The controversial story of Myka and James Stauffer, YouTubers who faced backlash after rehoming their adopted son, Huxley, is revisited in a new documentary.
An Update on Our Family exposes the couple who documented their lives and the adoption process for millions of subscribers before dissolving Huxley’s adoption, citing challenges in managing Huxley's special needs.
Highlights
- The Stauffers rehomed their adopted son Huxley due to challenges with his special needs.
- A new HBO documentary explores the fallout of the Stauffers' decision and ethical dilemmas in family vlogging.
- Myka apologized for their rehoming decision and stopped posting on YouTube.
The three-part Vox Media Studios series, which premiered on HBO on Wednesday (January 15), explores the fallout from their decision and the ethical dilemmas of family vlogging.
In 2020, Myka and James announced in a since-deleted video that they had rehomed their adopted son, leading to the demise of their popular vlogging family YouTube channel.
The controversial story of Myka and James Stauffer is revisited in a new documentary
Image credits: mykastauffer
Facing growing outrage from subscribers of their channel, “The Stauffer Life,” over Huxley’s rehoming, Myka responded with an apology on Instagram and stopped posting on YouTube altogether.
The mom-of-four wrote on Instagram in June 2020: "I want to first off apologize for the uproar and take full responsibility for all of the hurt that I have caused.
"This decision has caused so many people heartbreak and I'm sorry for letting down so many women that looked up to me as a mother."
Image credits: YouTube
She continued: "I'm sorry for the confusion, and pain I have caused, and I am sorry for not being able to tell more of my story from the beginning.
“I could have never anticipated the incidents which occurred on a private level to ever have happened, and I was trying my best to navigate the hardest thing I have ever been through."
The 37-year-old also explained that she "needed more training" before welcoming Huxley into their home, and that she was "naive" throughout the process of adopting him from China.
The YouTubers faced backlash after rehoming their adopted son, Huxley
Image credits: Tasha's Thoughts
"I was not selective or fully equipped or prepared," she said, adding, "I can't say I wish this never happened because I'm still so glad Huxley is here and getting all of the help he needs.
“I also know that even though he is happier in his new home and doing better that he still experienced trauma and I'm sorry, no adoptee deserves any more trauma.
“I wanted to help so bad I was willing to bring home any child that needed me."
"For this I was naïve, foolish, and arrogant. I wish so bad I would have been more prepared and done more. I wish the decision to disrupt never had to be made," she shared.
Myka also addressed accusations that she and her husband were exploiting Huxley by monetizing and gaining social clout from their experience adopting him.
"We did not adopt a child to gain wealth," she explained. "While we did receive a small portion of money from videos featuring Huxley and his journey, every penny and much more went back into his care."
An Update on Our Family exposes the couple who documented their lives and the adoption process
Image credits: HBO
Four years later, the channel still remains quiet, and she has stayed off of social media entirely, People reported on Thursday (January 16).
In Vox Media Studios' new docuseries, it is revealed that Huxley has been renamed by his new family and is now living a private life.
The three-part series further features Huxley in a number of snippets from deleted YouTube footage, though his face is blurred to conceal his identity, according to People.
Image credits: mykastauffer
In a criticized video, Myka discussed plans to downgrade Huxley's treatment due to high costs, as she explained: "We're gonna go to a different speech therapist, not the one that's $500 a month.
“But we're gonna go to the one that's like $70 for 30 minutes. Not $500 for 30 minutes. No, no, no."
Huxley has been rehomed and subsequently removed from the public eye. In their final YouTube video, Myka and James shared that Huxley would now be cared for by a "new mommy" with medical training suited to his needs.
The three-part Vox Media Studios series, which premiered on HBO on Wednesday (January 15), explores the fallout from their decision
Image credits: mykastauffer
The An Update on Our Family documentary reportedly features clips from Myka and James Stauffer's YouTube channel in which they showcased their adoption process — and revealed the struggles of taking Huxley home with them early on.
In one video, titled "Huxley’s First Smile After China Adoption!," James opened up about the challenges of meeting Huxley for the first time.
He said at the time: "I’m not gonna lie. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. It’s been rough for us.”
The Vox docuseries highlights how Myka and James Stauffer initially expressed their commitment to parenting a child with special needs, declaring in 2017 that Huxley, who was two years old, was "not returnable."
Image credits: mykastauffer
By May 2020, viewers grew suspicious of Huxley’s absence, leading the couple to admit they had rehomed him, citing unforeseen challenges with his care.
In their video explaining why they decided to rehome Huxley, Myka and James explained: "For us, it's been really hard hearing from the medical professionals, a lot of their feedback, and things that have been upsetting.
"We've never wanted to be in this position. And we've been trying to get his needs met and help him out as much as possible ... we truly love him."
Myka and James’ lawyers previously told People that the parents never considered putting Huxley in the foster-care system, but instead chose his new family directly in a decision that was following "the advice of the medical professionals.”
In 2020, Myka and James announced in a since-deleted video that they had rehomed their adopted son
Image credits: mykastauffer
"Since his adoption, they consulted with multiple professionals in the healthcare and educational arenas in order to provide Huxley with the best possible treatment and care," the lawyers said.
They added: "Over time, the team of medical professionals advised our clients it might be best for Huxley to be placed with another family."
An Update on Our Family, which was inspired by New York Magazine's 2020 feature on the family following the fallout, was created by filmmaker Rachel Mason.
She told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2024: “What drew me to the Stauffer story was the fact that they represented a world that is highly in demand as far as content.
“Their story being traumatic was interesting, but it also made me think, ‘Wow, I wonder how many other stories there are that we’re just still on the edge of learning about?'
“The Stauffers [are] an example that our series challenges on some level: Are they an example of people that are the worst parents or are they doing things to feed an audience demand that has gotten out of control within an industry that’s unregulated?
“When you are amateurs and your show is your family and you don’t have any producers or anyone giving you any guardrails, there’s so many things that can go wrong.
“The story of what they did with Huxley is pretty much the tip of the iceberg of what we’re starting to learn exists within that sphere, moving forward to the present day.”
"They deserve every bit of shaming they receive," a reader commented
