Social Media Influencer Arrested for Domestic Assault as TikTok Star’s Ex-Girlfriend Reveals Abusive Relationship

Social media influencers Evan Johnson and Layla Malec attend the Los Angeles “Ghost Show” premiere at the Culver Theater in October 2024. Image Credits: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Schoolyard/ plex/ CreatorCut/ Ghost Show Premiere

Social media influencer Evan Johnson was charged with domestic assault after his ex-girlfriend, TikTok star Kayla Malec, posted a series of viral videos detailing an “extremely abusive relationship” she was recently in.

Johnson was arrested in Sumner County, Tennessee, on Monday, April 7, 2025, however, police did not identify the victim. It was confirmed with the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office that Johnson was arrested and later released on bail of $3,000 on the same day. This week, Malec posted multiple lengthy clips on Youtube about an abusive ex whom she only identified as “Evan”. Fans were able to connect the pieces and figure out that Johnson was the abusive ex.

In Malec’s videos, titled “He doesn’t love you. Pt. 1-2”, she shared the timeline of her relationship with Johnson, which began in May 2024 when they first met. Over the course of nine months, Johnson’s abusive actions escalated from punching items to physical and verbal abuse. On the night of August 9, Johnson physically assaulted Malec during an argument to the point where he broke Malec’s jaw.

“I was silently being abused while posting my life online smiling. It’s true you can see it in the eyes,” she said. “I wanted to look at my eyes once I finally left. You really can see everything in the eyes,” she wrote in the caption of a TikTok post.

A few days after Malec uploaded her story to Youtube, a TikTok user shared a video that he recorded of Johnson responding to an Instagram Live that Malec had done. In the Tiktoks, Johnson claimed that both he and Malec were mutually verbally abusive and questioned why Malec would have stayed with him if he was so abusive.

Malec shared through her Youtube video that she decided to share her stories in order to help potential domestic abuse victims. She told her viewers to ditch their partners if they relate to her experiences.

“This happened to me to save others. If I saw this video 9 months ago it would have saved my life. I was put through this so I can save you,” she wrote.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.Safe (7233) or text START to 88788.