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Austin McBroom Launches “How I Became a Millionaire” Program for $50/Month, But Some Think It’s Just Another Scam

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  • Austin McBroom, the vlogger behind the ACE Family YouTube channel, is launching a new program called “How I Became a Millionaire,” which aims to teach subscribers “the secrets to social media.”
  • Among other perks, the program’s $50 a month “Gold Tier” claims it will select “a few people to verify/blue check.”
  • The site for the new program quickly became overwhelmed as fans flooded to sign up; however, others believe it could be a scam similar to a previous program from McBroom: the ACE Club. 

McBroom’s Millionaire Program

Family vlogger Austin McBroom announced Sunday that he was launching a new program called “How I Became a Millionaire,” but some fans are convinced that its just another scam aimed at the creator’s younger audience. 

“I’m here today to teach all of you the secrets to social media and to help you accomplish your dreams,” McBroom, who posts videos on the ACE family’s YouTube channel, said in an Instagram video announcement. “In order to be able to have access to all of these courses, you must join now. You only have 24 hours.” 

The program defaults to its $50 a month “Gold Tier” membership when users attempt to sign up for the four-course series, which includes: “How to grow your social media platforms, how to make money from social media, how to start a business,” and “how to grow your business.”

The “Gold” membership also includes access to longer videos and an exclusive private community chat. Additionally, McBroom promises to select “a few people for weekly FaceTime calls” and “to promote per month.” He even claims he will be able to “verify/blue check” a “few” subscribers. 

Users can also opt for a much cheaper experience by paying $8 a month for its “Silver Tier” membership, which will include only the four-course series, as well as an additional 48 videos released over the next year.

Soon after launch, many trying to sign up for the program began experiencing technical problems, with some even reporting that their cards had been declined. 

Later that day, in an Instagram story, McBroom said the site had been temporarily “overwhelmed” due to “high traffic.”

Source: @hibmprogram

Some Think This Is Another ACE Club “Scam

Technical difficulties aren’t the only issues fans have had with this new program.

Some have compared it to another business venture from McBroom: the ACE Club. Notably, that was a $3 a month subscription service that was meant to come with exclusive content, livestreams, and even giveaways; however, about six months ago, that program shut down.

“Unfortunately, the people that we partnered with in that venture… ended up scamming us,” McBroom said in an Instagram Live.

“It kind of like hurt us in a way because, in reality, like, you guys got scammed,” he added, “And unfortunately we had to stop funding the ACE Club.”

While McBroom said he refunded everyone who signed up for the ACE Club, some are already worried his latest venture could result in a similar situation.

“How to be a Millionaire: Scam your following into paying you 50 bucks a month,” one person tweeted. “Tell them they only have 24 hours so it feels urgent, and doesn’t give them time to think about the purchase. Austin McBroom & Ace Family are scummmmmmm.”

Others have accused Broom of exploiting and taking advantage of his younger fans with the seeming promise of wealth.

To note, Broom’s language appears to stop short of actually promising wealth or fame, though that interpretation does take a fair amount of reading between the lines. For example, his series is titled, “How I Became a Millionaire,” not “How To Become a Millionaire.” Likewise, in his Instagram video announcing the program, he describes the program’s goal as “help[ing] you accomplish your dreams” rather than outright promising or providing a concrete pathway to wealth.

Still, McBroom’s new program is similar in design to another program launched by Jake Paul last year. That $20 a month program, which is aimed at kids wanting to become influencers, has also faced criticism since its launch. In fact, BuzzFeed lauded it with such stunning reviews as, “frankly, it’s not great.”

See what others are saying: (Dexerto)

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Max to Agrees to “Properly” Credit Writers and Directors After Facing Backlash For Lumping Them in As “Creators”

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The company said the credits were laid out incorrectly due to “an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max.”


After film and television writers slammed Max for crediting all writers, producers, and directors as general “creators” on its platform, the company said it will be adjusting its credits display.

“We agree that the talent behind the content on Max deserve their work to be properly recognized,” the streaming service said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. 

Max — the new rebrand of HBO Max that incorporates Discovery content — launched on Tuesday to much criticism. Amid glitches and app-switching confusion, the biggest backlash it faced was over the choice to lump creative roles into one credit section called “creators.” As one viral tweet noted, if a user were to select the film “Raging Bull,” the service’s display would not specifically credit Martin Scorsese as the director, rather, his name would be included at random with half a dozen other people, including writers and producers. 

The decision was condemned by many in the industry who argued it minimizes writers and directors by not properly giving them credit where it is due. Especially amid the ongoing writers’ strike, and with directors and actors starting negotiations with studios, some took it as a slap in the face. 

“The studios don’t want anyone to know our names,” writer Christina Strain tweeted. “It’s easier to pay us nothing if we’re faceless.”

“Another move from studios to diminish the role of writers, directors, actors and other craftspeople. Miss me wit this nonsense,” Jorge Rivera, the Vice-Chair of the Writers Guild’s Latinx Writers Committee, added. 

In a statement, Directors Guild President Lesli Linka Glatter said that Warner Bros. Discovery’s choice to “collapse” these roles into one credit “while we are in negotiations with them is a grave insult to our members and our union.”

“The DGA will not stand for it,” Glatter continued.

WGA West President Meredith Stiehm claimed the move was “a credits violation,” as well as an insult “to the artists that make the films and TV shows that make their corporation billions.”

On Wednesday, Max said it would rework its crediting. 

“We will correct the credits, which were altered due to an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max and we apologize for this mistake,” the platform said.

See what others are saying: (Gizmodo) (The Hollywood Reporter) (The Los Angeles Times)

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A Quarter of Young British Men Support Andrew Tate’s Thoughts on Women

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U.K. residents at large, however, do not view him favorably.


Even under house arrest in Romania, misogynist influencer Andrew Tate still holds substantial sway over young men. 

According to data from YouGov that was obtained by The Independent, 26% of U.K. men between 18 and 29 years old who know of Tate agree with his views on women. That figure was largely the same for men between 30 and 39, as 28% agreed with Tate’s opinions on the subject. 

Men in their 30s were slightly more likely to agree with Tate on his thoughts about masculinity. Three out of ten supported those views, compared to just a quarter of men 18 to 29.

Those statistics only include the thoughts of men who have heard of Tate, but per YouGov, most have. In the 18 to 29 group, 93% were familiar with him, and 86% of men in their 30s knew of him. 

The U.K. at large was less aware of Tate, with just 63% of British adults having heard of him. Of that group, only 6% held a positive view of him. 

Tate has faced substantial backlash for his sexist rhetoric over the years. In the past, he said that men should have “authority” over their wives or girlfriends, and that women should “bear some responsibility” for being raped. He was previously banned from Twitter over his extremist views on women but has since been allowed back on the platform. 

He is currently being investigated in Romania for organized crime and human trafficking. He was arrested and held in custody in December but was released to house arrest earlier this year. No formal charges have been filed against him yet and he has maintained his innocence. 

Tate currently boasts a Twitter following of 6.7 million. It has grown significantly since he was enveloped in legal controversy, and many of his supporters have demanded his release. 

See what others are saying: (The Independent) (Glamour U.K.)

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Involved in “Near Catastrophic” Paparazzi Chase

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“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” a spokesperson for the couple said.


“Aggressive” Paparazzi Chase Couple in New York

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic” paparazzi car chase Tuesday night in New York City, according to a spokesperson for the couple.

In a statement, the spokesperson described the photographers as “highly aggressive.”

“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the statement added.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” it continued. 

Details of the incident are still emerging, but BBC News reported that there are claims the chase involved roughly six cars driving recklessly by running red lights, driving on the sidewalk, carrying out blocking moves, going backward on a one-way road, and taking pictures while driving. 

The chase happened after Harry and Meghan were leaving the Women of Vision Awards with Meghan’s mother, Doria. They did not want photographers to learn where they were staying and attempted to avoid them in what turned into a 75-minute chase on a main road in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They eventually ducked into a New York Police Department Precinct to hide out before getting into a different vehicle.

The NYPD released a statement confirming that they assisted in protecting the couple as “numerous photographers” hindered their transport. Officials said they made it to their destination and there were no collisions, injuries, or arrests. 

The couple’s spokesperson is asking the public to not share or post footage of the incident. 

“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved,” the spokesperson said. 

Memories of Princess Diana

The chase evokes the brutal press hounding Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was subjected to throughout her life. The paparazzi’s obsession with her ultimately resulted in her death in 1997, when she was killed in a car crash after being chased by photographers in Paris. 

Since marrying Meghan and later bowing out of the Royal Family, Harry has made it explicitly clear that he fears those events could happen again. Meghan has been the subject of endless tabloid scrutiny, enduring racism and harassment from the press. Part of the reason they left the Royal Family was to keep their family protected from such attacks.

Mayor Eric Adams brought up Diana’s tragic passing while speaking about Tuesday night’s chase. 

“I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how [Harry’s] mom died,” Adams said while speaking to reporters. “And it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well…I think that was a bit reckless and irresponsible.” 

Adams also questioned whether or not he believes a chase could go on for two hours in a city as congested as New York, but noted that even a 10-minute chase would be dangerous. He said he will be briefed on the exact timeline and details later. 

See what others are saying: (BBC News) (Associated Press) (Yahoo News)

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