Owning Manhattan star Nile Lundgren broke down in tears as he revealed in a deleted scene from the Netflix reality show that his 13-year-old cousin Blake accidentally hanged himself while doing a TikTok challenge.
The luxury real estate agent, 32, opened up to his boss Ryan Serhant, 40, about the “immense tragedy” that devastated his family, explaining he had been discouraged from using the social media platform as a result.
Following the emotional chat, which ended with Nile and Ryan in tears, Nile paid a touching tribute to her late cousin, describing him as “so much more than just a victim of the TikTok Blackout challenge.”
Nile said: ‘I stopped (posting on TikTok) because my cousin, who was 13, participated in a TikTok challenge and accidentally hanged himself.
‘That really soured my taste for the whole TikTok thing. I thought I just didn’t want to do it anymore and I took a step back.
Owning Manhattan star Nile Lundgren has broken down after revealing that his 13-year-old cousin Blake accidentally hanged himself while doing a TikTok challenge.
‘For me, putting in that much time and effort, especially in the wake of a huge tragedy within my family, just didn’t feel right from a personal standpoint.
‘I’m very aware of where I want to go and where I need to go, I’ve just had a personal mental block, because I just don’t know how to deal with it.
“Time will heal… I’m ready to come back, it’s just that I’ve taken a step back and I’m very aware of that.”
Nile then added: “By the way, his name was Blake.”
Ryan was visibly moved by Nile’s admission and was left speechless.
In the end, he managed to say, “We could sit and talk about real estate all day, right? And I don’t know, you’re going to make me cry.”
“I had no idea,” Ryan continued through tears, before walking over to comfort Nile, who was also crying, with a hug.
TikTok’s blackout challenge, which encourages choking to induce temporary loss of consciousness, gained widespread attention on the social media platform in 2021.
Blake was doing the notoriously dangerous Blackout challenge when he died.
Nile said Blake’s death caused “immense tragedy within my family.”
Paying a heartfelt tribute to Blake, Nile described him as the “embodiment of joy and kindness.”
The trend encouraged users to choke, faint and regain consciousness on camera, and has been linked to the deaths of dozens of children in the United States.
Nile shared the emotional moment on her Instagram in hopes that the conversation would “raise awareness about the impact and dangers of children on social media.”
She explained: ‘In this deleted scene from #OwningManhattan, I told Ryan why I took a break from social media.
‘After careful thought and consideration between Blake’s mother and family, Netflix and Ryan, we felt it was important to shed light on conversations about the dangers of social media.’
Nile hopes to shed light on conversations about the dangers of social media by speaking out about Blake’s death.
Ryan Serhant was visibly moved by Nile’s devastating loss and jumped up to comfort him.
In his tribute, Nile described his late cousin, Blake, as the “embodiment of joy and kindness.”
She wrote: ‘My 13-year-old cousin Blake is so much more than a victim of the TikTok Blackout challenge, that is not his legacy.
“He was a young hero of everyday moments and always encouraged friends, family and strangers.”
He continued: ‘Blake was someone who would stay after football practice until the last teammate finished running and jump out of the car to help an elderly person in need.
‘His closest friends embody Blake’s kindness as a tribute to him. We celebrate Blake’s life because it was filled with love, laughter and adventure.
“Blake is the epitome of joy and kindness. His heart was as big as his spirit and he left an indelible mark on all who had the pleasure of knowing him.”