If you’ve been basking in the TikTok algorithm for any number of months, you’ve almost certainly come across Nara Smith, a Mormon wife and mother who makes everything from scratch, from nutella to boba to pizza to bubblegum. Smith, sometimes simply known as the “from scratch” lady, has long been criticized for glamorizing tradwife values—she’s a stay-at-home mom who makes everything by hand, is clearly wealthy, and remains runway-ready even seconds after having a baby. But recently, there’s an even bigger drama unfolding on Nara’s page.

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Nara Smith’s schtick has always been the “from scratch” aspect of her cooking videos. No matter how absurd the item, she will always somehow magically have the exact ingredients on hand to make anything her husband and children might request in a day, and the bizarre nature of such videos has kept her audience of nearly 8 million followers gagging for years. It’s camp, whether Smith is aware of it or not.

But last week, Onezwa Mbola, a South African TikToker with a smaller following who has been making farm-to-table and “from scratch” content for years now, came onto the app with an accusation that Smith has been stealing her ideas for content.

@dementiiaa

Idek atp , like whats goin on ?? 😩 #tiktok #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #narasmith #fypシ゚viral #drama #foodie #trending #food

♬ original sound – MessyBoots

Smith promptly denied the charge, and claimed not to have ever engaged with Mbola’s content. But quickly enough, TikTokers uncovered receipts to the contrary.

The people, rightfully, are not having it, and Smith’s controversy is opening up a broader conversation about colorism in the Influencer sphere.
@jasminesgarden23

♬ original sound – Jasmine
While some are defending Smith by claiming that the concept of making a meal from scratch is far from original to begin with, others feel that the similarities in Smith’s filming style and recipes are a little too close to Mbola’s videos, as several side-by-side edits show.
@humblygrateful

Honestly, I like both of these ladies. It’s a dhame and unfortunate that I knew of @Nara Smith a lomg while before finding out about @Onezwa Mbola #narasmithandonezwa #narasmith #onezwa #contentcreators #makingboba #tiktokdrama #learningfromboth #fyp #foryou #fyppp #foryoupage #fypシ゚viral

♬ original sound – Humbly Grateful

Apparently Smith doesn’t care to address these allegations yet, but the controversy isn’t receding into the background anytime soon.

More as the drama unfolds…

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