The newlywed billionaire’s wife allegedly bullied an Instagram user over the ownership of a username, accusing the user of unlawfully “pretending to be someone.” Katherine Asplundh, formerly Driscoll, married Cabot Asplundh, heir to a Pennsylvania tree service fortune on April 7.
After exchanging wedding vows, Katherine, an influencer boasting over 14,600 Instagram followers, tried to change her handle from @katherinedrisc to @katherineasplundh. However, she found that her desired username was already being used by another person. Katherine reached out to the account owner, who also goes by the name Kate to ask if she could purchase her handle, a request and practice that directly violates the platform’s terms of service.
Billionaire Bully
“Hi just wondering if I could purchase your username from you. Just got married and this is my new name,” the newly read wrote, according to screenshots of the conversation posted to the NYCInfluencesnark sub Reddit.
The unexpected message left the real Katherine Asplundh, who goes by Kate, feeling unsettled and apprehensive after conducting some research, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
“Hi congrats! That’s my name too. I just googled and it said selling my username would get me banned from Instagram,” she replied.
This led Katherine to unleash a barrage of messages that appeared to convey a sense of entitlement. She fired back by stating that purchasing accounts was a common practice among high-profile people and that she had acquired Instagram usernames in the past.
“I purchased my username in the past actually that’s not true. Celebrities do it all the time that’s how they all have their handles as their full names,” the newlywed responded.
“So weird I didn’t know there was another Asplundh’s family out there. There no Katherine asplundh in our family.”
Kate clarified to the suitor that the account in question was a “finsta,” a private Instagram used for personal stories and photo archiving, while her main account retained her maiden name.
Despite being refused initially, an annoyed Driscoll Asplundh insisted that Kate’s name wasn’t Katherine Asplundh and threatened to report her.
Fight on Social Media
The influencer claimed that her then-fiancé had also lodged a report against Kate. Her most recent post on the account dated April 30 featured her wedding dress, shared with her 14,600 followers.
In a third attempt to get the username, Asplundh researched on Facebook using the name “Katherine Asplundh.” After finding no results, she concluded that she must be the only person in America with that name.
“The family I just married into is the only Asplundh in America.”
“I’m not American,” Kate responded.
The influencer then requested “proof” from the woman to verify her identity. “Do you have proof that this is your name? Would love to see that.”
The request for proof seemed to be the final straw for Kate, who sharply criticized the influencer’s attitude.
“I was open to giving her my username,” Kate told the outlet. “I just didn’t want to sell it because that would get me banned. After I replied to her, her messages came off snarky so I told myself, ‘OK, this isn’t worth it.'”
Kate lodged two reports with Instagram concerning Asplundh, one for soliciting the sale of the account and another for harassing her. “Have a good day,” the original Asplundh concluded.
Several Reddit users rallied to Kate’s defense. “Legitimately INSANE behavior “I don’t believe that’s your name” HUH?!?!”
“The pivot from hey girly to LET ME SEE YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE gave me whiplash.”
