TikTok’s ‘Scar Girl’ Denies Scar is Fake, Internet Does Not Believe Her

Annie Bonelli (@wtmab), otherwise known as “Scar Girl” on TikTok, has publicly responded to speculation that she is faking her famous scar.

TikTok users have accused Bonelli of lying about the scar and drawing it on her face to gain online fame — claiming that the wound often changes in size, color, and location on her cheek.

Bonelli addressed the controversy on NBC News and the BFFs podcast this week. But many social media users are still not convinced that the scar is real.

Scar Girl’s Response

BFFs podcast:

• On January 26, Bonelli appeared via video call on the BFFs podcast with presenters Dave Portnoy, Josh Richards, and Bri Chickenfry. In a previous episode of the podcast, the three presenters debated the Scar Girl controversy and felt that Bonelli may be “trolling the internet” with her fake scar.
• On the BFFs podcast, Bonelli would not disclose the direct cause of the scar. She said it came from “something personal” but clarified that the scar was not caused by a dog.
• Bonelli once again stated that she actually had two scars on her cheek. She received a chemical burn on top of her original scar, causing it to darken.
• Portnoy commented that the changes in Bonelli’s scar “seemed impossible” and he did not understand why she would not reveal the scar’s cause as it would silence her critics.
• Bonelli told the BFFs podcast that she does not think her scar will ever fade away. She also said that she wants to be a spokesperson for scars.
• In the podcast, influencer Richards invited Bonelli to come to L.A. so he could examine her scar once-and-for-all. At first, Bonelli seemed hesitant and gave the excuse that she did not want to miss another class at college. However, she later joked that she might consider the offer.
• The presenters were thrown by how Bonelli had an answer for every question. However, Portnoy did not understand why Bonelli was reluctant to travel to L.A. for the media coverage when she clearly wanted to be an influencer.
• At the end of the episode, Chickenfry told Bonelli: “I want this [scar] to be real at this point because if it’s not, you’re really f**king scary.”

NBC News:

• On January 27, NBC News published an interview with Bonelli, which was entitled “TikTok’s ‘Scar Girl’ doesn’t care if you think her scar is real or fake.”
• Bonelli did not disclose how she got the scar to the publication saying: “it’s a very personal subject.”
• She told NBC News: “Looking in the mirror, sometimes it can be hard because I know exactly where it’s from. But at the same time, I feel like in a way it’s empowering. It’s like, you know, I got through that.”
• Bonelli said she delayed seeing a medical professional when she got the chemical burn on top of the original scar as she has “a big fear of doctors and stuff.”

The Internet’s Reaction:

• The majority of TikTok users were not persuaded by Bonelli’s answers on the BFFs podcast. A viewer commented: “There are so many ways she can prove it’s real yet she’s not.”
  Many social media users felt the presenters were not “buying” Bonelli’s answers either — with one viewer saying “the math… ain’t mathing.”
• Other TikTok users were bored by the Scar Girl debate, saying they were “so over this topic” and exclaiming “I CAN’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE.”
• A TikTok user believed that Bonelli would eventually confess: “Cant wait for the confession video this summer.” Another argued that Bonelli would keep the pretense up forever as her future career depended on it: “she’s stuck with it now regardless if it’s real or not.”
• However, another user quipped about the burn: “Jokes on us, it’s a tattoo now.”
• Meanwhile a user praised Bonelli’s interview: “After listening to this I don’t even care if it’s real. This girl is a legend for taking so much heat online and not reacting in defense.”

Other Opinions:

• On January 26, Dr. Emil Kohan, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, posted a viral TikTok video in which he concluded that Bonelli’s scar was probably not real. Kohan explains: “A normal scar turns pink and red, becomes a little darker over the course of months, and usually fades, especially in a patient with a lighter skin tone. It doesn’t become a dark eyebrow on your cheek.”
• On January 29, Dr. Anthony Youn, a board-certified plastic surgeon also cast doubt on Bonelli’s scar in a TikTok video — saying that scars usually fade or become keloids over time. He said that her original pink scar could have been real but her current brown wound is suspicious: “I have never seen a scar look like that before.”
• However, in another video, TikTok user @augustismyreligion suggested Bonnelli’s scar could be real as she also had a wound that had darkened — although it did not go brown. The clip has 1.7 million views.
• The Scar Girl debate even made its way onto anonymous celebrity gossip account Deuxmoi on January 26 — who thought it was “sus she wouldn’t tell them how she got” the wound.

What’s next?: On TikTok, the Scar Girl debate rages on and Bonelli has made no secret of her ambitions to continue as a content creator. However on February 5, Richards said on a BFFs podcast episode that he had been in contact with Bonelli and she was still non-committal about letting them examine her scar.

Update 02/10/2023 by Pesala Bandara: Information on Bonelli and Richards added.