If you have children under four, I don’t need to explain who Ms. Rachel is to you. If toddlers could break down Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, they would most certainly include a GoGo Squeez pouch, taking things out of cabinets, and watching the YouTube star and children’s educator on repeat.
With her signature pink headband, denim overalls, and sing-songy voice, a woman once described as a “toddler whisperer” seems the least likely candidate to become a lightning rod for controversy, or even the subject of discourse beyond a tired mom asking out loud, to nobody in particular, “Another 20 minutes of screen time is fine if it’s educational, right?”
Yet nobody seems to draw as much ire or praise these days as Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso. Depending on who you’re talking to (and which headlines you read), your opinion on the former preschool music teacher has somehow become a shorthand for your entire worldview.
So, how did we get here? Why is everyone—whether they have little kids or not—so obsessed with talking about Ms. Rachel right now? Let’s break it down in the latest TL;DR.
Give Me the TL;DR
Accurso has been making headlines recently for her outspoken support of children affected by the war in Gaza. Just this week, she posted a video of herself singing toddler favorite “Hop Little Bunnies” with Rahaf, a 3-year-old double amputee who lost her legs in an airstrike. Over footage of Rahaf bounging happily along to the song, Accurso wrote that she would do everything she can to help Rahaf and “children everywhere whose human rights are being violated” and thanked the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund for their efforts.
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“Thank you to everyone who sees Rahaf like you see your own child and is speaking out for her and children like her,” she continued. “I love you, sweet Rahaf.”
While many have praised Accurso’s advocacy for children in Gaza, and for using her platform to shine a light on humanitarian efforts there, others have accused her of treating Palestinian children with more sympathy than Israeli ones and even outright antisemitism.
I need more. What’s the background here?
If you’re not caught up on the Ms. Rachel lore, here’s a brief history: Accurso started her YouTube channel after realizing there was a lack of media for children, like her son, who had a delay in speech development. She used techniques from speech therapists and early childhood experts to create Songs for Littles, a series where she sings nursery rhymes, teaches sign language for words like “more” and “thank you,” and introduces phonics, colors, shapes, and other skills that might help prepare little kids for preschool and kindergarten. A billion or so views later, the mother of two now has over 14 million subscribers, a major Netflix licensing deal, and a line of toys available at major retailers like Target and Walmart.
While her videos always speak to children and are focused on education, Accurso’s social media posts are more for parents and caregivers. Among the parenting tips and heartwarming videos are posts about more serious topics, like postpartum depression and universal childcare.
And with success has come some controversies, of course. Conservatives have criticized Accurso and called for a Ms. Rachel boycott over videos that featured a nonbinary costar who uses they/them pronouns as well as a post on TikTok that wished viewers a happy Pride Month.
The biggest divide, however, has been around her posts about children suffering due to the war in Gaza. In May 2024, Accurso raised over $50,000 for Save the Children through making Cameo videos. In her post announcing the fundraising campaign, she said all proceeds would help children in many war-torn parts of the world—including Gaza. Critics flooded her feed, asking why she didn’t mention raising money for Israeli children affected by Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack.
A few days later, Accurso posted a tearful video in which she reiterated that she cares deeply for all children. “Palestinian children, Israeli children, children in the US—Muslim, Jewish, Christian children—all children, in every country,” she wrote in the caption. “Not one is excluded…. To do a fundraiser for children who are currently starving—who have no food or water—who are being killed—is human.”
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Since then, Accurso has continued to post support for both Palestinian and Israeli children and doubled down on her view that it shouldn’t be controversial to want to help children in distress, regardless of their background.
Still, last month, the organization Stop Antisemitism accused her of spreading “Hamas propaganda,” claimed she only posted about Israeli children because of backlash, and questioned whether or not she was being funded for her post. Accurso told the New York Times, “This accusation is not only absurd, it’s patently false.”
She did not dispute that she has posted more frequently about Gazan children, but said, “The painful reality is that Palestinian children in Gaza have been killed by the thousands and continue to be killed, maimed, and starved right now. The idea that caring about one group of children prevents us from caring about another group of children is false.”
“The reason I post about Israeli children is because I care deeply about them,” she continued. “The accusation that I would be doing it for any other reason is outrageous and wrong.”
Has Ms. Rachel responded to all of this?
Oh yes, multiple times. In addition to the aforementioned New York Times interview and social media posts, Accurso spoke with journalist Mehdi Hasan for his independent publication Zeteo. “It’s sad that people try to make it controversial when you speak out for children that are facing immeasurable suffering,” she said. “The idea that caring for a group of children in an emergency situation means you don’t care about other children is false.”
Why should I care?
There’s no denying that Ms. Rachel has clout. So whenever she shares her opinion on something, especially if it’s as divisive as the war in Gaza, people will pay attention. And somebody as influential as she is with children, in particular, will always be treated with more scrutiny for better or for worse.
It’s natural to want the people your child looks up to be aligned with your own moral code. We can’t guarantee that their teachers (or even their own grandparents) vote the same way we do, as much as we might want to. The one thing we do have some control over is the media they consume. So yeah, who Ms. Rachel is to you—a hero, a villain, or something in between—probably will inform how much “Icky Sticky Bubble Gum” you’ll be listening to in the future.
“I’ve been blessed to get this platform,” Accurso told Hasan. “And kids feel that I care about them all deeply, and that’s why I have the platform. Because they feel it through the screen, because it’s genuine.”
