The Rebel Kid Apoorva’s 1st Post Since IGL Controversy: A Defiant Return Amid Threats
April 8, 2025, 3:57 AM PDT — Apoorva Mukhija, better known as “The Rebel Kid,” has broken her social media silence with a powerful Instagram comeback, her first post since the explosive India’s Got Latent (IGL) controversy that rocked her digital world in February. The 23-year-old influencer, who boasts over 3 million followers, returned Monday, April 7, after wiping her account clean last week, sharing a raw glimpse into the barrage of abuse she’s faced—hundreds of screenshots detailing rape, acid attack, and death threats. Captioned simply, “This is not even 1%,” her post marks a defiant stand against the backlash that drove her offline.
The IGL saga erupted when Apoorva, a guest on comedian Samay Raina’s YouTube roast show, clashed with a contestant over a crude remark about female anatomy during a February episode. Her retort—“Kabhi vagina dekhi hai maa se nikalne ke baad?”—drew initial cheers but spiraled into chaos when fellow panelist Ranveer Allahbadia’s lewd comment about parental intimacy triggered widespread outrage. Clips went viral, sparking FIRs in Maharashtra and Assam against Apoorva, Allahbadia, Raina, and others for promoting “obscenity.” The National Commission for Women (NCW) intervened, summoning the group; Apoorva submitted a written apology in March, expressing “deep regret,” per NCW chief Vijaya Rahatkar.
Her digital retreat followed—unfollowing all 1,500 accounts by February 19, per Hindustan Times, then deleting all posts by April 1, as reported by The Economic Times. Fans speculated: Was it the controversy, an April Fool’s stunt, or a mental health break? Her Monday return answered with a second post: “Don’t take the story from the storyteller,” a cryptic nod to reclaiming her narrative. Support flooded in—comments like “My queen, you got this” and “Time for a big Roar!” from Times of India—though some on X framed it as a PR pivot, with one user noting, “Sympathy without saying a word—smart.”
Apoorva’s ordeal mirrors a broader reckoning in India’s comedy scene, from Kunal Kamra’s venue vandalism to Raina’s show being yanked offline. Amid Trump’s tariff chaos—a $5 trillion S&P 500 hit—her comeback lands as a personal salvo in a noisy world. The Delhi-born influencer, a Forbes Top 100 Digital Star with brand ties like Nike and Netflix, had stayed silent since her March 13 cryptic note: “Even walls have ears.” Now, with Nadaaniyan praise and a bruised but unbroken spirit, The Rebel Kid’s back—story intact, threats be damned.
