The $10M Influencer Empire That Collapsed Over a Pink Cake

January 30
9 mins

Episode Description

Chiara Ferragni wasn’t just an influencer, she was a case study in how to turn social media fame into a multi-million-dollar business. And then a pink Christmas cake almost destroyed everything.

Today, Sammi breaks down the scandal that triggered regulatory fines, a criminal fraud investigation, mass sponsor exits, and a collapse of more than 90% of company revenue in a single year — all tied to a holiday charity campaign that raised major questions about transparency in influencer marketing.

But this story is bigger than one creator. It’s about what happens when governments try to regulate the creator economy in real time and how public blame gets distributed when a brand is a person versus a corporation.

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Here’s what Sammi covers today:

00:00 Chiara Ferragni’s Social Currency

02:02 The Christmas Cake Controversy

03:01 Backlash and Fallout

04:23 The Legal Battle 

06:11 The Lessons Most People Are Missing

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