On Nov. 7, Sahil Arora released what he described as private conversations from the 2024 celebrity memecoin boom, alleging that influencers accepted payments for promotion and that arranging a filmed meeting with Caitlyn Jenner cost around $10,000. The disclosures included screenshots attributed to Bark, a recording involving Mario Nawfal, and a group chat titled 'launch with Caitlyn.'
In the Bark messages dated May 27–28, 2024, participants discuss JENNER launch timing, bringing Iggy Azalea onto an X Space, and promoting the Habibi community. One message reads, 'been pushing $JENNER hard brother,' alongside requests for engagement from Jenner’s account. Sahil also claimed a promotional tweet from Mario Nawfal cost $10,000, though the visible exchange did not identify the promoted token or formal terms. A separate group conversation with Jake Hillhouse and Sophia Hutchins shows a preliminary call about a filmed appearance with Jenner, with payment mentioned immediately after the call.
ZachXBT responded to questions about why he had not commented more forcefully on Sahil’s allegations by revisiting his previous criticism of Ansem. He wrote, 'I tried calling out Ansem numerous times in the past for promoting micro cap and celeb tokens but gamblers brought him credibility and exit liquidity yet again this cycle.' Historic exchanges from May and October 2024 showed disagreements over celebrity vetting, promoting Spaces, and responsibility toward retail traders. Ansem denied working with Sahil and disputed the authenticity of purported private messages. Sahil alleged a transfer of 129.5 SOL, valued at about $22,000, occurred shortly before Iggy Azalea publicized MOTHER, and separately claimed he paid about $100,000 for MOTHER promotion.
The renewed focus follows older celebrity token disputes, including Jason Derulo’s JASON token falling more than 72% within minutes of its June 2024 announcement; Derulo blamed Sahil and said he bought $20,000 worth of tokens. Azalea distanced herself from Sahil’s IGGY project while developing MOTHER. US Federal Trade Commission guidance says influencers must disclose financial or other material relationships connected to endorsements, including payments and benefits, and should place disclosures alongside the endorsement.
