Rachell ‘Valkyrae’ Hofstetter has been seeing a therapist for trauma and “mental damage” resulting from the RFLCT skincare controversy, the 100 Thieves co-owner stated on November 2nd in her return to YouTube streaming, which she nearly couldn’t do.
The entire RFLCT issue has taken its toll on Valkyrae, from the initial outcry to the persistent questions about her integrity and character.
Valkyrae unveiled her long-awaited two-year project, RFLCT, a skincare line designed to “protect gamers from blue light glare,” on October 19th. However, the online world wasn’t as enthusiastic, and the product was quickly labeled a “snake oil” hoax. Valkyrae went dark for over two weeks, with the exception of one “tell-all” stream she now regrets, and RFLCT’s power brokers stuck to their guns. But, in the end, the skincare company closed its doors on October 29th.
Now, Valkyrae has returned to streaming a fortnight after the incident, and she has subsequently disclosed to her YouTube fans how deeply the scandal affected her.
Valkyrae’s biggest fallout, she stated in her November 2nd comeback, was dealing with “trauma.” The owner of 100 Thieves believed for a time that her career was all but done, and her image was irreparably damaged. Here’s what she said; “I’m going to therapy… I’ve got a lot of trauma. I became very depressed. I have depression. I’ve really been having a bad time… I do think I have mental damage from all of this, for sure. I got very lucky in that there wasn’t a lawsuit [for the break] or anything, but I’m still in a terrible mental place. I know it’s only been two weeks and it will get better… but it was a big mistake, and it’s really left me in a terrible place. I have to give myself time.”
Valkyrae also confirmed that RFLCT had closed its doors on October 30th, as Dexerto had previously stated. The skincare company has “started to withdraw its items out of more than 400 stores,” according to the owner of 100 Thieves.
Valkyrae claimed that the biggest success for her was that it was a “clean break,” with her lawyers and RFLCT management opting for a split over a lawsuit.