We’ve seen a lot on TikTok, but after countless dance challenges and silly trends, the platform has birthed its very first cult: The Children of the Waning Star.
It’s hard to believe that TikTok is only nine years old. In under 10 years, we’ve had everything from Dorito theories to the Hawk Tuah girl being burned into our brains forever. In just 2025 alone, we’ve seen a dangerous Nicki Minaj pose and the little girl singing Moana on a plane, so surely nothing can surprise now, right? Right…?
Wrong, TikTok just got its first ever cult!
Right, so who are the Children of the Waning Star?
@notgigijarvis establishing our lore soon…𖤓
♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound
The Children of the Waning Star TikTok cult was started by Gigi Jarvis on July 11th. She posted a video entitled “Starting a cult day one”, telling followers: “I’m starting a cult and want you all to be a part of it.”
The posts seemed pretty satirical, with Gigi intending the videos to be lighthearted, but things soon spiralled when the community named themselves the Children of the Waning Star. Soon enough, they had their own symbols – a star symbol and a purple fingerprint emoji – and Gigi was coming up with holidays, rituals, and belief systems.
“Whoever drops the funniest photo in my comment section, I’m going to steal your profile picture and become you for a whole week,” she said, detailing one weekly ritual called “Victim of the Week.”
@notgigijarvis Replying to @
Bellah
copy & paste symbols are in the comments!
♬ Creepy and simple horror background music(1070744) – howlingindicator
She then revealed that some members of the cult were seeing an “entity” of some kind, adding that to the lore she was establishing in the hopes of creating a Wikipedia page.
Following the obvious backlash, Gigi recanted her earlier statements by rejecting the label of cult. Instead, she referred to the group as a “community” or safe space.
Why are people so concerned?
@notgigijarvis just a little psa, but im so grateful to be here with you and creating something genuinely beautiful. thank you for everything.
𖤓
Even after Gigi Jarvis’ first TikTok about the Children of the Waning Star, which has since amassed 1.9 million views, former cult victims began to speak out on the dangers of such rhetoric. They warned that these things have a habit of getting out of control.
One person said on TikTok: “I’m speaking out because The Children of the Waning Star is far more dangerous than people realise. What’s happening under the guise of a ‘community’ is deeply disturbing — individuals are sacrificing animals, carving symbols into their bodies, and participating in increasingly violent and harmful behaviour. Despite the leader, Gigi Jarvis, claiming this isn’t a cult, these are exactly the kinds of warning signs we see when cults begin.”
“I honestly don’t think this can lead to anything positive, and the romanticisation of cults is not okay,” another said on Reddit.
Things have gotten out of hand, and Gigi has apologised
The cult uses specific symbols
As is happening on TikTok right now, and as the history of cults has told us time and time again, situations like these can easily get out of hand. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people with the emojis in their bios, with people referring to Gigi as “leader” and conducting summoning rituals for the Waning Star entity.
People have even claimed that members are harming themselves in tribute to the cult, with others even sharing their intention to sacrifice animals in the name of TikTok’s Children of the Waning Star. On Discord, where there are numerous servers dedicated to the community, thousands of people are exchanging ideals, beliefs, and what they think should be inputted into the “lore.”
On Thursday, Gigi posted a lengthy statement to her TikTok apologising for the hurt she caused.
She wrote: “I started what was meant to be a fun, creative community by kickstarting a voting-style choose-your-own-adventure game. I genuinely didn’t realise how hurtful the word ‘cult’ could be to some, and although I wish I knew sooner, the last thing I wanted was to cause pain. I am very sorry for my insensitivity.
“Once I learned, I immediately ended the series. I never supported any harmful behaviour. I’m sorry if anyone was hurt or impacted; that was never my intention. Moving forward, I will be using my platform to raise awareness by sharing resources for cult survivors and mental health.
“This whole experience happened very fast and was difficult to figure out while receiving harassment and having my personal info leaked I appreciate those who’ve been kind and patient while I navigate through this. I’m committed to learning and doing better.”
Unfortunately, all the videos are still up on her page, and the members of the cult don’t seem to be listening to their leader. It’s still going, and TikTok is yet to act.
TikTok has been approached for comment.
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Featured image credit: TikTok
