Nara Smith Accused Of Favoritism Due To Colorism, And Is Slammed For Allegedly Copying Onezwa Mbola

Nara Smith just can't catch a break.

For the uninitiated, Smith is a popular influencer known for making meals from scratch for her small children and her model husband, Lucky Blue Smith. Multiple women attacked her this year, accusing her of promoting "trad wife" content and Mormonism, which she denies.

Now, she's being accused of copying Onezwa Mbola, a South African content creator who, like Smith, makes homemade meals using fresh ingredients. The controversy began after Mbola posted a video stating that a "very popular content creator" has been stealing her ideas, adding that she doesn't get paid for her cooking content but that Smith does.

The TikTok audience was split over the controversy. Some flocked to Mbola's side, while Smith's fans insisted that both of their content are not similar to each other at all.

Many noted how Smith "switched her tone" to seemingly copy Mbola's soft-spoken tone, even though other social media users have also spoken in the same cadence in their videos.

Smith was also accused of copying Onezwa's bubble tea video, but again, bubble tea has been made hundreds – if not thousands – of times on TikTok.

Some people who came to Onezwa's defense insist that Smith's defenders are only on her side because she has a lighter complexion.

No matter what, it seems that Smith will always garner hatred for her content. X/Twitter users believe that it boils down to jealousy.

"She’s rich, beautiful, married, and tastefully thin," wrote @defn0tlala on the platform.

@neylawrites believes that the hatred is due to "Jealousy. Especially since she's married to the tumblr boy of the mid 2000s that was everybody's Draco Malfoy fancast. They harass her but not her Mormon husband."

"They're jealous," added @sandra21myb. "They feel envy when looking at her that's why they feel like she's so nefarious being."

What I've observed repeatedly is that whenever an influencer – especially when she's a woman – rises to fame on social media, an immediate backlash follows. People wanted to shame Alix Earle for her "messy girl" antics, accusing her of being a bigot and a Trump supporter. There are endless snark pages on Reddit focused on female influencers, with users finding ways to bring them down and smear their reputations. It seems that whenever someone becomes successful quickly, the pendulum swings and they are instantly faced with backlash. Why? Probably because it feels good to see a rich, successful, beautiful person who has it all get hate. Misery loves company.

But I'd argue that Smith isn't only famous because she's a skinny, attractive model – there are plenty of gorgeous girls like that on TikTok, to be quite frank. Smith is not only a great cook but also a mom to three at just 22 years old. She models like her husband and makes gorgeous food from scratch, even though she just had a baby. These are all amazing achievements, and witnessing her do all of it is inspiring.

Mbola's content is inspiring, too. Neither of these women deserve to be ridiculed. They're both amazing moms who just want to share their meals with everyone. I also understand Mbola's frustration: she's been making videos for years, so where are her millions of followers? Why can't TikTok pay for her creations? The answer could be because she lives in South Africa, where the platform would push her videos.

From an outside perspective, both of their content look different to me. If there were numerous accounts of Smith copying Mbola's dishes, I'd be more convinced.

Is Nara Smith Suing Onezwa Mbola?

This is a sad situation all around. It's upsetting that two women have been pitted against each other and that Mbola is continuing to post about Smith. Mbola recently uploaded an email to X that she alleges is from Nara Smith, urging her to take down her videos or face legal action. It's possible that it's a fake email because, typically, cease and desist letters are sent by lawyers rather than defendants. Smith has yet to confirm the email.

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