21-year-old "influencer" brother destroys 24-year-old sister's $2200 camera lens: 'That was the last straw'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Mar 12, 2026 11:00 AM EDT

This 21-year-old thinks he's hilarious, but after his latest stunt, his sister isn't laughing. 

The thing with pranks is that they're usually funny to the prankster, not the person the joke is aimed at. The prankster gets great content out of the bit, they get a laugh, and everyone else in the area gets to giggle at the expense of the person getting pranked. So what does that person getting pranked get out of the experience? Honestly, usually they just get embarrassed, or have their belongings destroyed, and for what? So someone else can make a video about it? That's just unkindness disguised as comedy — it's usually not even original or creative content! — , and many of us don't find that funny enough to laugh at. 

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  • Professional photographer aims expensive camera to take a photograph.
    via Marco Xu

    Professional photographer aims expensive camera to take a photograph. 

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • The thing with pranksters is that if they make that type of content often enough, they start running out of marks. They've punked everyone around them. All their friends and family members are wary for anything amiss when they're in their presence. The prankster needs fresh ideas and new marks, but who should they pick? 

    Well, this guy picked the exact wrong person when he chose his photographer sister to pick on. At 21-years-old, his brain is clearly not yet done growing, because, as you can read here in this stunning tale, he chose to target her photography equipment. I know, I know. You're thinking, “Don't cameras cost thousands, sometimes tens of thousands? Don't photographers often insure their equipment, just in case something happens, because it's just that valuable?” Well yes! How smart of you to think that. Our readers really are the best and brightest. All of that is certainly true, but I'm pretty sure this 21-year-old manchild had not idea about that. 

  • Her brother destroyed her $2200 camera lens for a prank video so she took him to court. FAFO.

    I (24F) am a freelance photographer. It's my full-time job and how I pay my rent. My gear isn't just a hobby; it's my livelihood. Last year, I finally saved up enough to buy a high-end telephoto lens that cost me nearly $2,200.1 treat that lens like a newborn baby.
    via ClerkResponsible118
  • My brother, Leo (21M), is an aspiring influencer. He's obsessed with filming "pranks" and "challenges" for his followers. Most of the time they're just annoying, like jumping out from behind doors, but lately, he's been getting more aggressive for the views.
    via ClerkResponsible118
  • Last month, I was at my parents' house for Sunday dinner. I had my gear bag in the hallway because I was heading straight to a sunset shot afterward. Leo thought it would be hilarious to film a "clumsy" video where he pretended to trip and drop my bag down the stairs to see my reaction.
    via ClerkResponsible118
  • He didn't realize that I hadn't zipped the side compartment all the way. When he "tripped," my camera and the new lens tumbled out and bounced down twelve hardwood steps. The lens housing cracked, and the glass elements inside were completely shattered. It was a total wreck.
    via ClerkResponsible118
  • When I saw what happened, I was shaking. Leo was still holding his phone, laughing and telling his "fans" that I looked like I was about to explode. When I told him the lens was destroyed and cost over two grand, the camera stopped rolling.
    via ClerkResponsible118
  • He immediately got defensive. He said it was just a prank and that I shouldn't have left my bag in a high-traffic area if I didn't want it touched. He told me he didn't have that kind of money anyway and that I probably had insurance for it. My insurance has a $1,000 deductible, and even then, my premiums would skyrocket.
    via ClerkResponsible118
  • Yellow professional camera.
    via paul campbell

    Yellow professional camera. 

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • My parents took his side. They told me that Leo is just a kid trying to find his way and that I shouldn't be so hard on him. They suggested I just "forgive the debt" as a birthday present to him.
    via ClerkResponsible118
  • I gave him two weeks to come up with at least the deductible. He ignored my texts and posted a video of himself out at a club the following weekend. That was the last straw. I gathered the repair estimate and the footage he was dumb enough to post online and filed a small claims suit.
    via ClerkResponsible118
  • I won the case easily. Because he still refused to pay, claiming he was broke despite his social media showing otherwise, I went through the legal process to garnish his part-time warehouse wages.
    via ClerkResponsible118
  • Now the family is treating me like a monster. My mom says I'm ruining my relationship with my only brother over "equipment" and that I'm being "cold-blooded" by taking money directly from his check. Leo sent me a message saying I'm the reason he can't afford his car insurance this month.
    via ClerkResponsible118
  • I don't feel like I ruined the relationship I feel like his lack of respect for my hard work did. If he had shown even an ounce of remorse, I would have handled it privately.
    via ClerkResponsible118
  • Professional photographer points expensive camera at subject.
    via Marco Xu

    Professional photographer points expensive camera at subject. 

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • I fear that even with all this money spent on lawsuits etc, that with the parents' constant coddling, their son won't learn his lesson. If Mom and Dad see him as just their baby boy still, he's going to convince them to help him pay, or that he just made an innocent mistake, and that his sister is in the wrong. You'd hope that having paychecks garnished would be a memorable enough punishment! But when you're chasing views and likes, the only thing you can do to keep growing your audience is making your stunts bigger and better. 

    I'm thrilled that this woman chose to get what was rightfully hers, and hopefully her brother never messes with her again! 

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