If, like us, you spend hours on TikTok scrolling through videos on your FYP then chances are you’ve heard the names Max Balegde and NosebleedFitz before. They’re two of the biggest UK TikTokers, with Max recently hitting the one million follower milestone, while Bella (NosebleedFitz’s real name) has several hundred thousand followers herself.
The pair were friends up until recently when Bella unfollowed Max on all his socials amid a row over merchandise and, although it started off as a private issue, it soon became public knowledge, with TikTok going into meltdown as the pair both told their side of the story in a series of videos.
But what exactly is the drama all about? Will they ever be friends again? And why has NosebleedFitz lost so many followers? We’ve got all the answers you’re looking for.
Who is Max Balegde?
Max Balegde is a TikTok creator from Lancashire who quickly rose to popularity after making an account at the start of 2020. He now has over one million followers and is one of the most well-known UK TikTok stars.
Who is NosebleedFitz?
NosebleedFitz is the account name of content creator Bella Fitz who has gained over 600,000 followers with her comedy and reaction videos. You might recognise her as the voice behind the 'see before you told me that my life was better' and 'bonsoir, je m'apelle big fat liar' sounds.
Why have Max Balegde and NosebleedFitz fallen out?
Max and Bella were once close friends but had a falling out over the weekend in a row about merchandise. A now-deleted TikTok originally posted on the NosebleedFitz account - which is still available on Twitter - shows screenshots of text messages from Max to Bella asking why she had unfollowed him on social media.
Bella then responded with a voice note as she told Max, "I feel massively snaked with the merch. It’s a massive kick in the teeth because I thought we were quite good friends. I was asked what I wanted to call my merch and I replied Big Fat Fitz which I couldn’t, because yours is called Big Fat Merch."
She added, "I’m not gatekeeping or anything, but don’t make merch off my saying. I feel taken advantage of. Don’t make money off it to the point where I can’t do my own thing. It’s energy I do not like and do not want in my life. I don’t want to do the podcast, I don’t want to do the song and I don’t want to be friends.”
Max replied by saying he'd used the phrase "big fat" for years and told her he was shocked she'd decided to "make such a huge sweeping decision out of nowhere". He added that Bella's decision was "really childish and upsetting".
Bella then told Max that she didn't bring up the situation as she didn't want to continue their friendship. She told him, "I don’t feel like it’s childish, there is someone in my life that is causing more problems than good so I’m cutting them out. That’s the way I see it. I don’t think either of us should put anything on TikTok about it because the people that follow us both are going to feel like they’ll have to pick sides. If people know we aren’t friends, they will make beef.”
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Did NosebleedFitz threaten Max Balegde?
Max posted a video of his own, responding to a fan who told him to "apologise to Bella." He revealed that he'd received a series of hate comments since Bella posted her video and also claimed she had sent him another voice note in which she "violently threatened" him.
In the TikTok, Max told fans he'd used the phrase "big fat" long before he joined TikTok and said he was upset that Bella had ended their friendship as he had "publicly and privately advocated for her" by putting her forward for brand campaigns and also donating to her transition fund. "I genuinely saw her as a friend and I think she saw it as a business relationship," he added.
Max continued by sharing screenshots of a text he sent her on Sunday morning in which he denied "slagging her off" in a TikTok live, as well as a voice note which he says "crossed the line".
In the voice note, Bella can be heard saying, "All I know is that I’m existing absolutely peacefully, and I’m being told that you’re chatting sh-t. I do not have the energy for it, Max. If you’re going to talk sh-t I will literally just come to your house and I will beat the dogsh-t out of you and your boyfriend. Let me know.”
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Has NosebleedFitz apologised for threatening Max Balegde?
Although Bella doesn't appear to have apologised to Max personally, she defended her actions in a series of tweets and said that she acted out of hurt. She also said she felt like Max was pushing for a response so he could share it on TikTok.
Bella wrote, "Our conversations were private. The beef was private. No words came from me until yesterday when he was telling people I 'asked him not to expose me'. Once he got a bad response he made a video. If you know me you know how I talk and it’s funny how you love me being aggressive… until it’s to actually defend myself?
"I apologise for causing discomfort amongst our mutual followers."
In response, Max tweeted, "Silly fallouts are one thing but It’s never okay to threaten somebodies safety. I just had to stand up for myself instead of being silent like she asked me to."
Why is NosebleedFitz losing followers on TikTok?
As expected with any drama between two popular content creators, TikTok has exploded with lots of users making videos about the feud between Max and Bella. The reaction has largely been in support of Max, with many TikTokers calling Bella's actions "childish".
She later tweeted, "Bitches will call me childish as if I’m not a literal teenager."
As well as their reaction videos, a lot of people have responded to the drama by unfollowing Bella on TikTok. Since Sunday, her followers have dropped from 721,900 to just over 626,000 as of Tuesday afternoon meaning she lost almost 100,000 followers in 48 hours.
Bella has since issued another apology video in which she told her followers, "I don’t want to know that I’ve upset you because that really sits heavy on my soul, and I'm really sorry I did."