Why does Annie LeBlanc go by Jules? YouTuber injured in hit-and-run accident  

On August 5, the team of YouTuber and actress Annie LeBlanc (aka Jules LeBlanc) informed her 9.7 million Instagram followers that she had been admitted to the hospital after being injured in a hit-and-run case.

In an official statement posted on Jules' Instagram story, her team revealed that the YouTuber and her friends were walking across the Santa Monica crosswalk when an inebriated driver "flew through a red light."

The Instagram story also revealed that emergency services, paramedics and firefighters were called immediately to the scene. LeBlanc’s “face and legs were bloody, scraped, and bruised but thankfully she had no broken bones or serious injuries” following the accident. She is currently reported to be recovering and is expected to return to normal soon.

The message to her fans also revealed that the Santa Monica Police Department “quickly apprehended the drunk driver.”

The statement ended with a warning about the perils of drunk driving:

“Please use this incident as a reminder to drive carefully and drink responsibly at all times for the safety of others. If you are ever out drinking and need help getting home, please call a friend, family member, rideshare services, or non-emergency assistance number to get home in a safe manner. Driving drunk is never worth the risk. Stay safe.”

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Why did Annie LeBlanc change her name to "Jules" online?

When LeBlanc first gained stardom via Nickelodeon for her appearance in Side Hustle, she was known as "Annie." However, in October 2020, she announced that she was changing her name to Jules LeBlanc.

However, the actress has since revealed that the name change was not as drastic as one might think. Her full name is Julianna Grace LeBlanc and “Annie” was simply a nickname she had been using. According to HITC, the actress used to go by the name "Annie" since her younger brother could not pronounce "Julianna."

Speaking about changing her name back to Jules, she revealed online:

“Surprisingly a lot of people liked it. I was not ready for that. I feel like for some reason some people are mad that I’m doing it… it’ll all be fine and good. I don’t really know how to tell everybody.”

Although the internet star changed her name to Annie on social media platforms like TikTok, LeBlanc has been using the name "Jules" as of March 2021. In an Instagram live, she explained:

“My real name is Julianna, so I’m starting to go by Jules.”

During the Instagram live, she further added that she would be changing her name to "Jules" on Instagram as well:

“And I'm changing my Instagram too, but I'm really nervous because it's like my Instagram and it's been my Instagram forever. But I'm going to keep my Annie LeBlanc just because like not everybody who knows who I am will just automatically know that I'm going by Jules.”

The YouTuber previously had an Instagram account under the name Annie LeBlanc which has now been deleted. She now operates only under her @julesleblanc account.