I name and shame Tattle gossip trolls – and even tell their bosses

The internet can be a breeding ground for trolls and it’s none more so evident than on the infamous online forum Tattle Life.  

Described as the ‘the most hate-filled corner of the web’, the site has hit the headlines after its founder was unmasked as plant-based recipe influencer Sebastian Bond, known as Bastian Durward of Nest & Glow.

His identity came to light after Neil and Donna Sands, who runs the clothing brand Syklie, sued the website for hosting defamatory commentary about them.

They argued that the website has ‘profited as a space where users could defame, harass, stalk and attack others online’ and were awarded £300,000 by the Northern Ireland High Court last week.

Despite many petitions to shut Tattle life down, the site is so popular there is even a waitlist to join. A delve into its pages quickly unearths thousands of vicious threads posted by an army of devoted users.

‘What a rough-looking, ugly, greasy bleep. Look at that manky tan line near her greasy hairline,’ one commenter, called officially2020, said in a post about a reality star.

Another, who goes under the name of teshhco-tart, described a famous cleaning influencer as ‘the most low energy, uncreative, ungrateful, lazy, ugly and unhygienic hating witch there is!’. 

There’s also a thread all about how ugly the children of one TV presenter are.

Tattle Life rules state a zero-tolerance policy to any content that is abusive, hateful or harmful – but it’s clear many users say whatever they want about anyone they want without any fear of accountability. 

Under the cloak of anonymity that the site offers, some commentators must have felt untouchable. That was, until recently. 

Lawsuits aside, there’s a wave of Instagram accounts seeking to expose the trolls that stalk the site’s pages in the same manner over the last few years.

One is called Tattlers_Unmasked, a private account with over 38,000 followers, which sporadically reveals the people they say are behind the hurtful comments on Tattle Life.

Those being exposed come from all walks of life, from charity workers to retail assistants, and not only are their names and pictures posted, but workplaces are tagged and LinkedIn profiles are screengrabbed. 

After ‘outing’ one troll, the account declared: ‘I hope now she knows what it feels like to be scrutinised.’

Speaking exclusively to Metro, the woman behind Tattle Unmasked says that she decided to reveal the identity of the ‘trolls’ posting on the site because ‘no one else is standing up for the people who have threads’.  

‘They just have to take it,’ explains Michelle, who has asked to go under a pseudonym to protect her own identity.

‘Tattlers take it upon themselves to contact brands, contact the press, report influencers to the RSPCA, Social Services and anyone else they can report people to. What gives them the right to do that? Unmasking them is my way of clapping back for the influencers.  

‘Having spoken to many people who have threads, it is not knowing what their tattlers look like that is the most frightening. They could be anyone.  Tattlers_Unmasked gives my followers the chance to see for themselves that tattlers are just normal people, like you and me.’

How it all began

Initially called Tattle.life, the site first appeared online in 2017 with Helen McDougall named as its originator. ‘Helen’ is quoted on the forum as saying that the motivation to set up Tattle was due to some influencers ‘brazenly breaking the guidelines for adverts’ in posts where they were paid to promote brands or products.

Yet it’s not just a breach of advertising standards that influencers and celebrities are being attacked for. While the site claims to have a team of moderators online 24/7 to remove any content that breaks its strict rules, a search exposes thousands of forums tearing women apart for everything from their looks to their mental health or even their children.

While Katie Price, Kate Garraway and Alice Evans are constant subjects of scrutiny, it’s not just household celebrities and influencers with millions of followers who can fall victim. 

Anyone can be a target… or a troll

Vicky Saynor runs the Bethnal & Bec holiday rental company with her husband Chris and found herself facing 10 days of terrifying trolling back in 2020 when they opened up their properties for survivors of domestic abuse to use as safe housing.

‘The abuse felt constant,’ she tells Metro. ‘We worked with local authorities and social services to ensure everything was above board and posted about our decision on Instagram.’

Although the couple never identified the women who sought shelter, someone decided to set up a Tattle thread accusing them of offering her refuge to make themselves look good.

‘They said we weren’t qualified and were putting the women’s lives at risk,’ remembers Vicky. ‘Someone encouraged others to troll our social accounts, and we started to get 20-30 messages a day on Instagram.’

Although she was too scared to view the actual thread on Tattle, Vicky asked a friend to keep an eye on it in case things took a nasty turn.

‘They knew our address as we lived near our rental properties and people were threatening to turn up,’ she remembers. ‘There was so much anger, I was terrified. The abuse lasted for about 10 days before it died down, but it felt like forever. I’m not an influencer with a huge following, I’m just a business owner who tried to do a nice thing during the pandemic.’

Naming and shaming

Tattle famously hit the headlines back in 2019 when prominent influencer Clemmie Hooper, known then as Mother of Daughters, was found to be a troll on the site, attacking fellow blogger Candice Brathwaite.

When her identity was outed by internet sleuths, midwife Clemmie confessed to being behind the comments and quit social media. While the scandal not only rocked the world of mummy influencers, it also proved that no one could hide behind the safety of a screen.

Michelle insists that no one is outed on her site unless she is ‘10000% confident’ they are the correct person – and she refuses to worry about the repercussions. 

‘If Tattlers can say the most awful things about people in the name of gossip, then I, like them, have no qualms about doing what I do,’ she admits. ‘At the end of the day, I am only posting what is available to be viewed by anyone else if they do a deep dive. I just pull it altogether.’

Of course, there is the risk that in turn she could be unmasked herself and trolled – especially, as she claims, that she has site owners or moderators following her, although she says it’s not a concern. 

‘I only have one IG account, which is Tattlers_Unmasked, and I have one Facebook account that is not in my name, which is buried and inconspicuous,’ Michelle explains. ‘There are no photos of me online and I have no digital footprint – anywhere.’

Michelle adds that when she unmasks someone, the Tattlers who follow her head over to a thread on Tattle Life, which is dedicated to trying to find out who she is.

‘The moderators then spend the next few hours removing all mention of my account,’ she says. ‘I have taken screen grabs of them telling members “Do not feed the trolls the oxygen that they crave”. It’s quite ironic when you think of it!’

Another person who has started outing Tattle Life users is social media influencer Chloe*. Although she does it on a ‘less public’ level, she adds.

As a content creator, she’s been the brunt of many Tattle threads. ‘It’s hard to believe such a vile place exists,’ she tells Metro.

‘I started on quite a small level, but when my popularity grew, out came the trolls. They would comment on anything and everything and get really personal, literally picking me apart.

‘What makes it odd is that these are women not a million miles away from who I am – I even knew one of them on a personal level. But when they thought I wouldn’t know who was saying what about me, they let rip. It’s wild.’

Chloe says it’s actually really easy to find out who the people are behind the accounts. ‘People leave such a trail of clues without even realising,’ she laughs.

But rather than confront them publicly, she reports them to their workplaces instead.

‘I think the fact that people are now exposing those behind these horrible threads is wonderful, but I never wanted to do it with a big song and dance. I just want people to be held accountable in some way, so they realise that their actions have consequences. And when the evidence is presented to your boss it’s a pretty damning and serious situation to be in.’

A dangerous game

Of course, while many will say being exposed is exactly what the trolls deserve, others argue that it’s tantamount to online bullying itself.

Counsellor Georgina Sturmer believes that outing abusive commentators could lead to further destructive behaviour and that their online abuse is usually always a sign of sadness or insecurity.

‘Trolling could be someone’s coping mechanism,’ she tells Metro. ‘That’s not to say it’s right, but there could be a real risk with unmasking them. This might lead to an outburst of anger, anxiety or panic.

‘If someone engages in trolling behaviours, it’s usually an indication that they are feeling unhappy or insecure about something,’ adds Georgina. ‘This might be triggered by the person they are trolling. Some operate in isolation, but often trolls will ‘pile in’ on another’s comment or action. 

‘They are drawn in to agree and support each other as it offers them a feeling of validation and a sense of belonging. This is particularly attractive if they are feeling lonely, disconnected or misunderstood in their everyday lives.’

However, Michelle, who says that none of her friends, family or colleagues know about her unmasking site – says she has no plans of stopping any time soon.  

‘My account gains new followers daily,’ she says. ‘And as long as there are Tattlers to out, the account will remain.’ 

*Name has been changed. A version of this article first appeared in April 2024.