Who is Caroline Calloway? The Cambridge grad Instascammer who fooled the world
Also known as ‘one-woman Fyre Fest’
Not a day goes by when Caroline Calloway's name isn't involved in some kind of influencer controversy. First it was the doomed book deal, then it was the failed $165 mason-jar tour across the world and now it turns out she had a ghost writer this whole time with a scathing story to tell. But who is Caroline Calloway and why does everyone keep talking about her?
Who is Caroline Calloway?
Caroline Gotschall Calloway is a 27-year-old American Instagram influencer who lives in New York. She studied History of Art at NYU before she went to study the same subject at Cambridge from 2013-2016.
The famous $500,000 book deal
Her popular Instagram account full of earnest posts about her life as an American in the UK helped her secure a major book deal worth $500,000 in 2015. The debut memoir was to be called "AND WE WERE LIKE" about "one American girl's experience at Cambridge University, complete with never-before-told stories of tumultuous romances, glamorous European balls, near academic failure, and the ups and downs of charting a path toward adulthood, expanding on her Instagram memoir."
However two years later the book was cancelled and she owed her published $100,000. Caroline told Man Repeller: “My choices were: Write a book that wasn’t really about me — that was just about boys — and get lots of money, or back out of the contract and owe lots of money.”
The mason-jar tour
In December 2018, Caroline said she'd be hosting a creativity tour in the US and the UK. Tickets were being sold for $165 for a four-hour seminar. Things included in the ticket price were "orchid crowns", care packages which were meant to include handwritten letters from Caroline, mini gardens in mason jars, oat milk and exclusively designed tote bags, as well as crystals. Oh and a salad lunch would also be provided.
But then people started catching on "the scam" and an elaborate Twitter thread written by journalist Kayleigh Donaldson went viral. When it was found that Caroline didn't even have the venues booked for her tour dates and people were disappointed with the experience, the rest of the tour was cancelled.
The Cut article that shook the internet
Natalie Beach. Caroline's ex-best friend wrote a viral essay on The Cut called "I was Caroline Calloway", which revealed everything about their toxic friendship.
Who is Natalie Beach?
Natalie Beach is Caroline Calloway's former ghostwriter. She's a 27-year-old writer and book critic based in LA.
Natalie and Caroline met seven years ago when they both attended an NYU writing class together. Natalie became friends with Caroline and was her ghostwriter up until 2016.
Not only did Natalie help Caroline write her Instagram posts, but she also helped her write the proposal for Caroline's failed $500,000 memoir.
She has also accused Caroline of buying tens of thousands of followers in the beginning stages of her influencer career.
Related stories recommended by this writer:
• The Instagoddess and her 70,000 Disciples: The Tab Cambridge meets Caroline Calloway
• These are the hilarious memes and tweets that destroyed Fyre Festival
• The Instagram models and influencers that promoted the Fyre Festival scam