Privacy is a weird thing when you’re famous. One day you’re the star of a hit show like Teen Wolf, and the next, your private moments are being broadcast to millions without your permission. That’s exactly what happened back in 2017. A Tyler Posey leaked video started circulating, and honestly, the internet went into a complete meltdown.
It wasn't just him, either. His co-star Cody Christian was also targeted in the same wave of iCloud hacks. But while many stars go into hiding or release a tearful PR statement, Tyler did something different. He basically shrugged. He didn't apologize. He didn't act ashamed. And that choice ended up being a massive turning point for how he navigated his public identity in the years that followed.
The 2017 Breach and the Fallout
The hack itself was pretty invasive. We’re talking about private videos and photos that were never meant for public consumption being ripped from personal storage. It’s a nightmare scenario. When the Tyler Posey leaked video first hit social media, the reaction was a mix of voyeurism and genuine support. Fans actually started the hashtag #WeRespectYouTyler to drown out the people sharing the footage. It was a rare moment of the internet actually being... decent?
Mostly, people wanted to know how he’d react. In Hollywood, the standard playbook is:
🔗 Read more: Does Emmanuel Macron Have Children? The Real Story of the French President’s Family Life
- Disappear for three weeks.
- Release a statement about "this difficult time."
- Blame the hackers (who were to blame, obviously).
Tyler didn't do that. It took him months to even address it. When he finally did speak to Us Weekly, his vibe was basically, "I don't care." He mentioned that brushing it off puts less stress on you than obsessing over it. He even joked about it, which is kind of his brand anyway. But behind the scenes, there was a lot more going on regarding his management and the pressure to conform to a specific "clean" image.
Why the Lack of an Apology Mattered
In later interviews, specifically with Variety and on his own platforms, Tyler revealed that his management at the time really wanted him to say sorry. They wanted him to act like he’d done something wrong by having a sex life.
"They definitely wanted me to say, 'Look, I’m sorry. I’m ashamed of myself,'" he told Marc Malkin. But he wasn't ashamed. Why should he be? He was a grown man in his mid-twenties. By refusing to apologize for the Tyler Posey leaked video, he took the power away from the hackers. If you aren't embarrassed, the "scandal" loses its teeth.
💡 You might also like: Judge Dana and Keith Cutler: What Most People Get Wrong About TV’s Favorite Legal Couple
OnlyFans and Coming Out
Fast forward a few years to 2020. This is where the story gets really interesting. Tyler decided to join OnlyFans. Now, for most actors, that would be career suicide, but for him, it was about taking control of his own "sexual" narrative. He was tired of people seeing leaked clips and making up their own stories about who he was.
While doing a live stream on the platform, someone asked him about his experiences with men. Instead of dodging, he just said, "Yes." He later clarified that he'd been with "everybody under the sun." This was his way of coming out as sexually fluid or queer on his own terms.
He's been very open about how his time on Teen Wolf helped him accept himself. The show had such a natural way of handling LGBTQ+ characters that it made him feel like being "normal" included being queer. He didn't want a label at first—the media kind of slapped "pansexual" on him—but he eventually embraced the "queer umbrella" after his wife, Phem (who is also queer), helped him realize where he fit.
📖 Related: The Billy Bob Tattoo: What Angelina Jolie Taught Us About Inking Your Ex
The Reality of Celebrity Privacy in 2026
We’re living in an era where the line between "public" and "private" is basically a suggestion. The Tyler Posey leaked video incident was a precursor to the way celebrities today handle their data. Whether it's iCloud hacks or AI deepfakes, the "leaked" phenomenon hasn't gone away. It's just evolved.
What's impressive about Tyler's trajectory is that he didn't let a violation of his privacy define him. He moved from being a "victim" of a leak to being a creator who owns his content. He’s also been very vocal about his sobriety journey and mental health, proving that you can be "edgy" and "taboo" while still being a functional, successful artist.
What We Can Learn From This
Honestly, the biggest takeaway here isn't about the video itself. It's about the reaction.
- Own your narrative: If you don't tell your story, someone else will.
- Privacy is a right, not a privilege: No one "deserves" to have their private files leaked, no matter how famous they are.
- Shame is a choice: You don't have to be ashamed of your personal life just because someone else thinks you should be.
Tyler Posey is still working, still making music, and still very much himself. He married Phem in 2023, and they’ve been a bit of a power couple in the alt-rock and queer scenes ever since. By the time 2026 rolled around, the "scandal" of the leak had mostly faded into a footnote—a testament to the fact that honesty usually wins out over PR spin.
If you're ever worried about your own digital footprint, the best thing you can do is secure your accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA). It sounds boring, but it's the one thing that actually prevents these types of "leaks" from happening in the first place. Use a dedicated password manager and never reuse passwords across different sites. Most "hacks" are just people guessing easy passwords or using leaked data from other breaches. Take five minutes today to check your security settings on your cloud storage—it's worth the peace of mind.