A Chinese social media influencer with more than 12 million followers has come under intense public scrutiny after sharing a video documenting his wife’s 23 hour childbirth.
Viral creator at centre of controversy
According to a report by South China Morning Post, the influencer known online as “Paul in USA” filmed and uploaded the entire labour process, including moments showing medical complications and his wife’s exposed body. The footage quickly drew criticism from viewers who questioned the decision to record and publish such deeply personal moments.
Paul, born in 1990, graduated from Columbia University in the United States and is currently based in Seattle. Before becoming a full time content creator, he worked as a product manager at Microsoft. He began posting videos in February 2019, documenting his daily life in Seattle, and gained popularity for his distinctive online persona as a “Microsoft product manager who speaks in a Northeastern Chinese dialect”.
As of February 2026, he had amassed more than 12.2 million followers on Douyin.
Medical emergency captured on camera
{{/usCountry}}As of February 2026, he had amassed more than 12.2 million followers on Douyin.
Medical emergency captured on camera
{{/usCountry}}The controversy intensified after viewers learned about the severity of the medical complications shown in the video. As per SCMP, Paul revealed that the labour lasted 23 hours and involved serious health risks.
His wife, whose identity has not been disclosed, reportedly suffered a third degree perineal tear, one of the most severe childbirth injuries, which can potentially lead to faecal incontinence. She also experienced post partum haemorrhaging and lost 3,344 millilitres of blood during delivery.
Following an emergency operation and blood transfusion, both the mother and the newborn daughter were declared safe.
Despite the positive medical outcome, many criticised Paul for continuing to film during the emergency and for including footage that exposed his wife’s body.
Advertisement sparks further outrage
Public anger grew further after viewers noticed that Paul inserted a nappy advertisement into the video and personally read the promotional script. According to data from the Xingtu platform cited by SCMP, the influencer reportedly charges 250,000 yuan for short promotional videos lasting up to 20 seconds, 278,000 yuan for videos between 21 and 60 seconds, and 298,000 yuan for longer content. It remains unclear how much he earned from the advertisement featured in the childbirth video.
The video has since been deleted.
Response and platform action
On February 10, Paul’s wife addressed the controversy on social media, writing: “Our intention was to authentically document the childbirth process. We did not anticipate complications during filming, but still felt it was important to share the footage.”
She added, “Some people told us it helped them better understand the risks and unpredictability of childbirth: not every delivery is smooth; some are extremely dangerous.”
However, the response did little to calm criticism. According to SCMP, the account “Paul in USA” was banned by the platform on February 11 for “violating relevant laws, regulations and platform policies”.