Hollywood comedy club owner faces online harassment after negative review from social media influencers

The owner of a Hollywood comedy club says she is facing an unprecedented wave of harassment, including death threats and hundreds of negative reviews, after a visit from a group of popular social media influencers — a case that highlights the growing power online personalities can wield over small businesses.

Jiaoying Summers, owner of The Hollywood Comedy club, said the backlash began after the Kalogeras sisters, a trio of influencers with a combined YouTube following of nearly 7.5 million, attended an open-mic night at her venue.

"This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me," Summers said. "This club is my baby. This is the testament of my American dream."

Summers said the sisters became upset when they were told there was not enough time for all of them to perform that night. She also accused them of being disruptive during other comedians' sets.

"They were very loud," Summers said. "They were talking during other comedians' sets, so everyone was very upset because it's obnoxious and disrespectful."

After the visit, the Kalogeras sisters posted a video about the experience to their YouTube channel, telling followers they felt mistreated by the staff.

"They were all really rude," one sister said in the video. "They were genuinely just rude to us."

While the sisters did not explicitly encourage retaliation against the club, Summers said their fans flooded her business with negative reviews within hours.

"I started getting notifications on my phone," she said. "We got 100 one-star reviews, and then that night we got 700 one-star reviews in one night."

The club's Google rating dropped from 4.5 stars to 1.6, according to Summers.

"I cried because this club is my baby," she said. "I came to America with no money, nothing. I built everything on my own."

More troubling, Summers said, were the threatening messages that followed.

"It's a lot like 'kill yourself, kill yourself,'" she said. "The owner — disgusting, ugly — should kill yourself."

CBS News California Investigates reached out to the Kalogeras sisters. In an emailed statement, a spokesperson said the sisters "dispute the claims and will respond in the appropriate channels." The statement added that the sisters "do not condone bullying, harassment, or threats of any kind."

Crisis communications expert Evan Nierman, founder and CEO of Red Banyan, said situations like this are becoming increasingly common as influencers and their audiences form strong emotional bonds.

"There are people who follow personalities online and feel a certain kinship and connection," Nierman said. "When these online influencers mobilize their mobs, whether explicitly or implicitly, it can have devastating consequences."

Summers, who also has a large social media following, responded by posting her own videos and statements online. She has also hired an attorney, who sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding that the sisters remove their video and issue a public apology.

Nierman said Summers' swift response may help limit long-term damage.

"I give them a lot of credit for standing up and fighting for their livelihood," he said. "They did all the right things to refuse to be canceled."

Summers said she worries about how similar situations might affect business owners without a public platform.

"Thank God I have millions of followers, so I can speak," she said. "But what happens to a business that doesn't have the following? They are silenced."

As of the most recent check, the Kalogeras sisters' YouTube video had more than 2.5 million views.