Cyril Schreiner/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
Cyril Schreiner, a French content creator, admitted to faking the kidnapping of his pug, Albert, days after he claimed he was reunited with the pup
The influencer said that staging his pug's kidnapping was initially intended to be "comedic"
"I acted stupidly, and I apologize publicly," he shared. "Whether you accept my apology or not, I never meant to disrespect people who have actually lost pets"
Cyril Schreiner, a French content creator, is speaking out after faking the kidnapping of his pug, Albert.
In posts toTikTokandInstagramon Feb. 10, the influencer said he had realized over the last few days that he had "messed up badly."
About a month prior, Schreiner had rented out a house, where he staged surveillance footage that made it appear that Albert had been kidnapped, he revealed in the Feb. 10 post. And on Feb. 5, Schreiner shared apostto Instagram with his pup, where he appeared to have tears in his eyes after being "reunited" with Albert.
But the initial video, Schreiner said, was "obviously comedic," and his dog was not even involved in its creation as he used a sack of potatoes in his place. "I wanted to create entertainment," he added.
Cyril Schreiner/Instagram
"There are things you shouldn't joke about," Schreiner admitted in his apology. "I acted stupidly, and I apologize publicly. Whether you accept my apology or not, I never meant to disrespect people who have actually lost pets. I can't imagine how horrible that must be."
PEOPLE reached out to Schreiner for comment.
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The content creator — who has posted comedic videos on social media for a decade — also shared in the video that the past year had been "really difficult," noting that he had tried to keep his private life "separate from his life online."
"In recent years, what I was doing on social media pleased me less and less," he shared. "I was enjoying it less. I was making videos almost automatically."
Cyril Schreiner/Instagram
Schreiner also dispelled claims that the stunt was intended to gain more followers or earn money: "I actually lost partnerships, credibility, and a lot of money in this situation," he said.
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"Creating all of this cost me a lot of money and brought in almost nothing," he said. "Social media doesn't pay like it used to."
"I just want to apologize again to anyone I hurt," he concluded his video. "My only goal has always been to share joy and positivity."
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