It was the DM heard 'round the world. Or at least, around every corner of TikTok for about three months straight. You know the one. The "I'm having another baby and if it's a boy I really wanna name it Sumner" message. It’s the kind of thing that sounds like a bad parody of a celebrity scandal, but for Adam Levine and Sumner Stroh, it was the spark that set the internet on fire back in late 2022.
Honestly, looking back at it now, the whole saga feels like a fever dream of "cringe" energy and PR damage control. But underneath the memes and the jokes about Maroon 5 becoming "elevator music," there’s a pretty messy reality about how fame, social media, and power dynamics actually play out in Hollywood.
The TikTok that broke the internet
It all started on a Monday in September 2022. Sumner Stroh, an Instagram model and influencer who was 23 at the time, posted a video that basically nuked Adam Levine’s "cool dad" image in under 90 seconds. She didn't just drop a hint; she came out and said she’d had a year-long affair with a man married to a Victoria’s Secret model.
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She wasn't subtle. She pulled up the green screen and showed screenshots.
The most damning part wasn't even the flirtatious stuff, like Levine telling her it was "truly unreal" how hot she was. It was that bizarre request to name his future child after her. At the time, Levine’s wife, Behati Prinsloo, was pregnant with their third baby. The timing couldn't have been worse. Stroh claimed she only came forward because a "friend" she’d trusted with the screenshots tried to sell them to a tabloid. It was a classic "get ahead of the story" move, but it painted a picture of a relationship that was way more than just a couple of stray likes on a photo.
What Adam Levine actually admitted to
Levine didn't stay quiet for long. He hit Instagram Stories with a statement that people are still dissecting years later. He didn't use the word "affair." In fact, he explicitly denied having one.
Instead, he admitted to "crossing the line" and using "poor judgment" in speaking with anyone other than his wife in a flirtatious manner. He called it a "regrettable period" in his life.
It was a very specific kind of corporate-celebrity apology. He used phrases like "proactive steps to remedy this with my family" and "I take full responsibility." But the internet wasn't really buying the "no affair" defense when the screenshots showed him saying things like "you are 50 times hotter in person... and so am I."
Then came the floodgates.
Once Sumner went public, other women started sharing their own "Adam Levine DMs." Models like Alyson Rose and Maryka posted their own receipts. One message supposedly from Levine read, "Distract yourself by f***ing with me!" It became pretty clear that this wasn't just a one-off mistake with one person. It looked like a pattern of behavior that lived in the gray area between "just talking" and full-blown cheating.
Why people are still divided on Sumner Stroh
The reaction to Sumner wasn't exactly all supportive. While many people slammed Levine for being "gross" and "disrespectful" to his pregnant wife, a lot of the internet turned on Stroh too.
Critics like actress Sara Foster were vocal about it. The argument was basically: you knew he was married, you saw the wedding ring, and you stayed for a year. Why are you playing the victim now?
Stroh’s defense was that she was "young and naive" and felt "exploited" by a much older, powerful man who led her to believe his marriage was over. She claimed she thought they were "keeping it quiet" to avoid bad press.
It’s a tough sell in the age of Google. Finding out if a celebrity is still with their wife takes about four seconds on any smartphone. But it also highlights the weird bubble of LA, where "it’s complicated" is often used as a tool to manipulate people who are new to the scene.
The "Name the Baby" mystery
We have to talk about the baby name thing again because it is just so weird. Why would anyone do that?
If you’re trying to hide an "inappropriate" relationship, naming your actual human child after the person you’re hiding seems like the literal worst way to do it. It’s the ultimate "hiding in plain sight" move, or maybe just a massive ego trip.
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Either way, it’s the detail that turned the scandal from a standard cheating rumor into a cultural landmark of weirdness. It wasn't just about the betrayal; it was about the sheer audacity of the logistics.
Where things stand today
Believe it or not, Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo stayed together. They welcomed their third child in early 2023. They’ve been seen together at events, looking like a united front.
In the celebrity world, "getting through it together" often looks like a lot of silent red-carpet appearances and a very tight-lipped PR team. For Levine, the career impact was there, but he didn't get "canceled" in the way some expected. Maroon 5 kept playing shows, and he eventually returned to The Voice.
Sumner Stroh, meanwhile, continued her career as an influencer. The scandal definitely boosted her follower count, but it also tied her name to Levine forever. Every time she posts, there’s usually at least one person in the comments bringing up the DMs.
What we can actually learn from this mess
If there’s any takeaway from the whole Adam Levine and Sumner Stroh situation, it’s probably these three things:
- Digital footprints are forever. If you’re a celebrity—or anyone, really—thinking your DMs are private is a massive mistake. All it takes is one "trusted" friend and a TikTok account for your private life to become a public meme.
- The "Vulnerable Model" vs. "Accountable Adult" debate. This scandal forced a lot of people to look at the power dynamics between older stars and younger influencers. Is it exploitation or is it mutual participation? The answer is usually "both" and "it's complicated."
- The PR pivot is real. Levine’s choice to admit to "crossing a line" while denying the "affair" is now a textbook example of how to manage a scandal without legally admitting to the worst parts of it.
If you’re ever in a situation where you’re wondering if you should "cross the line" via Instagram, just remember the name Sumner. It’s a great name—but maybe not for your baby if you're trying to save your marriage.