A feud has erupted between wealthy New York City influencers over a man they both dated who has been brutally criticized by their fans.
The drama between Halley Kate McGookin, 24, and Sophia LaCorte, 23, began in December 2023 when LaCorte was spotted on a date with McGookin’s ex-boyfriend, Reed Williams.
McGookin later claimed that LaCorte (who she said was once her “friend”) checked her Instagram follower list and sent Williams a direct message.
Things between LaCorte and Williams never worked out, and McGookin confirmed in a video in March that she and Williams had rekindled their relationship.
But TikTok users say Williams isn’t worth all the drama, with one fan Taking to Reddit to share Williams’ seemingly AI-generated LinkedIn profile photo, writing: “Imagine fighting over a guy and it literally being him.”
The drama between Halley Kate McGookin, 24 (right), and Sophia LaCorte, 23 (left), began in December 2023 when LaCorte was spotted on a date with McGookin’s ex-boyfriend.
Many fans have said that her boyfriend, Reed Williams, is not worth fighting over.
“Wait, but he actually looks alive in this picture,” one Redditor commented on Williams’ photo, which another said “has to be 100 percent AI-generated.”
A third wrote that “I’d understand if it looked like this, but it doesn’t.”
The comments come amid renewed interest in the drama between the two influencers, despite the renewed relationship between Williams and McGookin.
The two first got together in early 2023 after meeting on Hinge, According to the Independent newspaper.
They then dated for nine months, before McGookin revealed on her TikTok that they had split.
Then, on November 13, McGookin shared a video of herself crying and wrote in the caption that “not even three weeks after dumping me out of the blue,” Williams had gone on a date with “someone I considered a friend and who (I was) with the night before, buying drinks.”
“Her purse is literally in my closet because we dropped it at my apartment before we went to the bar together,” she claimed in the now-deleted video, a screenshot of which was posted. shared on Reddit.
She also claimed that LaCorte “checked out my followers and DM’d her on IG while she was standing next to me” at an influencer event.
On November 13, McGookin shared a video of herself crying and wrote in the caption that “not even three weeks after dumping me out of nowhere,” Williams had gone on a date with “someone I considered a friend and (I was) with him last night, buying drinks.”
McGookin and Williams dated for nine months before splitting up.
In another deleted TikTok video, McGookin said she didn’t plan to speak out about the drama, but people began making videos about LaCorte’s date with Williams.
He also said he “tried to handle it offline” by texting Sophia “several times,” but never received a response.
McGookin then detailed the drama further. in a December episode from his Delusional Diaries podcast.
“This hurts me a lot because I don’t want to hurt him too by having to make this public,” she said at the time.
‘It was shocking, overall, that he dated because when we broke up, he told me he didn’t think I was the love of his life.
‘But he also (said)… ‘I need to be single right now (and) I have a lot of things to do on my own.'”
In January, LaCorte decided to respond to the allegations, as she said some of McGookin’s fans began harassing her.
In January, LaCorte decided to respond to the allegations on her own podcast.
She claimed on her Out of Touch podcast that she was “never friends” with McGookin and that she “doesn’t know who the girl is.”
LaCorte noted that there are no photos on any of their social media pages showing them together and insisted: “I would never stab one of my friends in the back.”
“I would never denounce a woman on the Internet or speak ill of another woman,” she said. “I defend other women.”
From there, it seemed like the love triangle had calmed down, and in a March 31 TikTok video, McGookin confirmed that she and Williams rekindled their relationship when they were spotted kissing at a Drake concert.
“We’re doing well and I’m happier than ever,” she told her 1.3 million followers on TikTok.
She explained that she “needed to take a breath and analyze my feelings and the situation before posting it online.”
‘This was my first real relationship and I was so excited to have a boyfriend and share that with you. Obviously, that meant I also had to tell you when we broke up, and that was horrible.
“I’m 23 years old and I’m living my life the best I can,” she continued, announcing that she and Williams “have been back together for a while now.”
McGookin revealed in a TikTok video in March that she and Williams were back together.
“I’m not going to share the details of everything, but during the time we were apart we both realized and learned A LOT,” McGookin said.
Still, she appeared to take a swipe at her influencer rival, writing, “I just want to make this clear once: As for the situation that happened in the middle of the breakup, absolutely nothing with that situation changed.”
McGookin then asked her followers to “respect my decision and know that I am doing what is best for me.”
In the months since, McGookin has again posted photos of herself and Williams together, and even featured him on a since-deleted episode of her podcast.
In the months since, McGookin has again posted photos of her and Williams together, and even featured him on a since-deleted episode of her podcast.
In clips from the podcast posted on TikTok This week, Williams was asked why he decided to get back with McGookin.
He paused for a moment before speaking.
“When we first started dating, it was really quick and we met and started dating right away,” Williams finally said in a monotone.
‘I had just moved to the city too, so I was still trying to figure out who I was after college.
‘When things started getting really serious between us, I just needed to step back and do my thing.
“I learned a lot about myself during that time,” he insisted. “I realized that I’m a better person when I’m with her and that she makes me happier than anyone else, so I didn’t want to lose that.”
Many online criticized Williams for her late response in the video, which has been viewed nearly 12 million times since it was first posted on August 18.
“This is an extremely difficult movie to watch,” one person wrote.
“She deserves so much more,” said another, while a third commented: “Oh so he REALLY is the worst.”
LaCorte posted his own response in the form of a “get ready with me”-style video in which he talked about “the time a girl I met maybe three times cancelled on me and destroyed me on the internet.”
Just days later, LaCorte appeared to have posted her own response in the form of a “get ready with me”-style video.
In it, he talked about “the time a girl I’d met maybe three times cancelled on me and destroyed me on the Internet.”
She described Williams as “very sweet” and “super conversational,” and admitted that the morning after their date she received a text from McGookin, who had to show up because LaCorte didn’t have her number, but didn’t respond.
“I’ve never had a personal conversation with her,” LaCorte explained. “I’ve seen her about three times at work.”
She also claimed in a follow-up video that she would “never DM anyone while standing next to someone” and argued that Williams “planned our date probably a week before I ran into her at a work event.”
LaCorte concluded by noting that they were all single at the time and that she and Williams went on “four or five dates” before she realized that he “maybe wasn’t the one for me, and it all just fizzled out.”
McGookin addressed the backlash in a cryptic TikTok video
McGookin then addressed the backlash against him. own cryptic TikTok video.
“Just so you know, I’m a real person just doing the best I can in life and I try to be as authentic as possible about it,” she said in a text superimposed over a video of her getting her hair done.
‘I log on to this app every day to make people smile. I used to go on it and get really excited to see my comments, but now I’m scared to open my phone and read lies, rumors, and hate.
‘And I hate that because this app has given me everything good in life and I am so grateful for it and all of you!!!
“But sometimes I feel defeated, if I’m being honest. I love all of you who support me so much and I really try to ignore the noise because there are so many amazing people here.
“We just have to get through this,” he said.