New details surface in TikTok influencer Kayla Malec's abuse case against ex-boyfriend

Yahoo

12-05-2025

Kayla Malec has opened up with her 20 million social media followers about her experiences of domestic violence at the hands of her ex-boyfriend Evan Johnson, in the midst of their Sumner County court battle.
Johnson, who also has a large social media following, pleaded guilty and was sentenced May 7 to 18 months in jail for DUI and violation of probation. Additionally, he received 11 months and 29 days of probation for domestic assault against Malec in August 2024, USA Today reported. The pair was together for about a year.
In newly obtained court documents, Sumner County Sheriff's Office K-9 Deputy T. Callis detailed two incidents of domestic assault between Malec and Johnson in 2024.
They include allegations that Johnson slapped her during a dispute in downtown Nashville and punched her at a Hendersonville home.
Malec shared her thoughts following the sentencing in a nine-minute long video posted to TikTok on May 10.
"For everyone saying a year and a half isn't enough time, I know, I know, but to know that I'm safe for the next year and a half, I like I can't put it into words. I'm in Tennessee right now, I'm in Nashville, and I'm not scared ... I could go to Broadway and not be scared ... I just feel really happy," she said. "For nine months he won, but now I win."
Authorities booked Evan Johnson, 20, into the Sumner County Jail at 5:55 p.m. on May 7 for DUI and violation of probation, with bail set at $30,000.
He was arrested earlier this month for domestic assault related to an incident on August 10, 2024. According to Sumner County General Sessions court documents, Johnson pleaded guilty to domestic assault earlier that morning and was ordered to pay a $100 fine.
His release or bail hinged on a no-contact order with Malec that outlined several prohibited actions including:
More: She went public with domestic violence allegations. It's making a huge impact.
Threatening to commit or committing specified offenses.
Harassing, annoying, telephoning, contacting or otherwise communicating with the alleged victim either directly or indirectly.
Using or possessing a firearm.
Possessing or consuming alcohol or controlled substances and more.
Johnson was ordered to have no contact with Malec or to operate Facebook, TikTok or YouTube accounts under his name.
According to court documents, Johnson was allegedly under the influence of alcohol or another intoxicating substance during at least one incident.
The documents also allege a history of domestic violence, noting "multiple domestic in multiple states."
Malec told the reporting officer in an April 6, 2025 phone call that she had been assaulted by Johnson in Davidson and Sumner counties in August 2024.
On August 9, the two visited downtown Nashville for a night out, according to an affidavit by Sumner County Sheriff's Office K-9 Deputy T. Callis. An argument ensued while the couple rode in an Uber and Johnson slapped Malec in the face.
Following the assault, Malec exited the Uber vehicle and found another way home.
A second assault occurred between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. on August 10 at a residence in the 200 block of Indian Lake Boulevard in Hendersonville.
According to the affidavit, Malec heard Johnson throwing up in the toilet and went to check on him.
Johnson then "became mad" and "punched her in the mouth," the report states.
Callis said pictures of Malec "holding her lip down and showing a busted lip, bruising and bleeding" are in evidence, following the incident that took place in Sumner County.
A warrant for domestic assault was obtained for Johnson due to Malec's injuries.
In recent weeks, Malec has taken to social media to chronicle her experiences of abuse with her nearly 20 million followers on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook in the hopes of saving others like her.
More than four hours of content was uploaded to her YouTube channel on her split with Johnson. They included videos titled "he doesn't love you. pt. 1." and "he doesn't love you. part 2".
The videos, posted on April 4 and 9, shared detailed accounts of her abuse at the hands of her ex-boyfriend.
"For the past nine months I have been in arguably one of the worst mentally, physically abusive relationships I could ever imagine," she said.
Malec described the ordeal as "something I never thought that I would be experiencing, things I have only seen on TV, things that I've heard stories about and things that I just knew I would never let happen to me."
In the emotionally charged video, Malec shares her mission in reliving her trauma online.
"I ask the universe everyday, 'Why was I put through this? Why me?' And I truly think that it's to help other people ... at the end of the day this isn't about me, this is such a bigger picture to what millions of women go through ... and I hope that this can help somebody," she said.
"If I had seen a video like this six months ago it would have saved my life ... I wish somebody could have done this for me and saved me."
The influencer left a stark warning for viewers in what she's dubbed "the most vulnerable video I've ever filmed in my life."
"If he can hit you he can kill you," she repeated.
Viewers flooded the comment section reiterating the candid point.
Her other posts have gone viral in recent days, amassing millions of views.
Malec can be seen lip syncing to the song "Jail" by Kanye West in a recent TikTok video as she walks down the steps of the Sumner County Courthouse on East Main Street in Gallatin.
The video has amassed more than 15 million likes in four days.
She captioned the video, "I'M SOBBING FOR US. WE DID IT. WE DID IT."
In a second video posted on TikTok that same day, Malec shared how she was feeling following the conviction.
"And just like that, justice was served," she said. "I'm like really happy right now, I'm gonna probably start sobbing ... but I won, I won."
Malec shared the extent of the abuse in an Instagram post on April 3:
"I will never be able to forget the scars left ... The same man who will look you in the eyes and say 'I love you' and then attempt to kill you is an experience I hope nobody ever has to live," she wrote in the post.
"I was silently being abused while posting my life online smiling. It's true you can see it in the eyes. I watch my old videos and see someone I never want to see again. It drained my soul, and ripped apart the strong nature of myself I've had my entire life. I can't put into words the abuse and what it did to me."
Katie Nixon can be reached at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TikTok influencer Evan Johnson pleaded guilty to domestic assault, DUI