Myka Stauffer was a family YouTuber who shared her adoption journey of a child with medical needs from China. In 2020, she and her husband faced backlash when they announced they were placing their son, Huxley, with a new family. In a since-deleted video, the Stauffers said Huxley had “a lot more special needs” than they were initially aware of.
After pursuing treatment and consulting medical professionals, they decided to place him with a family who could better care for him. Before deleting their channel, it had over 700,000 subscribers. The Stauffers faced significant criticism online for their decision and for profiting from content about Huxley’s adoption before placing him with a new family.
Brands like Chili’s and Big Lots cut ties with Myka. Now, the Stauffers and the family vlogging ecosystem are the subjects of the documentary series “An Update on Our Family.” The series, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2024, will air on HBO and Max starting January 15.
Family vlogging controversy and fallout
It examines Huxley and the Stauffer family’s story and the family vlogging culture they existed in. On June 24, 2020, Myka released a statement on Instagram addressing the controversy. She admitted to being “naive, foolish, and arrogant,” and expressed regret for not being more prepared when adopting Huxley.
Myka stated they did not adopt a child to gain wealth, noting that revenue from videos featuring Huxley was put back into his care. Since then, Myka has not publicly posted on her main Instagram account. Her personal YouTube channel and the family’s channel have been deleted.
While Myka no longer posts online, James maintains his car detailing channel. The Stauffer family, who resides in Columbus, Ohio, did not participate in “An Update on Our Family.” Executive producers Rachel Mason and Rachel Knudsen said they attempted to contact the Stauffers multiple times while making the docuseries. “An Update On Our Family” premieres on HBO and Max on January 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT and will air for three weeks.