Viswa Vanapalli
Chrissy Chambers, one half of the YouTube channel BriaAndChrissy, is a popular vlogger and singer who has been outspoken against revenge porn. In 2013, Chrissy faced many unforeseen consequences after videos involving her were uploaded online without her knowledge. The years that followed brought an intense legal battle, and eventually, a landmark win brought some much-needed attention to how laws need to protect the people affected. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Devil in the Web: Revenge Porn’ delves into Chrissy’s story. So, if you’re curious to find out more about her, we’ve got you covered.
What Happened to Chrissy Chambers?
Chrissy Emily Chambers is originally from Mississippi. and had moved to Atlanta, Georgia, just days after turning 18 to pursue a career in acting. She met a British man online there, and they eventually started dating; it was her first relationship. But Chrissy soon realized that her boyfriend was obsessive and jealous. Chrissy said he wouldn’t let her audition for roles that had her date someone else. At one point, he even confronted her regarding some work messages from male colleagues after he hacked into her email inbox.
After about eight months together, the boyfriend moved in. But a month later, Chrissy couldn’t take his behavior anymore and talked about taking a break from the relationship. While the boyfriend didn’t take it very well, he suggested spending one final night together before moving back to the UK. That night in September 2009, they ended up drinking a lot, and Chrissy said she had become highly intoxicated. “I’d never been drunk before – I’d never really even drunk alcohol – and I got blackout drunk on the alcohol he’d given me,” she said. The man left soon after, and the relationship ended.
Chrissy eventually realized she was attracted to women and met then-26-year-old Bria Kam at a gay club in Atlanta when she was 20-years-old. Their relationship took off, and they soon started a YouTube channel together, with the first video being uploaded in 2012. But in June 2013, the last night Chrissy spent with her ex-boyfriend came back to haunt her. She learned that her pornographic videos were circulating online, and she googled that to see them herself.
The video showed Chrissy passed out on a bed, naked, and a man (whose face wasn’t in the shot) having sex with her. She had no memory of it but knew it was her in her apartment in Atlanta. By then, the videos had been uploaded to several pornographic websites and viewed many times. Chrissy’s British ex-boyfriend had secretly recorded videos after a night of drinking and uploaded them online starting in December 2011. Chrissy didn’t even remember having sex with him that night.
These videos affected Chrissy’s livelihood as she began losing subscribers. Hurtful comments followed, with her adding, “We had these 14-year-old girls that we’ve been trying to inspire writing [to] us and saying: ‘I had so much respect for you, and now you’re a porn star. You’re such a slut. How could I respect you?'” Chrissy faced trouble going the legal route, with the Atlanta police saying since the videos were uploaded in the UK, they couldn’t do anything.
The authorities in the UK said it would be difficult to bring criminal charges against her ex-boyfriend. While posting private sexual content online without consent was illegal in England, the law only came into effect in April 2015. Since the videos were uploaded long before, the law couldn’t be applied. After Chrissy went public with her story on her YouTube channel in June 2015, she faced more online vitriol. Eventually, though, she won out when the ex-boyfriend agreed to a deal where she won damages and the copyright of those videos in addition to an apology. In return, he could not be identified publicly.
Where is Chrissy Chambers Today?
As part of the deal, the ex-boyfriend agreed to pay the legal fees and an undisclosed but substantial sum in damages. He also accepted responsibility and liability for the videos being recorded and uploaded. In the time after Chrissy learned about the videos, she dealt with night terrors and anxiety and was diagnosed with PTSD. Since then, she has continued therapy. Furthermore, right after the civil case was decided in January 2018, Chrissy proposed to Bria outside the courthouse.
The couple has since continued to make videos and upload them on their YouTube channel, with close to a million subscribers. They have been considered one of the most popular lesbian content creators. Chrissy and Bria’s videos contain songs, vlogs, and sketches and spread awareness about LGBTQ issues. They have been together for more than a decade and married in April 2018, recently celebrating their 4th anniversary. In 2013, they released their music album ‘Face Your Fears.’
Regarding things going back to normal, Chrissy told Daily Campus, “Therapy helped me get my life back, and I was able to start living again. I knew I had to fight back, and I am really, really glad that I did because I feel that has given me a sense of purpose to try to make a difference.” The couple now lives in Portland, Oregon, and Chrissy recently picked up skiing. She has also been sober for about half a year and loves spending time with her horses and cat. Chrissy talked about devoting more time to outdoor activities to help with her sobriety.
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