19-year-old Zoe Laverne, who has nearly 18 million followers and was ranked the seventh most-hated influencer in an Insider poll, made the announcement on the social media platform.
Laverne posted an image showing two positive pregnancy tests and told her followers that she and her current boyfriend Dawson Day, 20, are having a baby together.
"You are going to be such a great daddy," Laverne captioned her Instagram pregnancy announcement, a selfie of her and Day. "Thank you for changing my life so much and making me the happiest girl on earth."
Laverne, who has become known for causing controversy on the platform, has already addressed critics who say she's faking the pregnancy, even going so far as to say she would take a pregnancy test while live streaming.
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The expectant father has also addressed Laverne's previous scandal with the 13-year-old fan who appears in pictures on Day's Instagram. The three appear to still be in contact online and the young fan liked Laverne's pregnancy announcement post.
"Well... we're expecting," Day wrote. "& for the idiots talking s--- I am the father. Zoe and Connor didn't do anything to have a baby. That's impossible. And if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. That's disgusting and a real low blow to talk s--- ab an unborn child. It's sickening."
A post shared by Dawson Day (@dawsonday_1)
Laverne caused controversy in 2020 when she admitted to kissing and "catching feelings for" a 13-year-old fan named Connor, an admission that sparked a conversation around consent and minors online.
Because of this, the response to her pregnancy announcement has largely been negative. Laverne's critics say she has a reputation as a child "groomer," which refers to building "a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person" in order to "manipulate, exploit and abuse them," according to the UK's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
Laverne has repeatedly denied that she "groomed" Connor and says if she did anything illegal, she'd be in jail. She said she and the 13-year-old both decided their actions were "wrong" after a video leaked of the two of them kissing. Laverne's former best friend also described her relationship with the fan as "pedophilia" in leaked direct messages.
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Laverne didn't respond to Insider's request for comment.
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