ACE Family Scandals — Allegations Against YouTuber Austin McBroom Include Cheating, Rape & Child Abuse
There's a lot to take in.
YouTube / ACE Family Austin McBroom is set to face off against Bryce Hall on June 12 at 7 pm ET in the much-anticipated "Battle of the Platforms" YouTubers vs TikTokers boxing tournament.
Unfortunately, allegations about McBroom's past may haunt him (and viewers) as he steps into the ring to fight Hype House member Hall, 21.
The boxing match will see six YouTubers and six TikTok stars go head-to-head as the social media icons follow in the footsteps laid for them by Jake and Logan Paul and others who have attempted to enter the sport.
Who is Austin McBroom?
McBroom, 29, is a former college basketball player who is best known for the family vlogs he makes with his actress/model wife Catherine Paiz, 30, and their three children — Elle Lively (5), Alaïa Marie (almost 3) and Steel (almost 1).
Their YouTube channel, “The ACE Family,” has 19 million subscribers and over 4 billion views. ACE is an acronym for Austin, Catherine and Elle.
And while their videos are mainly good-natured pranks or adorable family-style content, McBroom’s reputation away from his channel is not as PG-13.
What has Austin McBroom been accused of doing?
Over the years, McBroom has swerved past controversy after controversy, but the growing list of allegations is increasingly hard to ignore.
In addition to cheating rumors, McBroom has also faced allegations including child abuse, rape and sexual assault.
Austin McBroom is rumored to have cheated on wife Catherine Paiz.
McBroom, who has engaged in his share of trash talking in the run-up to the fight, found karma knocking recently when Jake Paul accused him of cheating on his wife.
The allegation is not the first to surface regarding McBroom, nor is it the most disturbing accusation made against former college basketball player McBroom over the course of his career.
In July 2019, women claimed McBroom had requested they sign a nondisclosure agreement before hooking up with him while Paiz was at home with their daughters.
In January 2021, a woman on TikTok shared a video which she says shows McBroom flirting with her friend and asking her back to his hotel room. In the video, McBroom is seen talking to the woman in a nightclub however no words can be heard.
Then, in June 2021, Jake Paul took to his TikTok to make some allegations against McBroom.
“Does your wife know that you cheat on her every weekend?” Paul asked, “Does she know that you message every single girl on Instagram trying to get in their pants?”
Austin McBroom accused of rape by YouTuber Cole Carrigan.
In 2019, YouTuber Cole Carrigan posted a now-deleted video in which he claimed McBroom, his father, a security guard and one of McBroom's friends sexually assaulted and raped one of his friends, adding that other women had shared similar stories with him of alleged assaults by McBroom.
Carrigan said he was not present but was making the video on their behalf, providing screenshots allegedly exchanged between the women and McBroom, as well as images of bloody bedsheets from the night of the alleged rape.
McBroom vehemently denied the claims in a tweet and accused Carrigan of extortion.
He also shared screenshots of messages from one of the alleged victims, who said that McBroom “did not rape me or anyone” and that “this wasn’t Cole’s story to tell.”
Later that day, he shared legal documents showing that he was taking legal action "to handle this matter of extortion," although he did not state explicitly who he was taking action against or what that action might be.
McBroom has also been accused of predatory and potentially abusive behavior with children.
In 2019, McBroom came under fire after he posted a vlog in which he bought a young child, believed to be his wife’s half-sister, an adult-themed lollipop at a store.
He filmed the child with the penis-shaped candy, making a "joke" out of it, leaving many saying McBroom was inappropriately sexualizing the young girl.
The following year, McBroom was criticized for slapping his 4-year-old daughter’s butt in a live stream, as some felt that the action was sexually suggestive.
McBroom was filmed shouting at Catherine.
In late 2020, fans were shocked when the couple accidentally uploaded an unedited vlog that showed McBroom shouting at his wife in front of their children.
The video was quickly removed but circulated on TikTok and drew concern from fans.
However, Paiz took to Twitter to address the footage and deny that any emotional abuse was happening in her family.
“Yes Austin and I get frustrated with each other sometimes it's called marriage,” she wrote. “I wish ppl would stop expecting ppl to have a 'Perfect' life. It's just not realistic!"
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Catch her covering all things social justice, news, and entertainment. Keep up with her Twitter for more.