"Why I Left" Video

[Trololol]

She is still whining after being handed so many opportunities? Girl, you were practically catapulted to the top, don't you dare make it sound like you were forced. You kept pandering to people instead of making something that represented YOU yourself.

Nerve.

[haze]

Watched 15 seconds and couldn't stomach her story telling and tone. It's amazing to me that she still can't, even after all these years, sit down and address her audience directly about her faults. She's so vapid. I also can't believe how many YouTubers or beauty bloggers are giving her praise for being real and inspirational when she's still blaming others for her failures. Viewers are not dumb and do not live in a fantasy world like Michelle has been for the past 10 years.

[hopelesscoffeeaddict]

I re-watched a bit of the video to determine exactly why it makes me feel so extremely uncomfortable besides the things she is saying. To me, this just seems highly, highly manipulative: she uses this almost hypnotic tone of voice, the arousing music, the imagery evoked is very "little girl/innocent" (aimed at her target audience of impressionable young girls), and she just phrases everything in a way that makes her sound like a victim, even the lawsuit etc. And then the ad for em cosmetics thrown in right at the end, almost casually, after stirring the viewers up emotionally. It's just really shady and emotionally manipulative, and I find it super problematic. I never liked or trusted her, but this video makes me think that she is a true narcissist!

[janraeni16]

She just burned out needed time-off. People are criticizing her because she is trying to make her long-time vacation into some grand obstacle she endured and played victim. Oh, also, her new em cosmetic at the end.

[amuto_lover]

Since comments are being deleted I took some screenshots.

[Loilee]

Why is her cartoon self white? White-washing again.

Also, I cannot stand the way she says 'create'. She says 'crate' instead and it really bugs me.

[amuto_lover]

Michelle you're a first rate idiot, thinking that people would sympathise with you over #RichPeopleProbz
If she could go back in time and visit her family who were on foodstamps and tell them about her money problems, what do you think they'd say to you?

[amuto_lover]

Pt2

[amuto_lover]

Pt 3

[amuto_lover]

Last one

[lurker123]

I agree with Lamour88...there was some good, some bad. She acknowledged more than she used to before, although the whole thing is pretty tone-deaf.

Side note, not criticism or praise, just an observation: I feel like although Michelle sometimes blocks/deletes comments, she listens to "haters" (and forums like this) more than the sycophants she made her comment section into.

[DaylightAmy]

Oh my god, this "Why I Left" video she is so full of shit. She bought herself a luxury retreat just to shove her own head further up her own ass.

Sorry but I'm really not even buying it a little bit - respect to those of you who do give her props, but I can't see it that way.

Basically what she's saying is "My parents indoctrinated me my entire childhood that my only purpose in life was to make money, I was all alone in LA surrounded by just business contacts, I became a completely fake person online because I wasn't who I wanted to be, I had all this money and success and I wasn't happy, and then I figured out money can't buy you happiness and I remembered who I am."

I will bet you anything that if any of her side-projects had been as successful as she was hoping - or had been her property as much as she was claiming - she wouldn't have gone through this crisis. If she had actually ended up with a successful business that was hers and did well, she would have just been able to retire and do passion projects because she'd be set. The reason she had an identity crisis is because her projects kept failing and she made decent money, but never enough to stop her half-ass attempts at making more. It wasn't because she had all this money and just couldn't figure out why she wasn't happy. It was because she couldn't get the money she wanted and she couldn't deal with that. Her ego got bigger than her achievements and there was no way to step on the brakes without bruising her own ego... other than acting like instead of a failure of character, it was a moment of enlightenment.

Not buying it, never will.

[Trololol]

Since comments are being deleted I took some screenshots.

I can't believe she still deletes comments. It's childish.

[Egoist]

I tried watching her new video, but I stopped watching 20 seconds in. I hate her voice. Sounds like she's spewing BS.

[Rubberducks]

Hearing her voice again, the old fan in me made me slightly happy. After watching it, the video was confusing and felt like a commercial.

She admits some things but she should've explain more about her law suits and failed projects.


Her saying she's an artist, I felt like she does like art but not to the point she really REALLY want it as a career. I understand artists experience hard times just like everyone. In her case it was because of her ego and greed. In those years there were so many chances for her to continue to study art again or business. I don't know why she's surprised that not everything is about money. Instead she received a "special" diploma and started business with poor quality. Used her fame for her selfish needs.

This video is just the same as other gurus in her time that stayed in YT for money and fame. Lost what they really want.

Every year her skills never improved, always shilling things just like Nikkietutorials. With all the fancy shmancy tools it shows how she doesn't want to improve because she thinks highly of herself.

Since she admited a little it was her fault, with the same good girl persona in the video. Lol maybe it is time for her to live a normal life. Get a real degree, so many fake gurus and gullible fans compared back then I don't want her to fool more people like me. I am glad I found out the truth.

It is nice kids and teens are aware and active online, still most of them are still gullible and doesn't need another shit show.

I want to give her another chance but this video is the same old format of her "stories"

I am happy I can see comments of people not buying this shit.

That travelling and "learning" did she really renew and gain something from all of it??

[kellinkenobi]

I used to be a huge Michelle Phan fan in the early days of Youtube because it was cool for me to see an Asian person, especially a woman, become so successful and become such a big name on Youtube, but after her fake manufactured bullshit videos, scammy brands, behavior towards fans, and white washing (as someone pointed out, she's back at it again with making the cartoon of herself white ), I bowed out.

So I went into this video with an open mind, ready to be brought back into the magic she once had, or at least SEEMED to have in the early days, and like someone said above me, I was with her for about 2 1/2 minutes until she started blaming everyone else, played the victim again about her lawsuits, said money made her depressed but ran off to one of the most expensive places on the planet, and at the end of this giant, dramatic video about ~happiness~ she has the balls to schlep her brand spanking new makeup line she's been working on when you know, she hasn't had any wifi living off the land in Switzerland..as usual with everything Michelle has done for the last few years, I'm calling bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. The last thing anyone ever wants to hear is a filthy rich person saying "money can't buy happiness".

[Princeaqua]

I thought Michelle drew her comic herself? How did people find out she wasn't the artist?
I was shocked to realize that someone else drew the whole Why I Left video... kind of odd when Mish has always talked about how she loves art. I would assume she would love to draw the content in her videos...

[Guest]

I thought Michelle drew her comic herself? How did people find out she wasn't the artist?
I was shocked to realize that someone else drew the whole Why I Left video... kind of odd when Mish has always talked about how she loves art. I would assume she would love to draw the content in her videos...

It's stated in the description box. https://www.instagram.com/averyota

[amuto_lover]

Woah! I'm really impressed by her art
Michelle couldn't catch up to her talent in a lifetime!!

[Blazikenblade01]

Avery was the choice for the web comic and it wouldnt suprise me if avery was used in her previous videos as well. I also think that everything is partial truth and lies, most of the Public relations work done behind the scenes. KFD pubic relations team but i wonder whom were the previous team that worked with her before that.

I watched this thinking was it a joke or just another sob story for another sell using manipulation. the later came truth. The public 'persona' crap never worked on me & MP knows it. I sometimes wonder if she still has that video that the PR team took of me while she was in syd or not. Watch it MP if you have and seriously get back to me on it. I wanna know if you're going to accept responsibility and accountability or are you going to hide constantly and telling more fibs?