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Ms. Rachel grew up on Mister Rogers. Now she's carrying on his legacy.
Ms. Rachel grew up on Mister Rogers. Now she's carrying on his legacy.

Washington Post

time13 hours ago

  • Entertainment
  • Washington Post

Ms. Rachel grew up on Mister Rogers. Now she's carrying on his legacy.

The YouTube star wants her audiences — adults and children alike — to see the humanity of all people. NEW YORK Many years ago, in a gray wooden house in Maine, there was a little girl who loved to curl up on the living room couch and watch 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.' When each episode wound down, she would dash to the television and press the side of her hand against the screen, as if to stop Mister Rogers's model trolley from departing the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. She knew this meant the show was almost over, and she didn't want it to end. The trolley always vanished into its tunnel, but 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' never left her. She is 42 now, and her name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, or simply Ms. Rachel to the millions of children around the world who watch her educational videos on YouTube and, more recently, on Netflix. In a sea of animated children's content — CoComelon, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol — Ms. Rachel has become a household name among families of toddlers by fostering a more intimate, human connection: She is the primary face and voice of every 20-to-60-minute episode, which typically orbits a theme (animals, bedtime routines, talking about feelings) and features a diverse cast of actors, charming puppets, and catchy, original songs. Story continues below advertisement She is often called the Mister Rogers of our era, a comparison that overwhelms her. 'I revere him as a saint,' she says. When people say this, they're usually noting the most obvious parallels: Rogers was the beloved host of one of the longest-running children's TV series in America, drawing millions of viewers over many decades; Accurso is the unrivaled star of children's digital media, with a YouTube channel that has amassed nearly 16 million subscribers and more than 10 billion views. Mister Rogers sang 'It's You I Like'; Ms. Rachel sings 'Hop Little Bunnies.' He had his iconic, zip-up cardigan sweaters; she has her signature denim overalls and knotted pink headband. But lately, Accurso has been thinking more about the way Rogers used his vast platform to represent what he stood for. She recently rewatched the 1969 episode of 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' where Rogers — an ordained Presbyterian minister, devout pacifist and champion of civil rights — invited an actor portraying a Black policeman, Officer Clemmons, to share his wading pool, at a time when many White Americans were fiercely protesting the desegregation of public swimming pools. Now, that formative choice in Rogers's career is helping Accurso navigate a pivotal moment of her own: For months, she has been working on a special episode of 'Ms. Rachel,' one that explores the concept of friendship and features a guest star named Rahaf Saed — a 3-year-old double amputee from Gaza who lost both her legs in an Israeli airstrike in August 2024. 'I think it'll be really beautiful,' Accurso says of the forthcoming episode, which is expected to air on YouTube this fall, but she's also braced for those who will feel differently. On Instagram and her other adult-focused social media channels, Accurso has been increasingly outspoken in her advocacy for the children experiencing trauma and starvation in Gaza. Though Accurso keeps her commentary fixed on the humanity of all children — 'Children deserving access to water, food, education and medical care is not controversial,' she wrote in one post — it has drawn a fervent outcry from some supporters of Israel. Accurso has seen hateful comments accumulate below her posts; she's been the subject of derision from Fox News commentators; she's received threatening messages. In April, the pro-Israel group StopAntisemitism published an open letter calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate whether Accurso was acting as a 'foreign agent' who was being paid to 'disseminate Hamas-aligned propaganda to her millions of followers.' This claim, Accurso says, is 'false, hurtful and absurd.' The criticism and controversy has weighed heavily on her at times, she says. But she keeps a screenshot of Mister Rogers and Officer Clemmons on her phone as a reminder of what it must have been like for Rogers to make that statement through his show. 'I know it didn't feel easy to do that,' she says. The scene was so simple, and also so radical, even if it doesn't seem so now. She reminds herself of this, too: 'I think, in time, what I'm doing won't seem as controversial.' Officer Clemmons and Mister Rogers share a pool on 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' in 1969. (Fred Rogers Productions) The escalating criticisms and the threat of an investigation made her worry, at first, that she wouldn't be able to spend time with Rahaf or film the new episode of the show. But she did not intend to be silenced. 'Speaking out for kids in this situation is more important than my career,' she says. And so, on a bright May morning, Accurso sits at a child-size table in front of a green screen in a Midtown Manhattan film studio. Rahaf sits next to her, wearing a new red dress, pink sneakers on her prosthetic feet, and an ecstatic grin. They are drinking tea, which is actually water, and eating cookies, which are real, and singing a song as they stir with tiny spoons. Accurso looks at the child beside her, and then she looks into the camera, at all the children who will eventually be looking back. She smiles. 'Rahaf is my friend,' she says. With her husband and creative partner, Aron Accurso, at their New York apartment. (Natalie Keyssar/For The Washington Post) Without her signature headband, without the pink T-shirt and overalls, it could take a second glance to realize that Accurso is the Ms. Rachel. But then she speaks, and her voice — though half an octave lower — carries the same warm, lilting cadence. She pads into the kitchen of the New York City apartment she shares with her husband and creative partner, Aron Accurso, their 7-year-old son, Thomas, and their infant daughter, Susannah, who arrived via surrogate in February. 'Susie was up at 4 a.m., and I got maybe another hour of sleep after that,' Accurso says, pouring herself a cup of coffee. She has technically been on maternity leave since Susannah's arrival, but it's hardly been a quiet break for her. She sits with her mug at her white kitchen table and reflects for a moment on the beginning of her story: the Sunday mornings of her childhood when she prayed at church; the hours she spent making up songs with her big sister; the way their single mother, a devoted social worker, raised her daughters to think of others first. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement 'I think —' Accurso pauses. 'I think it might be a little abnormal, the amount of empathy I have.' This isn't a boast. This is her explaining why she is the way she is — someone who has to leave the room during emotionally wrenching movie scenes, someone who has never been able to witness another person's suffering without vividly imagining what it would feel like. That fundamental quality has always led her to seek connection with other people, she says. 'Before I did this,' Accurso says, 'there were so many 'Oh, now I've found what I'm meant to do!' moments.' 'Ms. Rachel' videos are filled with original songs. (Natalie Keyssar/For The Washington Post) Fred Rogers's autograph, a gift from Aron to Rachel, hangs above the piano. (Natalie Keyssar/For The Washington Post) As a teen working at a summer program for disabled children, Accurso bonded with a little boy with cerebral palsy and learned how to make him belly laugh. Later, she spent a year volunteering at a local hospice. She taught music to refugee children through the Boys & Girls Club in Maine. In her 20s, she considered going into ministry — but in 2009, she saw a video of a public school choir in New York City and decided that was what she was meant to do. She got on a bus with her keyboard and headed south. She's been in New York ever since. Accurso and Aron, a musician and former Broadway music director, met in 2010 at a Unitarian church: 'He was hanging up his name tag to leave when he saw my smile, and he came over,' she says, 'and we've been together ever since.' Together, they wrote a musical set in a psychiatric ward; Accurso is open about the fact that she has OCD and general anxiety disorder. They married in 2016, and before their son was born in 2018, Accurso left her job as a public school music teacher in the Bronx. 'I was like, 'Oh — I'm meant to be a mother,'' she says. 'I had always wanted to be a mother.' When Thomas was about 6 months old, Accurso started hosting baby music classes in the city. 'But the rental spaces were expensive,' she says, and she wanted to make the classes available free to as many parents as possible, so she began recording videos and posting them online to a YouTube channel she called 'Songs for Littles.' When Thomas was diagnosed with a speech delay, Accurso started to focus on creating videos that would help him learn to talk. Aron joined in, voicing puppets and writing songs. 'He's truly a musical genius,' Accurso says of her husband. 'I'll be like, 'Let's put this out, even if it's not perfect,' and he's like, 'Let's make this the best it can be.'' (Unprompted, he echoes this dynamic in reverse: 'I can be such a perfectionist,' he says. 'But we never would have gotten this off the ground if she hadn't been like, at some point — 'Who cares if it's not perfect? It's for the kids.'') How Ms. Rachel writes a catchy children's song For a while, their online audience was modest, and they expected it to stay that way — maybe a few thousand people, max. Then came the pandemic, with multitudes of desperate parents trapped at home with stir-crazy toddlers, and their YouTube traffic began to take off. In the years since, 'Ms. Rachel' has exploded into a multimillion-dollar empire, complete with best-selling children's books (her debut picture book set the single-day preorder record for Random House Children's Books when it was announced in 2024), branded toys (her recently released Tonie audio-playing figurine has repeatedly sold out), and a licensing agreement with Netflix, which in July said that 'Ms. Rachel' was the most-watched season of children's television on the streamer during the first half of the year. (A second season is coming in September.) But this level of fame still 'hasn't fully sunk in,' Accurso says. The first time she was recognized in public outside of New York City, she was startled: 'People can tell who I am?' She mostly just feels like herself. She was recently cooing at twins in a stroller, and it took their mother a full minute to realize that the person fawning over her toddlers was Ms. Rachel from YouTube. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement The show is rooted in research: Accurso received graduate degrees in music education from New York University and early childhood development from the American College of Education, and after her son's diagnosis, she pored over academic papers and studies to better understand how children learn to speak. When she tackles a new episode theme — like bedtime routines, or potty training — she scrupulously studies the topic and then blends that knowledge with her decades of experience working with kids to pace the different segments of her show. Before launching her YouTube videos, Accurso was a public school music teacher and hosted music classes for babies. (Natalie Keyssar/For The Washington Post) 'When I was teaching preschool, I was in front of, sometimes, thirty 5-year-olds, and I had to be very entertaining to help them pay attention,' she says. 'I think that experience of teaching, and seeing when kids lost interest — that was really helpful.' The result, says Julie Dobrow, a senior lecturer in Tufts University's child study and human development department, is an alchemy that is irresistible to the littlest audience members. When studying children's media, 'We think about attention, we think about comprehension, and we think about retention,' Dubrow says, and 'Ms. Rachel' has elements that support all three objectives: There are funny sounds, and bright colors, and lots of close-ups of smiling faces; there is Accurso's high-pitched, singsong voice, and her deliberate use of repetition, alliteration and gross motor movements. She often asks her viewers a question, then pauses as if to hear their answer, an interactive dynamic that thrills young kids, Dubrow says. The music is excellent, and so are the production values, which matters to kids and parents, Dubrow says — and research shows that kids are more likely to retain knowledge if there's someone else watching with them. How Ms. Rachel teaches through a screen 'Another thing that I would really laud Ms. Rachel for is that, just like Fred Rogers, she doesn't talk down to kids. She talks to children as they should be talked to — respectfully, like they are intelligent human beings who have something to contribute,' Dubrow says. 'She really uses some of the best things that Fred Rogers pioneered.' Yet Ms. Rachel is also very much her own thing — the product of a wildly different technological age. Mister Rogers was watchable at home, at a certain time of day, in front of a television. Ms. Rachel is everywhere: on a parent's iPhone in the car, on a tablet at a restaurant, on a TV or a laptop screen anytime a parent needs their kids to be preoccupied for a few minutes. For Ms. Rachel's millions of followers, her voice has become the constantly accessible soundtrack of early family life. All of this — Accurso's research-based approach, her aura of authenticity, her ubiquity — resonates with children in a way that transcends geographical borders and language barriers. Accurso hadn't fully realized the scope of that reach, though, until earlier this year, when she was tagged in an Instagram reel: It showed three little children sitting in a tent in Gaza, surrounded by the wreckage of war, riveted by one of her videos playing on a tablet. In May 2024, Accurso posted a video to her Instagram announcing a fundraiser: She would sell personalized 'Ms. Rachel' Cameo videos for $100 each, with all money going directly to Save the Children's Emergency Fund. The money would benefit children in conflict zones, including Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine. Accurso's followers bought 500 videos within an hour. Her family and friends urged her to keep the recordings short and sweet, but she couldn't bear the thought of any child feeling disappointed. 'I wanted to make each video really long and special,' she says. So she did, and soon she started losing her voice. She hadn't anticipated such enthusiasm — or such outrage: Comments quickly amassed on her posts and circulated across social media from people who accused her of an anti-Israel bias and of excluding Jewish children from her advocacy. Accurso had experienced backlash before: In 2023, she drew condemnation from some followers and conservative commentators after she featured nonbinary singer-songwriter Jules Hoffman on the show. But she felt particularly stunned by the criticism following her fundraiser for Save the Children. 'It broke my heart that people would be like, 'You don't care about Jewish kids because you did this,'' she says. 'I was in a lot of pain, because I just didn't understand. And now I am definitely speaking out, saying — if you care deeply about one group of kids, it does not mean that you don't care about other groups of kids. That's not fair, and it's not right to say that.' She didn't stop posting about Gaza; she also continued to make statements condemning antisemitism and expressing grief for Israeli families whose children and loved ones were taken hostage by Hamas. 'I just felt led to keep going,' she says. 'I have this platform. Kids gave me this platform, and I want to use this platform for kids.' A destroyed kindergarten after an Israeli raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp, West Bank, in April 2024. (Heidi Levine/For The Washington Post) As Accurso's posts about Gaza drew more widespread attention, Tareq Hailat, director of the Treatment Abroad Program for the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, received a message from his sister-in-law, the mother of Hailat's young nephews: You need to talk to Ms. Rachel. He contacted Accurso over Instagram, asking about the possibility of partnering with PCRF. 'She is in real life as she is on screen — just so kind,' he says. 'She was approaching this from the place of, 'Children should not be getting killed.' And that's both sides — Palestinian children, Israeli children. Children should not be getting killed.' At Accurso's first meeting with PCRF in January, she was moved by a video of Rahaf sitting on a couch and bouncing along to her favorite 'Ms. Rachel' song, 'Hop Little Bunnies.' When Hailat suggested that perhaps Rahaf, who has been receiving medical care in the United States since December, could be part of Accurso's show, he never imagined how enthusiastically that idea would be embraced. Hailat, the son of a Palestinian refugee, spent his early childhood in Jordan; he remembers how intently Palestinian children watched the celebrities of the Western world, as if from an invisible periphery. 'But now,' he says, 'Ms. Rachel is going to be looking back at them.' Fred Rogers on the set of 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,' in 1989. (Gene J. Puskar/AP) Some of Accurso's critics have urged her to be more like Mister Rogers, meaning: Steer clear of politics. 'Mister Rogers didn't lecture kids,' one Fox News contributor said. This is true — Mister Rogers didn't lecture kids about politics. He did something far more profound than that, says Michael Long, author of 'Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers': He modeled his ideals — equality, pacifism, empathy. 'We don't often consider Rogers a political figure, because he operated so deeply in children's media, and so we've pigeonholed him as somebody who is concerned only with the feelings of children,' Long says. 'But he was also somebody who was deeply political and presented his political views in his show.' In the first week that 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' aired nationally — against the backdrop of the Vietnam War — Rogers created an episode exploring the nature of conflict and the necessity of peace, Long says. That same week, he adds, Rogers invited a Black teacher and her interracial students into his house, even as many Americans were fighting against school integration. Later, Officer Clemmons became the first recurring role for a Black actor (François Clemmons) on children's television. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement When Rogers accepted his Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1997 Daytime Emmys, he asked the audience to reflect on those who had helped them along the way: 'All of us have special ones who have loved us into being,' he said. He was talking about real-life figures — parents, grandparents, teachers. But even through the remove of a screen, his own influence was undeniable. Mister Rogers loved generations of children into being, and one of those children grew up to be Ms. Rachel. 'I wouldn't be Ms. Rachel,' Accurso has said often, 'if I didn't care deeply about all kids.' On the day Accurso greets Rahaf in the film studio, she wraps the child in a hug and looks up at her mother. 'I really feel that Rahaf is going to change the world,' Accurso tells her. With the cameras rolling, Accurso and Rahaf sing 'Hop Little Bunnies' and dress up like fairy princesses. They play follow-the-leader, and Rahaf is ecstatic to be the center of attention as they march across the green screen floor, giggling in the bright lights. The little girl skips and twirls and shows Ms. Rachel what to do, and Ms. Rachel listens and follows and never looks away. 'Kids gave me this platform, and I want to use this platform for kids,' Accurso says. (Natalie Keyssar/For The Washington Post)

Ms. Rachel rails against Hollywood celebrities over Gaza silence following 'feud' with Olivia Munn
Ms. Rachel rails against Hollywood celebrities over Gaza silence following 'feud' with Olivia Munn

Daily Mail​

time6 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Daily Mail​

Ms. Rachel rails against Hollywood celebrities over Gaza silence following 'feud' with Olivia Munn

YouTube star and children's entertainer Ms. Rachel has come out swinging against Hollywood by calling out celebrities over their silence on Gaza. The former preschool teacher, whose real name is Rachel Griffin-Accurso, 42, has been an fierce critic against Israel's assault on Gaza and has emerged as one of the internet's most outspoken advocates for the thousands of Palestinian children that have been maimed and killed from the war. In her latest statement, the Maine-born performer railed against Hollywood in a post shared to Threads. She scathed, 'Celebrities - You won't get canceled for saying people in Gaza should not be starved to death.' She continued, 'We will remember your silence. And that you chose it over people's lives.' The statement came just one day after Rachel vowed not to work with anybody that has stayed silent on the Gaza situation. 'To anyone asking to with work with me who hasn't spoken out about Gaza: Thank you for the request. I'm not comfortable working with anyone who hasn't spoken out about Gaza. Much love and God bless,' she wrote. Not only does Ms. Rachel boast almost 16 million subscribers on YouTube, her self-titled show is also one of the most-watched shows on Netflix. Her latest comments on Gaza come after she found herself in a public clash with actress Olivia Munn. It began after Munn - who is mom to two kids - explained in an interview her personal preferences when it comes to the kind of children's content she allows in her household. 'I know kids love [Ms. Rachel], but the thing is, if I can't watch it, I'm not going to spend the rest of my life going crazy,' she said. Munn, 44, also shared that she avoids cartoons, noting that when her son Malcolm asked for Blue's Clues, she responded, 'Hell no. Not in my house.' She added that while her partner, John Mulaney, introduced their son to Spider-Man cartoons, she prefers live-action films like Spider-Man: Homecoming. 'If you want to watch the real-life ones, then we can watch that,' she said. 'It might be a little too old for him, but I can't take the cartoons.' While Munn's comments appeared to be more about her personal viewing preferences than criticism of any specific creator, it did not stop online speculation that it was a slight on Ms. Rachel. And afterwards, Ms. Rachel furiously hit back to express her disappointment at the coverage of her allegedly brewing 'feud' with the actress. In her latest statement, the Maine-born performer blasted Hollywood, writing, 'Celebrities - You won't get cancelled for saying people in Gaza should not be starved to death' The statement came just one day after Rachel vowed not to work with anybody that has stayed silent on the Gaza situation In response, Rachel commented directly on the social media posts of certain outlets, writing, 'I'd rather you cover my advocacy for kids in Gaza.' She later followed up with a post on her own Instagram account, sharing screenshots of those comments alongside a caption that read: 'WHO CARES?! 'I'd rather you cover me advocating for kids in Gaza who are literally starving, largest cohort of child amputees in modern history, thousands and thousands killed – no medical care, no education, no homes… do better!!!' she added. She emphasized that her frustration was directed at the coverage - not at Munn. 'Not against her at all and don't care that she doesn't want to watch the show - all my love to her and her family - disappointed in the outlets,' Ms. Rachel wrote. Since the start of the humanitarian crisis, Ms. Rachel has continuously used her platform to raise awareness about the conditions faced by children in Gaza, including lack of access to food, education, and medical care. Rachel has even made videos with Palestinian children who were able to escape Gaza - including three-year-old Rahaf who was left a double amputee after Israel's siege of the region. The children's entertainer has repeatedly said that her advocacy is non-negotiable - even if it comes at the expense of her career. 'I am fully willing to risk my career for this,' she stated in a video shared earlier this year. 'It is more important to me to speak out than to remain silent.'

Inside Ms. Rachel's rollercoaster rise to fame: How YouTube star made millions despite backlash and controversy
Inside Ms. Rachel's rollercoaster rise to fame: How YouTube star made millions despite backlash and controversy

Daily Mail​

time11-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Daily Mail​

Inside Ms. Rachel's rollercoaster rise to fame: How YouTube star made millions despite backlash and controversy

If you have a child under five years old, than you've probably heard of Ms. Rachel. With her signature pink headband, pink T-shirt, and blue overalls, she has become a staple in the homes of millions of families across the globe. The star, 42, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, has been transformed into a massive phenomenon thanks to her educational videos for children - wracking up billions of views on her YouTube channel, Songs for Littles, and earning her millions of dollars along the way. Her sudden burst onto the scene in 2019 was certainly an unexpected one. Before she became the internet's most trusted voice for toddlers, she was a preschool music teacher. She started posting videos online after she struggled to find resources to help her own son when he developed a 'severe speech delay' - and she certainly didn't expect it to take off the way it did, nor for it to transform her into a star. But her journey has not been easy, as the internet sensation has faced a slew of scandals and setbacks along the way. She has openly struggled with the sudden fame and attention and has had to take multiple social media breaks over the years due to the immense pressure of being thrust into the public eye practically overnight. The mother-of-two has also faced severe backlash over a few controversial comments that she made over the years. In fact, Rachel has been in the news for something other than her catchy songs over the last few months: her unwavering support of Palestinian children in Gaza. The educator also recently made headlines when she lashed out at critics after actress Olivia Munn shunned her show, slamming the news for not covering the people in Gaza instead. As Ms. Rachel's brazen comments continue to put her in the hot seat, has taken a look back at her rollercoaster-ride rise to fame. How Ms. Rachel used her music and education backgrounds to launch her groundbreaking YouTube channel after her son developed a speech delay Rachel was born on November 30, 1980, in Biddeford, Maine, and was raised by a single mom in the small town of Sanford. The YouTube star previously explained on the The Drew Barrymore Show that she likely wouldn't be where she was now had it not been for her mother's strength and determination. '[I was raised] by a super strong wonderful single mom who - she's just incredible,' she explained on the show. 'She would set her mind to something and just do it, it's such an extraordinary example to watch her and it's why I think through my life I've been like, "I want to try this. I want to make this show and I'm just going to do it." 'She went back to finish college she worked at a daycare during the week, and at Pizza Hut as a waitress on the weekends. 'She went back and got a master's, and viewing that was extraordinary as a child. I was like, "I can do anything."' Regarding her own education, Ms. Rachel graduated from the University of Southern Maine. She went on to receive her master's degree in music education and a second master's degree in early childhood education from New York University. The internet personality worked as a music teacher at a preschool in New York City during the early years of her career. She started dating her now-husband, Broadway music director and composter Aron Accurso, sometime in 2010 after they met at a Unitarian church on the Upper East Side, according to The New York Times. They tied the knot in 2016, and welcomed their son Thomas in 2018. After becoming a mom, her passion for child development, paired with her music background, led her to a groundbreaking career shift. 'When my son was born, I stayed home with him for a year and saw how much music helped with soothing, bonding, play, and language development,' Rachel previously explained. 'I created an in-person baby/toddler music class informed by my music education teaching skills, which I then moved online to YouTube because I wanted the classes to be more accessible.' She started her YouTube channel Songs for Littles in 2019, after she said she struggled to find online resources to help her son when he had a 'severe speech delay.' 'His first word was at two years and eight months and it was "mama" and I had waited for that for so long,' she detailed to NBC News. 'As a parent, you want to do anything you can to help them and it's not our fault when our child has a speech delay. 'A lot of things I teach are things I wish I had known for my son. I thought, "Wouldn't it be great if there was a show that really encouraged language development and worked on these important milestones and was slow-paced and a real person and very interactive?"' After her YouTube channel became a massive success - earning her $15.7 million per year - she struggled to adjust to the sudden attention As the COVID-19 pandemic kept families indoors, Songs for Littles began spreading quickly amongst parents looking for meaningful screen time for their children. Her videos consist of her singing a combination of covers and original children's songs that help youngsters with their pronunciation and language skills. Unlike many bright, flashy kids' channels, hers felt calm, purposeful, and soothing. Dressed in her signature pink T-shirt and overalls, she looks directly into the camera, speaks slowly and clearly, and repeats simple phrases like, 'Can you say, "ball?"' The results were staggering and parents flooded the comments with emotional messages about how their children were finally speaking after watching Ms. Rachel. Her videos quickly started to go viral, and soon, her channel had taken off. By 2023, she had become a household name among families with young children, and now, Ms. Rachel's channel has now amassed 15.2 million subscribers and billions of views. According to Social Blade, her catchy tunes have earned her yearly earnings of up to $15.7 million, raking in between $77,000 to $1.2 million per month. And in January, Netflix signed a deal with Ms. Rachel for an undisclosed amount. But the star - who went on to welcome a daughter, named Susannah, with her husband in April 2025 via surrogate - struggled to adjust to the sudden attention. She has been open about the difficulties of managing her booming career with parenthood. 'It's been hard to balance everything, which I think a lot of parents feel, but it was really important to me to have all that knowledge and early childhood to being in this field,' she told People in 2023. 'I felt that it was crucial for me to have that and I feel more confident. I just feel like I have a lot of tools. 'I've learned to help parents and I think I have a good work-life balance. Sometimes it takes us a while to get things out, but it's important to me to have that.' In early 2023, Rachel made headlines when she took a brief step back from TikTok and other social media platforms, citing the toll that negative comments had taken on her mental health. 'I'm taking a break from TikTok for my mental health,' Ms. Rachel announced at the time. She added in the caption: 'Hurtful videos and comments, no matter how much attention they get, will not bring you want you want. Only love can do that.' Around that time, a nasty troll had commented on one of Rachel's Instagram videos saying she should 'lose weight and try to be prettier.' She clapped back: 'Finishing my second masters in education while someone comments I've gained weight and should lose weight and try to be prettier if I'm going to have a show teaching toddlers.' In early 2025, Rachel took another long absence from the platform, later revealing that 'family issues' were the reason. Her sudden disappearance raised eyebrows and sparked concern from parents who depend on her videos. At the time, Ms. Rachel wrote in a social media comment: 'I'm sorry. We've had some family things to attend to.' She has since returned to social media. Ms. Rachel has faced a slew of backlash over her comments about Palestinian children in Gaza and her inclusion of a nonbinary musician in her videos Over the years, Ms. Rachel has become embroiled in controversy multiple times. In 2023, the child educator received backlash from parents who called her content 'inappropriate' after she featured nonbinary musician Jules Hoffman in a video. Rachel including someone who uses they/them pronouns started a fierce debate online, and led to some of her fans announcing that they will no longer be watching her content. In the past year, Rachel has also angered some with her outspoken advocacy on behalf of Palestinian children in Gaza who have been under consistent violence by Israel. She has used her platform to raise awareness about the conditions faced by children there, including lack of access to food, education, and medical care. Ms. Rachel has even made videos with Palestinian children who were able to escape Gaza - including three-year-old Rahaf who was left a double amputee after Israel's siege of the region. She has repeatedly said that her advocacy is non-negotiable - even if it comes at the expense of her career. 'I am fully willing to risk my career for this,' she stated in a video shared earlier this year. 'It is more important to me to speak out than to remain silent.' Her advocacy has included re-sharing posts from humanitarian organizations, educating her followers about the crisis, and calling for an end to the violence. She posted a song on Instagram in prayer for all of the people involved in the war, begging, 'Please stop hurting them.' Some have praised Ms. Rachel for speaking out, while others have accused her of anti-Semitism. Most recently, the educator hit out at Olivia after the actress shunned her popular kids show. While chatting with People last week, Munn - who is mom to two kids - explained her personal preferences when it comes to the kind of children's content she allows in her household. 'I know kids love [Ms. Rachel], but the thing is, if I can't watch it, I'm not going to spend the rest of my life going crazy,' she said, in part. While Munn's comments appeared to be more about her personal viewing preferences than criticism of Ms. Rachel specifically, it did not stop online speculation that she was throwing shade at the YouTube star. In response, Ms. Rachel commented directly on a social media post discussing Olivia's comment, writing, 'I'd rather you cover my advocacy for kids in Gaza.' She later followed up with a post on her own Instagram account, sharing screenshots of those comments alongside a caption that read: 'WHO CARES?! 'I'd rather you cover me advocating for kids in Gaza who are literally starving, [the] largest cohort of child amputees in modern history, thousands and thousands killed – no medical care, no education, no homes… do better,' she added. She emphasized that her frustration was directed at the coverage - not at Munn. 'Not against her at all and don't care that she doesn't want to watch the show - all my love to her and her family - disappointed in the outlets,' she wrote.

Bella Hadid turns spotlight onto powerful Ms. Rachel poem
Bella Hadid turns spotlight onto powerful Ms. Rachel poem

Arab News

time08-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Arab News

Bella Hadid turns spotlight onto powerful Ms. Rachel poem

DUBAI: American Dutch Palestinian supermodel Bella Hadid has shared a powerful poem by popular children's educator and YouTuber Rachel Griffin Accurso, known globally as Ms. Rachel, amplifying its message of hope and solidarity with Gaza. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ The poem, titled 'The People Were Brave,' went viral on social media for its stirring call to action urging people to show bravery and use their voices for good. A post shared by Ms Rachel (@msrachelforlittles) 'The leaders were mostly silent. They were scared of what they might lose. The celebrities were mostly silent. They were scared of what they might lose. The media was mostly silent. They were scared of what they might lose. But the people were not silent. They were brave,' the poem begins. 'So never stop speaking up for those in need. Never wait for the world. It was ordinary people that became extraordinary. And changed everything. And moved us all. And saved us all,' it ends. Last week, Ms. Rachel made headlines when she said she was willing to jeopardize her career to advocate for Palestinian children suffering under the Israeli bombardment of Gaza. She said she had been targeted by online campaigns and faced calls for government investigation after voicing support for children affected by war in Gaza and elsewhere. Despite growing criticism from some pro-Israel groups and conservative media, in a recent interview with WBUR, a Boston-based public radio station, she said she remained defiant. 'I would risk everything — and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for children,' she said. 'It's all about the kids for me. I wouldn't be Ms. Rachel if I didn't deeply care about all kids.' A post shared by Ms Rachel (@msrachelforlittles) The YouTube star added a recent meeting with Palestinian mothers whose children remain trapped in Gaza had had a profound effect on her: 'When you sit with a mother who's FaceTiming her boys in Gaza who don't have food, and you see that anguish, you ask yourself: What more can I do?' A former teacher in New York, Ms Rachel said her work had always been rooted in the principle that all children, regardless of nationality or background, deserved dignity, safety, and access to basic needs. 'That's the basis of everything for me — children are equal,' she said.

Ms Rachel says she'll risk career to advocate for children in Gaza
Ms Rachel says she'll risk career to advocate for children in Gaza

Yahoo

time07-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Ms Rachel says she'll risk career to advocate for children in Gaza

Ms Rachel, the children's entertainer and educator whose YouTube videos have been watched by millions of families around the world, said she is willing to risk her career to keep advocating for suffering children in Gaza. In an interview with WBUR, a Boston-based public radio station, Ms Rachel, whose full name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, said she had received pushback for speaking out to raise awareness of the situation in Gaza, where more than 54,000 people have been killed in Israel's ongoing military assault. But Accurso said she would continue to advocate for children's safety. Related: Gaza's youngest influencer aged 11 among children killed by Israeli strikes 'I wouldn't be Ms Rachel if I didn't deeply care about all kids. And I would risk everything, and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for them. It's all about the kids for me,' Accurso told WBUR. The UN has described Gaza as 'the hungriest place on Earth', and warned that the Palestinian territory's entire population is at risk of famine. Accurso said she had recently met with Palestinian women whose children were suffering in Gaza. 'When you sit with a mother who's FaceTiming her boys in Gaza who don't have food, and you see that anguish and you are there with her, it really moves you – I'm sorry to get emotional – to do everything you can for her,' she said. 'And of course, you say: 'I need to do more. What can I do to help?' I do have a big platform, and I look at it as a responsibility.' In April, a pro-Israel group urged the US attorney general to investigate Accurso over her messaging about children suffering in Gaza, and Accurso has been criticized by rightwing media and commentators. Asked about the criticism, Accurso said: 'It's really painful. And I have to remind myself that people don't know my heart, and people try to tell you who you are, but you know who you are. And I know how deeply and equally I care for all children, and I do lean on my faith in that situation. 'I care so deeply about every child. As a teacher, you have children from many different places, especially in New York City, and you care exactly the same about them. That's the basis of everything for me, is that children are equal, that they all deserve everything they need to thrive.' Accurso said in May 2024 that she had faced 'bullying' after launching a fundraiser for children in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In April of this year, Accurso donated $1m to World Food Program USA, which provides meals for starving people in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and 11 other impoverished countries, after the Trump administration said it would end funding to the program.

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