‘Disturbing to Watch’: White Dad Influencer Smears Vaseline Into Adopted Black Son’s Face Inciting Controversy and Fierce Debate Online
Reed Harris, known as Grill Father to his tens of thousands of Instagram followers, and his wife, Katilin Harris, are white parent influencers from Utah.
They have three adopted children, two of whom are Black, and one biological child, all under the age of 9. Their brood is showcased in candid videos they share on social media, and their 5-year-old Black son is often the star, appearing in clips about combing his curly hair or cooking on a hot grill.
But one video in particular has struck a chord with Black viewers, sparking hundreds of concerned responses. In it, Reed aggressively smears Vaseline all over his Black 5-year-old son’s face, and viewers who know their history are ringing the alarm bells.
Though the child appears to be grinning, despite being “playfully” smacked in the face a few times, for many, seeing a white man rub Vaseline on a Black boy’s face evoked a painful image of a racist practice dating back to the slave trade.
“This is disturbing and dehumanizing; it makes me concerned for that child,” wrote a person on Threads, echoing dozens of comments. Another alleged, “They are psychologically abusing this child and this is very disturbing to watch.”
Historians have long documented enslavers slathering oil or grease on enslaved people to give them a “healthy” shine at markets. Not only did the practice create the illusion of health and strength, but it also concealed signs of past physical abuse and scars during inspection before slave auctions.
But many are blissfully unaware of the history. Some parents who have watched the video across the web said it’s not malicious and can’t understand what the fuss is about.
“Ya’ll have lost your minds,” wrote a white commenter on Instagram, “That precious young boy looks pretty freaking happy to me.” Others urged the public to “stop the hate fest” against the family.
But even some viewers who grew up with this skin care regimen took issue with the video, saying it “crossed a line.”
“This is a no-no for me, nothing funny about this,” wrote one Instagram user. “History has it that Black folks grew up using Vaseline; we all grew up with that skin care, so what’s the point of messing up the boy’s face with this? It’s mockery.”
The parent influencer sometimes turns to his thousands of viewers for advice on raising African-American children, and Vaseline was one suggestion. But the way he applied it—rubbing so aggressively that the boy flinched at one point— didn’t help matters.
“If you really want to give him the homegrown experience,” read the caption, “slap some Vaseline on ya hands and aggressively rub it all over his whole face. IYKYK”
“In 2026, a Black child is being used as a prop, and people are providing content ideas via the internet. I’m sick of this sh*t,” wrote one. “This is extremely hard to view.”