Ms. Rachel is facing growing backlash after what critics are calling a "non-apology" over her involvement with an antisemitic Instagram comment, sparking outrage from Jewish groups and civil rights advocates.

The controversy centers on the popular children's YouTuber, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, after she liked a comment that read "Free America from the Jews."

Ms. Rachel later said the action was a mistake, claiming she meant to hide the comment, not like it.

While the comment was eventually deleted, the response that followed only fueled more criticism.

According to Unilad, in a tearful video posted Wednesday, Ms. Rachel said, "I would never agree with an antisemitic thing like the comment. We have Jewish family, a lot of my friends are Jewish."

She added that she is "only human" and blamed the incident on accidentally tapping the wrong button while scrolling.

However, the backlash intensified after Ms. Rachel replied to a post from a pro-Hamas Instagram account that suggested Jewish or pro-Israel groups had planted the antisemitic comment to trap her.

The account wrote, "Spoiler alert: They left the comment themselves," to which Ms. Rachel responded, "Oooooo00000hhhhh."

Critics described the reply as endorsing an antisemitic trope that blames Jews for their own harassment.

Ms. Rachel Criticized for Ignoring Jewish Concerns

Civil rights organizations quickly condemned her response. Liora Rez, founder of StopAntisemitism, said Ms. Rachel "cries and plays the victim" instead of addressing real concerns.

"She ignores Jewish concerns and blows off antisemitism for a publicity stunt," Rez said, adding that Ms. Rachel should not be connected to public office, NY Post reported.

Ms. Rachel was recently appointed to the inauguration committee of newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani and appeared with him at a Manhattan pre-K center.

Jewish groups have urged the mayor to distance himself from her amid the controversy. StopAntisemitism previously nominated Ms. Rachel for its "Antisemite of the Year" list, citing her repeated use of what it called "Hamas-aligned language" in posts about Gaza.

The influencer, who has more than 18 million YouTube subscribers, has frequently posted about children in Gaza but has shared little to no content about Israeli children or other global conflicts.

Critics say this one-sided focus has raised concerns long before the latest incident.

Social media reaction has been harsh. One writer on X said Ms. Rachel "apologizes" for liking the comment, then immediately supports a claim that Jews set her up.

Another user questioned her explanation, saying the like and hide buttons are clearly different.