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YouTuber Myka Stauffer whined that her four-year-old autistic son she adopted from China was 'not returnable' before rehoming him
In 2020, parenting YouTuber Myka Stauffer and her husband James made headlines across the world for giving up the four-year-old boy they adopted from China, nearly three years after welcoming him into their family.
At the time, the Ohio-based couple faced extreme backlash after posting a tearful video saying they've decided to 'rehome' Huxley, who was diagnosed with autism, citing that 'there were a lot more special needs that we were not aware of' as their reasoning.
In a YouTube video posted before the adoption, she told viewers 'my child is not returnable' and that they 'would love' the youngster, 'no matter what state' he came to them in - making what happened later even more shocking.
Now, four years later, the viral scandal is being revisited in a new docuseries called An Update on Our Family, which explores the couple's fall from grace and includes clips from Myka's now-deleted YouTube videos, as well as diving into the family vlogging industry.
Here, MailOnline looks at what happened to the Stauffer family, after the series premiered yesterday at Tribeca 2024 Film Festival.
In 2020, parenting YouTuber Myka Stauffer and her husband James made headlines across the world for giving up the four-year-old boy they adopted from China, nearly three years after welcoming him into their family
In a YouTube video posted before the adoption, she told viewers 'my child is not returnable' and that they 'would love' the youngster, 'no matter what state' he came to them in - making what happened later even more shocking
After the announcement of their decision to rehome Huxley in May 2020 and the influx of hate that followed, the Stauffers swiftly left YouTube and their channel was deleted.
Myka had amassed 717,000 subscribers over the years on her channel, wither a further 300,000 people tuning into the family's vlog channel, 'The Staffer Life'.
Some of Myka's most popular videos included, REAL Newborn Morning Routine 2019, What I Eat In A Day To Stay Healthy And Lean, and SURVIVE Quarantine like a BOSS! THRIVE AND get your life BACK!
Her sponsor partners included big-name companies like Big Lots, TJ Maxx and Danimals yogurt. Others brands she had worked with to promote their products included Fabletics, Suave, and Playtex Baby.
While all of their YouTube videos across both channels have been deleted, Myka's Instagram account remains, with its last post being an apology she posted in 2020, where she penned that she 'takes full responsibility for all of the hurt' she caused.
Her husband James' 'Stauffer Garage' YouTube channel remains active but with no family content. The channel is focused on car flipping, detailing, and cleaning.
Aside from this, the Stauffer couple, who have four biological children, have completely disappeared from the internet - Myka had first began set up her YouTube channel in 2014.
Between 2016 and 2020, the pair had extensively chronicled the journey of adopting Huxley - from choosing him, to raising money, to the day he arrived.
After the announcement of their decision to rehome Huxley in May 2020 and the influx of hate that followed, the Stauffers swiftly left YouTube and their channel was deleted
At the time, the Ohio-based couple faced extreme backlash after posting a tearful video saying they've decided to 'rehome' Huxley, who was diagnosed with autism, citing that 'there were a lot more special needs that we were not aware of' as their reasoning
Myka featured Huxley on her YouTube channel and social media pages until early 2020
While they were already popular online, it brought them a new era of success, and their adoption video of Huxley was watched by more than five million people.
Myka also wrote about Huxley's adoption and his special needs. In a piece she had penned for Parade in September 2020, she said that they were surprised when they came home with their adopted son and realized his file was 'inaccurate.'
'Our son ended up having a stroke in utero, has level 3 autism, and sensory processing disorder,' she wrote. 'It took a lot of time to process and to readjust to his new diagnosis.'
She shared that Huxley received '30 hours of ABA [Applied Behavior Analysis] in-home therapy a week and went to to 'private preschool' to help with his needs.
'He is a great kid and his condition doesn’t involve that much overall care—all you need is a big heart and practice patience every day,' she said.
Myka featured Huxley on her YouTube channel and social media pages until early 2020.
Moments such as his first Christmas with the family, bonding with his new siblings, and family days out were all shared online.
One of Myka's last photos featuring her adopted son was posted on February 16, and in the captions, she opened up about how difficult it can be to care for his special needs.
While they were already popular online, the adoption brought them a new era of success, and their adoption video of Huxley was watched by more than five million people
The backlash was swift, with many critics accusing the couple of adopting Huxley as a stunt to gain viewers
'We have hard days, lots of them. I wish autism and adoption trauma had a manual to direct you through it all,' she wrote.
After months of fans wondering what happened to Huxley, Myka and James shared a family 'update' on her YouTube channel, saying their adopted son has a new 'forever family' that is better equipped to take on his special needs.
'With international adoption, sometimes there are unknowns and things that are not transparent on files,' James said. 'Once Huxley came home, there was a lot more special needs that we weren't aware of, and that we were not told.'
Myka added that an adoption agency had helped place Huxley with his 'forever family' - he has now also been renamed.
'He's thriving, he's doing really well, and his new mommy has medical, professional training,' she added.
The backlash was swift, with many critics accusing the couple of adopting Huxley as a stunt to gain viewers.
After facing a barrage of criticism on social media, Myka allegedly responded in the comments, saying Huxley 'wanted this decision 100 per cent' - it was deleted shortly after.
She added: 'Multiple scary things happened inside the home towards our other children, and if these events happened with one of my biological kids, after all the help and after the behaviors we witnessed sadly we would have no other choice then to seek help and get their needs met.'
Four years later, the viral scandal is being revisited in a new docuseries called An Update on Our Family, which explores the couple's fall from grace
In the trailer, other vloggers discuss what happened, including the events leading up to the child's disapparance from their YouTube channel and how much money family YouTubers can make by posting about their kids online
The new docuseries, An Update On Our Family, gained its name from the notorious video that was posted by the Stauffer's to announce they had rehomed Huxley.
In the trailer, other vloggers discuss what happened, including the events leading up to the child's disapparance from their YouTube channel and how much money family YouTubers can make by posting about their kids online
Its description reads: 'Myka and James Stauffer were the picture of the 21st century American Dream: happy marriage, beautiful kids, and a self-built YouTube vlogging empire.
'At the center of it all was Huxley, an adorable young boy they adopted from China. Huxley was more than just their star — he was their son. Until one day, he wasn’t.
'A provocative three-part series, An Update On Our Family exposes the hidden-in-plain-sight, unregulated family vlogging industry.'
An Update on Our Family premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2024 on Thursday June 6