The TikTok Chelsea and Lance Drama Explained
TikTok influencers Chelsea Hart and Lance Tsosie caused a stir after posting several videos about their private relationship.
By now, you've likely encountered a video or two about the situation while scrolling the app. The duo's still-unraveling drama has sparked a larger conversation with countless other users weighing in.
If you've seen uploads from either Chelsea or Lance on your For You Page but have no idea what's going on, we compiled everything you need to know to be up to date on the ongoing TikTok drama.
Learn more about the situation below. But first...
Who Is Lance Tsosie?
Lance Tsosie is a Native influencer from Denver, Colo. with 2.7 million followers on TikTok. He posts under the handle @modern_warrior__. The majority of Lance's posts have to do with Native culture and the rights of Indigenous peoples.
The influencer is recognized for his use of the phrase "Hey, colonizer" and has incited rage from alt-right users on TikTok. He has been open in the past about death threats that he's received.
Lance strongly advocates against redface (the imitation of Indigenous people, similar to blackface) both on social media and in Hollywood. He also champions more Indigenous representation in media. For instance, he recently recommended that Poison Ivy — a popular villain Batman faces off against — should be cast as an Indigenous actor if she is portrayed in the DCEU.
Check out one of his latest videos below.
Who Is Chelsea Hart?
Chelsea Hart is an Alaskan influencer and stand up comedian with 1.6 million followers on TikTok. They post under the handle @chelseahartisme and use their account to support various causes that they believes in. Known for their unique cadence and slight accent, Chelsea denies being British in their bio on the app.
Also an activist, Chelsea advocates for Indigenous peoples across the country but especially in Alaska. They have also shared videos that have to do with International Holocaust Remembrance Day and issues of inequality and cruelty across the globe.
In the past, they shared several collaborations with Lance. In January 2021, Chelsea uploaded a video that celebrated how quickly Lance's channel exploded in popularity.
"I can't remember the last time I became friends with someone so quickly," they said in the video. "Cause he's wonderful; he's exactly who he says he is."
Check out one of their latest videos below:
Were Lance and Chelsea in a Relationship?
Chelsea Hart and Lance Tsosie's alleged relationship drama became a matter of public consumption after the former shared a TikTok that delved into the time they spent together. In a video, Chelsea claimed that they had been friends online for a year and involved romantically for about six months.
Meanwhile, Lance referred to their relationship as strictly a "friendship" in a since-deleted video on the app.
After posting their first video, Chelsea shared several more that included accusations about their alleged former partner.
What Happened Between Lance and Chelsea?
In a video shared last week, Chelsea Hart opened up about the deterioration of their alleged romance with Lance Tsosie.
Chelsea claimed that their relationship started as a friendship but evolved into something more. They also claimed that the pair discussed getting more serious and that Lance even floated the idea of polyamory.
Chelsea said that they made it very clear that they were not down with the idea of opening up the relationship to multiple partners. "We never talked about it again. And under that pretense of understanding that I needed to be the only one, I flew to Denver, and I had unprotected sex with him," they alleged.
Chelsea then alleged that, less than a day later, they learned Lance was on a date with another person.
"You violated my trust," they said in a video directed to Lance. "I almost want an STD test." Chelsea pleaded with their followers to not attack Lance but implied that he was behaving in a misogynistic manner.
Watch the video below:
Lance directly referenced the accusations in a video, which has since been taken down. However, parts of it still exist online because Chelsea filmed a duet in response.
In it, Lance referred to his relationship with Chelsea pointedly as a friendship and apologized for ineffectively communicating his feelings.
"I might be pregnant with your child, and you're apologizing for your communication," an audibly incensed Chelsea replied. "Don't you dare try to apologize for your communication. Why don't you apologize for taking advantage of my vulnerability to get in my pants? You knew I never would have ever slept with you without a condom had I known what was going on."
Watch the video below:
Chelsea continued to speak on the drama in additional videos.
In one, they uploaded a duet video with a woman (@bananaamarie) who detailed a similar alleged experience with Lance.
Other uploads included screenshots of her and Lance's alleged texts and phone records. Chelsea also opened up about how a previous reported abortion, with another partner, impacted the development of their relationship with Lance.
Chelsea disavowed their followers who were apparently bullying women on social media following the videos.
"If you are harassing other women because of this you do not represent me, and I despise you," they said. Chelsea added that they felt ill enough about the whole situation that they were thinking about going to the hospital.
The narrative about Chelsea and Lance's relationship drama continued to evolve as others weighed in, with some supporting Chelsea and others defending Lance against Chelsea airing their dirty laundry publicly.
Why Is Lance and Chelsea's TikTok Drama Controversial?
Chelsea Hart and Lance Tsosie's alleged relationship has sparked all sorts of controversy online.
For starters, it has raised questions about whether or not Chelsea had been given the ability to give informed consent before agreeing to their and Lance's alleged sexual relations.
Chelsea posted a stitch made with other users' videos who explained that they were unable to give consent since they were unaware of Lance's reported other sexual relationships — meaning Chelsea might not have agreed to have sex with Lance or pursue a relationship with him had they known the full story.
Some people are of the belief that they agreed to have unprotected sex without knowing the reality of the situation, rendering consent void. Chelsea seemed to be in agreement and claimed they would not have consented had they been aware.
Others believe that Chelsea is now just trying to publicly punish Lance for not meeting their expectations of a monogamous, serious relationship, and is weaponizing her "white women tears" to harm Lance by galvanizing racists who were waiting for an excuse to attack him.
It goes without saying that the videos have gone viral. Many of them have been viewed millions of times. Although the comments are locked on most, viewers have found other ways to respond.
For starters, many users spammed Lance's account with comments about the importance of informed consent. Distractify notes that he has since lost hundreds of thousands of followers since the drama started.
Meanwhile, naysayers have taken to some of Chelsea's videos where they are still able to comment.
One user pointed out that Chelsea claimed to be traumatized by the situation but filmed their videos in front of a ring light, and used sappy, sad music to soundtrack the clips. Others commented that the videos feel over-the-top and performative.
Another user posted a video that called out the way Chelsea seemingly manipulated the conversation by discussing their previous pregnancy. She alleged that Chelsea told her they had an abortion in a series of direct messages.
While the user did not deny the pain of going through an abortion, she pointed out that this part of the narrative was withheld from most of the videos shared by Chelsea, who had positioned their experience as a pregnancy loss or miscarriage.
Additionally, @bananaamarie, with whom Chelsea filmed a duet and used to corroborate claims about Lance, has since gone private on the app. In a TikTok shared by a separate account, she claimed that Chelsea is demonizing an Indigenous man and trying to maintain control over the narrative.
Watch a clip of the video below:
It's been several days since either Chelsea or Lance posted a video on the subject, but the discussion is still raging on.
Some who have voiced support for Chelsea have since recanted. TikTok user @auntkaren0 claimed that Chelsea "manipulated" her and used other people's stories to boost their own narrative.
"Chelsea knew that in the end she was going to fall back on herself and let me or any person of color take the fall," she claimed.
Watch the video below:
Another user, @charles_a_stanton, alleged that Chelsea has a history of accusing others of sexual harassment.
"Ok this changes my view on her," one person wrote in the comments section. "However, I still agree that Lance is not a good human being but now neither is Chelsea."
Watch the video below: