Jay Shetty Criticized for Allegedly Falsifying His Past and Replicating Social Media Posts

Well-known British podcaster and influencer Jay Shetty is in trouble after a report by The Guardian that he had plagiarized social media posts and also lied about his background.

Before we get into the charges which have been leveled against Jay Shetty, let us get to know something more about the popular influencer and speaker.

Jay Shetty is a multifaceted personality and is known to use his social media platforms to talk about different aspects of life. He is also a bestselling author, and his literary works include “Think Like A Monk” and “8 Rules of Love.”

He is also the owner of Jay Shetty Certification School. The school offers certificate courses in a number of topics which include life coaching, meditation, etc. He is also the Chief Inspiration Officer of a startup named Calm, which is valued at $2 billion.

In his podcast, he has hosted a number of influential personalities like Kendall Jenner, Michelle Obama, and Kim Kardashian.

He is closely associated with film stars from Hollywood and Bollywood.

He also officiated at the wedding of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck in 2022.

However, despite his impressive resume, recent controversies have put a question mark on his empire and have led to a closer look at his past and present. He is accused of plagiarism, and the Guardian report highlighted that in 2019, Jay Shetty’s deeds were exposed by YouTuber Nicole Arbour who pointed to the original sources, forcing Jay Shetty to remove over 100 posts from his YouTube and Instagram accounts.

Besides plagiarism, he is also indicted for misrepresenting his biography. Jay Shetty claimed that in his schooling days, he spent his school vacations with Hindu ascetics in India and enriched his knowledge from their teachings. However, the report by The Guardian has doubted if he spent time in a temple with Hindu ascetics in India.

The Guardian also doubts the influencer’s story that he left the material world to lead a life as a monk in the beginning. Later, he realized that his purpose in life was not to be a monk but to help and advise others. The report went on to say that thus a transformation started, but it was just another rag-to-riches story, and there was nothing noble in it.

Jay Shetty was also associated with the Hare Krishna movement by ISKCON and spent three transformative years as a Hindu monk in India and the UK. The Guardian also highlighted the fact that Jay seldom spoke about his association with the Hare Krishna movement, probably fearing a backlash due to the controversies associated with the group.