back to his care. Getting Huxley the care and services he needed was very expensive and we made sure he got every service and resource we could possibly find."
She also dispelled rumors that the couple is under investigation after rehoming their son, and said she hopes to share more of her story soon (presumably, when her lawyers advise her that it's safe to do so).
When the Stauffers made their tearful announcement on YouTube in May, they insisted that they'd tried everything possible to help Huxley.
But ultimately, they began to feel that he might benefit from a different home environment.
"For us, it's been really hard hearing from the medical professionals, a lot of their feedback and things that have been upsetting — really upsetting for us," James shared in the video. "We've been trying to get his needs met and help him out as much as possible. It's really hard, we truly love him."
"There's not an ounce of our body that doesn't love Huxley with all of our being, there wasn't a minute that I didn't try our hardest," Myka interjected. "I think what Jim is trying to say is that … after multiple assessments, after multiple evaluations, numerous medical professionals have felt that he needed a different fit in his medical needs. He needed more."
Following their announcement, the Stauffers received a wave of backlash from commenters.
Many criticized how quickly they seemed to "give up" on their child, and wondered if they would have reacted the same if he was their biological son.
"Your child was too hard to handle?" one person asked on Twitter. "So you …. gave him back? Like …. a gift receipt. That poor sweet thing."
"Too few people are talking about how a white savior REHOMED A WHOLE A– HUMAN CHILD she adopted from another country because he was making her life as a YouTuber too hard @MykaStauffer," another person tweeted.
Fans were so outraged that two separate Change.org petitions were drafted to demonetize the Stauffers' YouTube videos that featured Huxley.
"This is unethical and extremely emotionally abusive," read one of the petitions (which has now been marked as a "victory"). "We request that her videos featuring Huxley and/or any content concerning Huxley be immediately demonetized and removed from the platform. This boy has suffered enough; it should not be public and should not supplement her income any longer."
And seemingly overnight, several brands also said they were either cutting ties with the Stauffers, or not planning to work with them again in the future. (Danimals, Playtex Baby, and Suave, were just a few of the companies to either make formal announcements on their social media pages, or reply to commenters' questions on their posts, Today reports.)
But many people have expressed empathy for the Stauffers in the last month.
"I pray for Huxley and your family," one person commented on their YouTube video. "I adopted a daughter internationally at age 2. Every day was a struggle and 23 years later. It still is, but for me, we persevered. I love her with everything I have, but it certainly was a different life story than I had written before she came."
"Wow … can't believe what I just watched," another person wrote. "So sad for everyone."
Myka's latest update also elicited an outpouring of support, though comments have since been turned off.
"Love you!" wrote one fan.
"From this adoptive mom, I send you lots of love and hugs!" added another.
