When a popular children’s YouTuber posted a video celebrating the start of Pride Month over the weekend conservatives responded by calling for a boycott of her programming.
But devoted fans — mainly vocal parents grateful for the content creator’s ability to connect with their children — are praising her for championing LGBTQ+ acceptance.
Rachel Accurso, known best as Ms. Rachel, launched her Songs For Littles YouTube channel in 2019 as a virtual edutainment series for infants and toddlers. As the COVID-19 pandemic left more parents without childcare, the channel rose in popularity, drawing millions of subscribers.
She’s responsible for songs like “Icky Sticky Bubblegum,” a certified banger for the under-2 crowd, sparking a TikTok trend where thousands of parents filmed their babies lighting up when the song played.
To mark the start of Pride Month, Accurso took to her TikTok and Instagram accounts — where she connects with fans, provides life updates, and offers parenting advice — to share a message of inclusivity with her millions of followers.
“Happy Pride to all of our wonderful families and friends,” Accurso said while wearing a rainbow-striped long sleeve shirt, green corduroy overalls, and her signature pink knotted headband. “This month and every month, I celebrate you. I’m so glad you’re here, I’m so glad you’re exactly who you are.”
@msrachelforlittles Happy Pride! 🌈 Love you!
♬ original sound - Ms Rachel
Quickly, right-wing personalities and platforms started encouraging parents to unsubscribe.
“This is a message to conservative parents,” Daily Wire host Matt Walsh wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “She doesn’t want your business. You should respond accordingly.” The frenzy caused “Ms. Rachel” to trend nationwide on X over the weekend.
But fans of Accurso and the Songs For Littles channel also started weighing in.
“If you come for Ms. Rachel, parents of toddlers around the country will destroy you,” one user wrote on X. “Keep Ms. Rachel’s name out of your mouth!” said another. “This woman has bought us more moments of peace than I count,” wrote a third.
As Brittani Warrick, who leads Philadelphia actor Rob McElhenney’s social media, put it: “Ms. Rachel is an opp[onent] that you don’t want to have. She’s got tired parents on her side and those people are scary.”
This isn’t the first time her show has sparked the ire of conservatives.
Since the brand’s inception, Songs For Littles has celebrated diversity and inclusion in its programming and through the host’s individual social media channels.
Last year, Accurso and other hosts on the show faced backlash across parenting TikTok after a user falsely accused Songs For Littles host Jules Hoffman — who is nonbinary and trans — of teaching a lesson about pronouns on the show’s YouTube channel. No such lesson ever existed and the hosts only go by their first names.
As noted by Rolling Stone, it’s possible the rumor was sparked by the content seen in Hoffman’s personal TikToks, which are composed of short lessons about the LGBTQ+ community, Hoffman’s puppetry, and a lesson on their pronoun usage. But Hoffman said being nonbinary and using they/them pronouns were never a secret. They began going by they/them in 2018 and listed their pronouns on their social media accounts and Songs For Littles website bio.
Still, their identity became a sticking point among conservative parents who mobilized to get the hashtag #cancelmsrachel trending. They didn’t succeed. Instead, Hoffman’s comments were filled with notes from parents thanking them for their songs and expressing support.
When Accurso posted her Saturday TikTok celebrating Pride Month, she appeared to anticipate some backlash.
“To those of you who are going to comment that they can’t watch the show anymore because of this support, no worries and much love your way,” she said in her post. “God bless, I am not chasing fame or views, I’m standing strong in love.”
In the comments on TikTok, families and members of the LGBTQ+ community praised Accurso.
Accurso was also in the public eye last week for an emotional commencement speech she delivered to the graduating class at New York University’s Steinhardt School. In her address, Accurso spoke about battling imposter syndrome and her advocacy for children’s rights and education.
“You don’t need to wait for anyone else to show up,” she said. “When you see a need, when you see an injustice, a way the world could be better, use the unique gifts and talents you have to serve the world. We don’t know what will happen, but we guarantee nothing will change if we don’t try.”
Accurso did not respond to a request for comment as of publication time.
