Apoorva Mukhija Reacts To NYU Admission Donation Rumours
Apoorva Mukhija aka Rebel Kid shuts down speculation that she donated her way into NYU, citing her academics, work experience and business acumen.
Key Highlights:
- Rumours addressed head-on: Apoorva Mukhija, aka Rebel Kid, used her latest YouTube video to firmly deny speculation that she got into NYU through donations.
- Academic and professional record cited: She stated she has always been an exceptional student, backed by extensive brand work, reality TV experience, and acting credits.
- Business acumen as her strongest card: Apoorva highlighted her social media following of 4.8 million on Instagram and 1.8 million on YouTube, describing it as a business she's run for five years with her own team and employees.
- A lifelong dream realised: She shared that studying abroad had long been a personal goal, despite others calling her move to New York "career suicide."
- Fallout from India's Got Latent controversy: Apoorva revealed she had been mentally disturbed following the fallout from the February 2025 controversy involving Ranveer Allahbadia's remarks on the show, which led to FIRs and threats against her.
Social media influencer Apoorva Mukhija, aka Rebel Kid, who recently moved to New York to study, reacted to speculation that she got into NYU after making donations.
In her latest YouTube clip, Apoorva shared that she has always been a good student, adding that her years of experience working with various brands also helped her secure a seat at the university of her choice.
Responding to the speculation, the Rebel Kid said, "Are you all mad? Firstly, I don't have so much money to donate, and the fees here are so much that it feels like donation."
"From a B-school point of view, I have been exceptional in all my academics. I have crazy work experience. I have worked with all of the top brands in the country. I have done reality TV; I have acted. I have grown my Instagram and my YouTube to 4.8 million and 1.8 million subscribers. It is literally a business that I have been running for the last five years. I have employees who work under me. I have a team that works with me. My interview skills are top-notch; if you ever interview me for any job, I will get it because I know how to talk! The one thing that I know how to do is talk! So no, I am not here after giving donations," she further explained.
She shared that studying abroad had always been a lifelong dream for her. Apoorva said that while people advised her against moving away from India at the peak of her career, calling her decision to shift to New York a "career suicide," she had been mentally disturbed after the India's Got Latent controversy.
What that controversy actually involved: In February 2025, podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, known online as BeerBiceps, was a guest judge on Samay Raina's YouTube roast show India's Got Latent when he asked a contestant a sexually explicit question involving their parents. The clip went viral and triggered nationwide backlash, with FIRs filed against Allahbadia, Raina, Apoorva Mukhija and fellow panellists Ashish Chanchlani and Jaspreet Singh, in cities including Mumbai and Guwahati, and a suo motu case registered by Maharashtra's Cyber Department, which also summoned around 30 other guests who had appeared on the show over its run. The matter was also raised in Parliament, and the National Commission for Women summoned the panel to appear before it. Allahbadia publicly apologised, calling his remark "inappropriate" and admitting comedy "is not my forte," while Raina removed every episode of the show from YouTube. As reporting at the time noted, Apoorva — the only woman on the panel — became a disproportionate target of the backlash despite the remark in question having come from Allahbadia, facing what has been described as a sustained campaign of rape and death threats rather than the broader legal and public scrutiny the rest of the panel faced.
It is against this backdrop that Apoorva has described feeling mentally disturbed enough to consider stepping away from her career in India altogether, despite friends and peers warning that leaving at her professional peak amounted to "career suicide."
Refreshing the timeline: the controversy first broke in February 2025 when Allahbadia's remark went viral; multiple FIRs and police summons followed over the following weeks, and by March 2025, Samay Raina was still being issued fresh summons by the Maharashtra Cyber Cell as the investigation continued.
Also Read: Apoorva Makhija Moves to New York, Explains Decision
