money 'Kombucha Girl' Brittany Broski said her former power-manager to the stars withheld over $20,000 from her in a state labor complaint
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The New York Times' Taylor Lorenz reported that Brittany Tomlinson, known online by her handle @brittany_broski and as "Kombucha Girl," filed a complaint against her former manager.
Tomlinson filed a complaint with the California Labor Commission on the grounds that manager Ariadna Jacob was operating as a talent agency without a proper license.
In the complaint, The Times reports, Tomlinson claims that Jacob charged excessive fees, was holding a domain name related to Tomlinson's handle, and was withholding over $20,000 from her.
Brittany Tomlinson AKA Brittany Broski, an influencer best known for her ascendance as "Kombucha Girl" after a video of her trying the beverage went viral, filed a complaint with the California Labor Commission in April, The New York Times' Taylor Lorenz reported.
The Times reported that Tomlinson filed the complaint on the grounds that her former manager, Ariadna Jacob, had operated as a talent agency without a proper license, thereby violating California law. The Times also reported that in the complaint, Tomlinson claimed that Jacob is also withholding $23,683.82 from her, charged "unconscionable fees" that extended to 20% commission, and is holding the domain brittanybroski.com.
Tomlinson told the times that Jacob, who founded and runs talent management firm Influences, reached out to Tomlinson after her famous "Kombucha Girl" video went viral asking if she had made any money from it. She said that Jacob told her that if she signed a contract, Jacob could get her a deal with a kombucha brand. The Times reported that Tomlinson first signed a non-exclusive contract in Aug. 2019, but one month later signed an exclusive contract.
Tomlinson told The Times that Jacob hosted Tomlinson in her Los Angeles apartment in September 2019, buying her food and helping her network. When Tomlinson moved to Los Angeles in December, The Times reports that she picked up brand deals with companies like FabFitFun. Later, she famously appeared in a Super Bowl Sabra Hummus commercial alongside TikTok's biggest star, Charli D'Amelio.
Then, as Tomlinson told The Times, she realized in January that she hadn't been paid since the previous Halloween. After reaching out to brands she worked with and learning that she was owed thousands, she filed the complaint with the California Labor Commission.
"Ms. Jacob has conducted herself with the utmost professionalism and courage in the face of individuals who attack her both personally and professionally. These individuals attacking her don't want to play by the rules of decent individuals in society, but want to attack Ms. Jacob publicly from the shadows, talking to any individual who is willing to listen to them," Ben Walter, a lawyer for Jacob, told The Times.
The Times article also included scores of other mismanagement allegations against Jacob, including that she started numerous TikTok collab houses only to leave them without wifi and consistent utility bill payments.
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