Flightles.Bird Faces Outrage After Admitting Viral TikTok Crisis Was Staged

Getty The TikTok account Flightles.Bird was deleted after sparking outrage.

A TikTok account called “Flightles.Bird” (aka “Birdie”) went viral in mid-August 2024 when a woman started sharing a live account of her husband having his first episode of bipolar disorder. But controversy erupted online when the account later admitted they were dramatizing something that already happened back in January 2024. Numerous people on TikTok took the account to task, angry that she had led them to believe she was truly in danger.

Here’s what you need to know about Birdie, what happened to Flightless Bird, and how to watch an archive of the videos even though the account itself is now deleted. The account that archived her videos also shared a Linktr.ee with resources that people in similar situations can use to get help.

Birdie Cried in Her Videos & Said She Was Sneaking Outside to Share Updates

Over the course of several days, a woman who went by Birdie shared a series of videos where she claimed her husband was experiencing symptoms of mania that had been brought on by taking Zoloft, an SSRI. In some of the videos by the Flightles.Bird account (which some users refer to as Flightless Bird or Birdie), the woman cried and talking about how she might be in danger. TikTok users were worried about her safety, and her videos quickly went viral, some achieving nearly one million views or more.

The videos were posted under the account named @flightles.bird, which has since been deleted. The videos were later reposted by a TikTok account called @flightles.bird.archive, which says it is not related to the original account.

It’s important to note that these accounts are in no way related to a different TikTok account called flightless.bird.

The flightles.bird.archive account summed up what happened this way: “At the time of posting her videos, she mislead her audience into believing she was in active danger for nearly a week. She had no disclaimers or trigger warnings and did not indicate that this was a retelling in her comments section or bio. She asked for people to provide her with resources and to share their own personal experiences in detail while continuing to post comments leading people to believe was she was being trapped and heavily monitored…”

Flightles.Bird also shared texts that her husband sent her (while hiding his name). She said that her husband’s manic episode had him believing he was going to save the world with an AI.

In another video, she said he “turned into somebody I don’t recognize” when she questioned him and ended up threatening her. She also said that he had reached out to her family before she could, so they didn’t believe her. But, she added, his parents moved in with them and eventually came around to her side.

In another video, Birdie said that her husband didn’t have a personal doctor she could contact because he got his medication from an app. She also acknowledged that people were worried about the safety of her children, and she wanted to explain why she wasn’t leaving him. In another video, she said she was unable to hide how scared she was from him, which might make the situation worse.

She Admitted Her Story Happened Months Earlier After People Began Doubting Her

When some people on TikTok began to question whether the account was real and started picking up on inconsistencies, she came clean, saying that this had already happened in January 2024.

“I wanted to retell our story from the point of view that it was happening in current time, up to the point where he was admitted,” she said in a video. “…I’ve always known that my love and passion for connecting to people through storytelling…was gonna be a big part of my life someday.”

She added that she considered writing a book about their experiences.

“Every time I tried [to write the book], again, I would feel the ‘not yet, there’s something bigger on the horizon, you have to wait,'” she said.

“Birdie” said she was only trying to help other people.

“I hope desperately that you can feel my heart, when I say that this is the springboard for the legacy that I want to leave, which is to leave this world kinder, more compassionate, more knowledgeable, more informed and a more supportive place for families like ours and so many of yours,” she said.

In her last video, she said she wasn’t going to delete her account yet because she wanted to hear from the people who felt wronged. A short time later, her account was taken down.

‘Birdie’ Never Shared Her Real-Life Identity

Despite revealing so many details and videos online, “Birdie” never shared her real-life identity before she deleted her account. She didn’t share her name or her husband’s real name.

One person on TikTok claimed to know her and said they are “from the same cult,” but also said she had no interest in revealing any additional details about the woman.

When Birdie admitted she was not being honest, numerous people on TikTok expressed anger in the comments and in video replies. One account, “Kate with the hat,” posted a reply video with the caption, “You are an awful person.”

They said, in part: “The impact of what you did. Do you have any idea how triggering this was for people who’ve also been through what you’ve been through? … It caused panic from people who’ve been through this … You reactivated their trauma…”

The account that archived Birdie’s videos also shared a Linktr.ee with resources so that anyone dealing with a similar situation can get help.