"TikTok’s new villain"— Perez Hilton slams Josh Stapleton’s wife for defending husband convicted of 20 child sexual exploitation charges

Josh Stapleton, a Georgia-based social media influencer known for his "Gulf Coast Stapletons" lifestyle content, has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to 20 charges of child sexual exploitation. The case has sparked widespread outrage, especially when his wife, Brittani Morris Stapleton, publicly defended her husband, facing backlash from commentators like Perez Hilton, who called her “TikTok’s new villain.”

Josh Stapleton, 39, was arrested in 2020 on 15 counts of possession of child pornography. Detectives from the Cartersville Police Department, working with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Homeland Security Department, determined that between 2018 and 2020, he had downloaded graphic images of children who had not yet reached puberty. The charges were later increased to 40 counts of sexual exploitation of children.

Despite the conviction, Brittani Stapleton, who married Josh in 2023 after his indictment, has stood by him. Perez Hilton took to X to express his disgust at Brittani's decision. He wrote,

"TikTok's new villain! She knew what this guy did and years later still knowingly chose to marry him!"

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Perez Hilton's comments about Josh Stapleton explored

In a non-negotiable plea deal, Josh Stapleton pleaded guilty to 20 counts, while the other 20 counts were dropped, and received a 20-year sentence, consisting of 5 years in prison and 15 years on probation with strict sex offender conditions.

Perez Hilton took to his blog to question the leniency of the sentence, arguing that a five-year prison term is insufficient given the severity of the crimes.

"Mind-boggling that he ONLY has to spend five years in prison. Even more mind-boggling? This man is married, and his wife is still in his corner!"

Josh’s wife, Brittani Stapleton, who married him in 2023 after he was indicted, has stood by him. In a recent TikTok video, she tried to “set the record straight,” denying rumors that she was unaware of his charges before their marriage.

“Absolutely I knew. Josh and I were friends way before we ever started dating. When the charges occurred, we were friends, you better believe I hit him up. As soon as I saw it, I’m a really good judge of character and something was up. That was not Josh. Josh was absolutely upfront with me about everything in the charges, there were no secrets,” she said.

She also denied allegations that the material was planted or that the illegal content was on the secondhand laptop they bought from Facebook Marketplace.

Brittani maintained that their social media, where they share vacations, workouts, and couple’s content, is genuine, rejecting accusations that they lead a "fake" or "lavish" lifestyle financed by illegal activity. She also explained that her decision not to have children (which she says she made at age 12) had nothing to do with Josh Stapleton’s crimes.

Perez Hilton challenged Britannia's statement that Josh Stapleton would never do something like this, noting that she seemed to acknowledge his guilt while still supporting him. He criticized her for downplaying the severity of the crimes, especially considering the indictment and the nature of the charges regarding child exploitation.

"“That was not Josh”? So… she believes he’s innocent? Actually it doesn’t sound like it...So if we’re getting this right, she wants everyone to know she knows all about it? And that he’s guilty???"

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Josh Stapleton is currently being detained in the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office Jail.