Charli D’Amelio’s Dad Marc Defends Controversial Bahamas Trip Amid Pandemic: ‘She Had No Say’

Charli D’Amelio’s father, Marc D’Amelio, is defending his daughter as she faces backlash over their New Year’s Eve trip to the Bahamas, saying she had no say in the plans as it was a family vacation.

Charli, 16, and her 19-year-old sister Dixie D’Amelio were recently criticized for traveling in December despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing the controversy, the father of the TikTok stars told YouTuber Kevin Wong, “First of all, to blame Charli — it was a family vacation. She’s 16 so she has no say in where we’re going.”

“So, you guys can put it on me, but we did what we had to do, you know, we went away,” he continued.

Marc also urged people to take COVID-19 seriously. He further assured their fans that they are not taking the virus lightly.

“We left a hotbed and went to a place where there was very little [coronavirus], but we do take it seriously and we want to protect other people and we don’t take it lightly. It’s a real virus and many people have gotten killed and died from it,” he said.

Aside from Charli and Dixie, several TikTok stars, including Chase Hudson, Noah Beck, Madi Monroe and Avani Gregg, were slammed on social media after pictures and videos of them vacationing in the Bahamas before the New Year went viral on the internet.

YouTuber James Charles, 21, had posted a cheeky remark after seeing the negative comments his friends were receiving.

“Waking up this morning in Los Angeles. Just thought I’d let y’all know since some people seem to think I’m elsewhere lmfao,” the makeup mogul posted on his Instagram Story in December.

While the D’Amelio sisters did not address the backlash, Dixie’s boyfriend, Beck, 19, spoke up earlier this month, claiming that they were all “very cautious” while abroad.

“It is what it is. I think, especially the business we’re in, it’s, like, you need some time to kind of disconnect for a little. That’s what that was meant for. It was just a little trip to getaway. … No matter what we do in life, people are going to say things. I always say, ‘Do what makes you happy,'” Beck revealed to Pop Galore.

Charli’s trip to the Bahamas during the pandemic came as a shock to many of her fans since she had earlier spoken against “inconsiderate” people who were partying during this time.

“You may think, ‘Oh, this isn’t going to affect me, it’s not that bad.’ You’re thinking you’re a teenager, you’re immune. You’re putting other people at risk to get hurt and to be in pain,” Charli said during an Instagram Live before her vacation controversy.

Charli reached a milestone in November last year when she achieved 100 million subscribers on TikTok. The social media star was ecstatic when she announced the news in an Instagram video at the time.