When Money Idol Boss was just three years old, his mother noticed something wasn’t quite right.
The toddler, she recalled, behaved differently from other children his age. Concerned, she sought medical help. What doctors eventually discovered would change the course of his life.
The TikToker, whose given name is Joel Creswell, had a tumour on his brain.
The diagnosis devastated his mother, Audia Harluy, who struggled to process what it meant for her young son’s future.
“I don’t remember the name of the tumour but doctors labelled it as an adult tumour because when he was much smaller, he didn’t act his age, but older,” she said.
“He didn’t behave like a child but now it kind of reverse because now he will act like both a child and an adult, she added.
Now 23, Money Idol Boss is a familiar face to many Jamaican TikTok users. He has featured on the viral Pop the Balloon Challenge, and built a following through his confident personality and humorous antics.
But behind the online persona is a young man who has had to navigate life with challenges stemming from that early diagnosis. Harluy explained that the tumour affected how her son communicates and interacts with others, something that often draws attention from strangers — particularly on social media.
Being around him you will pick up that he is different as his words are not fluent, but he is not stupid,” Harluy said.
While Money Idol Boss’ growing online presence has brought him fans, it has also exposed him to harsh criticism and ridicule.
For Harluy, seeing her son mocked online has been painful.
“I felt really bad when I saw people dragging him, and whenever he tells me what people says, I used to get angry inside,” she said.
Still, she said her son’s confidence has helped him push through the negativity.
“I told him that not everyone is going to like him, but lots of persons do. I told him not to let negative people get to his head and that he should have respect all the time because they are not in his shoes,” she said.
She believes many critics simply do not understand what her son has lived through.
“What people don’t understand is that the brain controls our body and if the brain is not functioning the way it should, it is going to give you a disability look. My son can’t work for anyone so he tries to gain his independence through being on the Internet. He worked his way up to get his followers,” she added.
Money Idol Boss, himself, is determined to become financially independent and help his mother in the process.
“Mi want to start two business because mi a 23 and mi don’t want to depend on my mummy for the rest of my life,” he told THE STAR.
In addition to being a TikToker, he dreams of making it big as a recording artiste, while simultaneously contribute to the country’s food security.
“Mi waah go into layer chicken farming and do a Bath & Body works tings as well. This way mi can help out mi mummy and myself,” he said.
Money Idol Boss has been signed to Shevi9 Music, and is currently promoting his latest single, Wifi Code. His previous songs include Fight Mi More and Mi Nuh Give A Such.
“I was always an entertaining person, and I like to make my mom laugh. I used to want to become a barber, but afterwards I let my sister listen to a song that I have and she like it, so I say I want to be an artiste,” Money Idol Boss said.
“I am hype and mi ego deh behind mi hype, so that is why mi behave like I do. The ladies love mi as well,” he added.
