French influencer Cyril Schreiner admitted to faking the kidnapping of his pug Albert days after being “reunited” with the dog.
In a video shared via Snapchat on Monday, February 9, Schreiner confessed to orchestrating a faux kidnapping as a prank. (He later shared the same clip via Instagram and TikTok on Tuesday, February 10.)
“Today I will reveal the truth and tell you everything because there are many things that are close to my heart,” Schreiner began in the video, translated from French. “This last year has been really difficult for me.”
The influencer said he didn’t want to divulge too much information in his videos because he likes to keep his personal life separate from what he shares with the public, noting that he enjoyed his own content “less and less” over the past several months.
“I had less taste for everything I did,” he continued, explaining that content creators are “alone” a lot. “I wanted to rediscover the joy of the stories I used to tell you, like in 2016.”
Schreiner went on to deny speculation that he engineered the stunt for “buzz” or to garner more views and subscribers, further claiming that he also wasn’t interested in making more money from his videos. As for the theory that he kept redirecting his fans to Snapchat because it’s more profitable than other apps, Schreiner told fans that he did so simply because it’s his favorite social media network.
“I wanted to create entertainment,” he told his followers. “And that’s what I’ve been doing for you for one week, but I did it really in the worst way.”
Schreiner said he realized “a few days ago” that he should tell the truth.
“Let’s not kid ourselves, I’m a big a**hole,” he said. “I screwed up. I assume [responsibility] for what I’ve done. And there you go. I have to publicly apologize to you. I didn’t think you were all going to be so involved emotionally in this story. … All my videos were always there to entertain you, create joy.”
Schreiner claimed he thought Albert’s kidnapping would play out like “a big joke” but admitted it went “really wrong” in the end.
“It was really a very bad joke,” he added. “In the end, I’m still happy that it made you laugh.”
Commenters, however, were quick to note that they didn’t find the alleged kidnapping of Albert to be humorous at all.
“It’s cruel. I feel betrayed, i was checking few times a day if Albert is okay, translating every post cause i dont speak french,” one follower wrote via TikTok. “Im sorry, but this was not funny at any point.”
Jonathan Graziano, an American pet influencer who runs the account @showmenoodz, also slammed Schreiner in his own Instagram video.
“The whole Cyril/Albert kidnapping thing was fake. It was staged for views,” Graziano said on Monday. “I’m so mad I could spit.”
Graziano, who has a pug named Milton and previously owned the late Noodle, added that he “sobbed” when he found out Albert was allegedly missing. “I am so angry,” he continued, getting visibly emotional. “He did all of that for views.”
Graziano’s fellow pug lovers agreed in the comments section, with Doug the Pug’s owner Rob Chianelli writing that the situation left him “speechless.”
From international travel and diamond jewelry to movie premieres and magazine covers, some celeb pets live more luxe lifestyles than most people thanks to their A-list owners, who’ve turned them into Tinseltown’s hottest new accessory. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing up, I agree […]
The Albert saga began late last month when Schreiner told followers that the pug was kidnapped from his yard. (Schreiner’s other pug, Tina, was not taken.)
Schreiner went on to share alleged surveillance footage of Albert being taken from the yard. In his apology video, the content creator revealed that the “dog” in the video wasn’t Albert at all but instead a sack of potatoes.
Fans had been speculating for days that the “kidnapping” was fake because of some discrepancies in Schreiner’s story, but until Monday, he claimed that he was telling the truth, slamming social media users who accused him of lying.
In the caption of his apology video, Schreiner claimed that any money he makes from recent videos will be donated to animal welfare organizations.
