An influencer with more than 12 million followers has been banned after broadcasting his wife’s 23-hour childbirth, including the moment she suffered a life-threatening haemorrhage, and inserting a paid nappy advertisement into the footage.
The account, run by a Chinese national based in Seattle, United States, was banned on 11th February.
Picture shows the influencer known as "Paul in USA" with wife and baby, undated. He filmed and uploaded a video of his wife's childbirth. Note: Private photo. (AsiaWire)
The influencer, known online as “Paul in USA”, was born in 1990 and graduated from Columbia University.
A former Microsoft product manager, he built a large following by sharing videos about his life in Seattle, attracting more than 12.2 million followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
In February 2026, he uploaded a video documenting his wife’s entire 23-hour labour. The footage showed her in visible agony during contractions and included images of her exposed body as she gave birth.
According to reports, during delivery she suffered a third-degree perineal tear and lost 3,344 millilitres of blood due to post-partum haemorrhage.
Picture shows influencer's wife in hospital, undated. The Chinese influencer filmed and uploaded a video of his wife's childbirth. Note: Private photo. (AsiaWire)
She underwent emergency treatment and a blood transfusion before doctors declared both her and the couple’s newborn daughter safe.
Reports said he continued filming while medical staff treated his wife during the emergency. The video also featured a paid endorsement for nappies, with the influencer reading the advertising script as part of the recording.
He reportedly charged between CNY 250,000 (GBP 27,000) and CNY 298,000 (GBP 32,000) for commercial video posts depending on length. It is not known how much he earned from the nappy advertisement included in the childbirth video.
The footage was later deleted.
Picture shows the influencer known as "Paul in USA" with wife and baby, undated. He filmed and uploaded a video of his wife's childbirth. Note: Private photo. (AsiaWire)
On 10th February, his wife issued a statement defending the decision to share the video.
She said: “Our intention was to authentically document the childbirth process. We did not anticipate complications during filming, but still felt it was important to share the footage.
“Some people told us it helped them better understand the risks and unpredictability of childbirth: not every delivery is smooth; some are extremely dangerous.”
But despite her plea, on 11th February, the account “Paul in USA” was banned by the platform for “violating relevant laws, regulations and platform policies”, according to a notice displayed on his profile page.
(Aloysius Fernandes /AsiaWire)