Content creator Crystal Nicole has called out actress Uche Montana over what she described as the “plagiarised” use of her original content, accusing the actress of reproducing her creative concept almost word for word and using it for a paid partnership.
Crystal, who said she rarely takes content disputes online, broke down the similarities between her original video and Uche’s version in a call-out video shared on Friday, September 18, 2026.
She also shared private Instagram messages between herself and Uche, showing the actress reaching out after Crystal publicly addressed the issue.
At the centre of the dispute is a video concept involving someone arriving after a long day, being invited to unwind, music, wine and candles. Crystal argued that Uche did not simply draw inspiration from the idea but copied her wording, flow, structure and overall creative direction.
Crystal Puts The Two Videos Side By Side
Crystal began her call-out by playing sections of her original content alongside Uche’s version. The similarities she highlighted included:
- Crystal: “Now, who let you in?.”
Uche: “Now, who let you in?”
- Crystal: “Well, since you’re here…”
Uche: “Okay, well, now that you’re here…”
- Crystal: “You want to unwind together?”
Uche: “Would you like to unwind with me?”
- Crystal: “Hey, Siri, play wine down playlist.”
Uche: “Alexa, chill please.”
- Crystal: “Never too many candles.”
Uche: “There’s no such thing as too many candles.”
Crystal argued that beyond the individual lines, the concept and creative flow were also closely similar. For her, the similarities went beyond the normal process of being inspired by another creator.
Plagiarism, Not Inspiration
Explaining why she decided to speak publicly, Crystal said she understood that social media content could inspire other creators. In her words:
“I am not the one to get on the internet and ever do something like this because I do understand a lot of social media content is inspired by others.”
However, she drew a line between inspiration and what she believed happened with Uche’s video.
“However, this is not inspiration, this is plagiarism.”
Crystal accused Uche of “step-by-step regurgitating” her content and presenting it as her own without credit. She added that the situation became more serious because, according to her, Uche’s content was created for a paid partnership.
“To use my words, my creative direction, my creative flow, word for word, and submit it to a brand as if you are the one that came up with it and you get paid for it is extremely alarming.”
Crystal said she had seen people take inspiration from her content before, but noted that those creators usually added their own ideas and created a different version for their audiences.
“So many people are inspired by my selfish routines that I do. However, they put their own twist on my content and create their own version of video for their audience. I have never experienced this level of plagiarism in my entire career.”
Uche Reaches Out Ater Crystal’s Post
Crystal said she initially posted about the matter on Instagram before Uche contacted her privately. In the DM shared by Crystal, Uche wrote:
“I’m more than happy to give video inspo credit. It can be settled respectfully.”
The message appeared to have been edited, with the same statement shown more than once in the screenshot.
Crystal, however, took issue with the wording. She said the phrase “it can be settled respectfully”suggested that her decision to publicly address the alleged copying was itself disrespectful.
“Calling out the plagiarized use of my work is not disrespectful,” Crystal said.
She argued that the disrespect, in her view, came from taking another creator’s work, reproducing it and using it commercially without proper acknowledgment.
The “Inspired By Crystal Nicole” Credit
Crystal also addressed a change made to Uche’s Instagram caption following the controversy. According to Crystal, Uche initially added “Video inspired by Crystal Nicole” to the caption after being called out. The screenshot shared by Crystal shows the edited caption reading:
“Video inspired by Crystal Nicole ✨”
Crystal said the change did not resolve the issue because she did not consider the video to be merely inspired by her work. In her response to Uche, Crystal explained what she believed inspiration should mean:
“To be inspired by means you see someone’s creativity and you use that as a starting point to create your own based off what you saw.”
She then made her main objection clear:
“You copied my word, my flow, my creative concept, word for word.”
“That isn’t inspiration; that’s plagiarism.”
She also said Uche later removed the tag and replaced it with just her name.
Why Paid Partnership Became Major Issue
For Crystal, the commercial aspect of the video was an important part of the dispute. She said she would have viewed the situation differently if Uche had simply been inspired by her content and created her own version. But according to Crystal, her concern was that her creative work was allegedly used as the foundation for content created for a brand partnership, without her permission or acknowledgment.
In the message she sent to Uche, Crystal wrote that the content had been created for a paid partnership and that simply adding “inspired by” after she was called out did not make the situation right. She wrote:
“My creativity was used as the creative concept for content that you were compensated to produce, without my permission or acknowledgment.”
She also described the situation as especially disappointing because Uche is a fellow Black creator. Crystal said Black women already work hard to establish their own creative spaces in the industry and argued that creators should not take recognition away from one another. She added:
“If anyone is a content creator, you know how passionate we are about our craft because it takes so much for us, especially as a black woman, to make our own lanes in this industry. And to see another black woman take that recognition away from the original creator and do it with no remorse, no empathy, no apology, is absolutely unreal.”
Crystal: Credit After The Fact Not Enough
Crystal made it clear that her issue was not simply about having her name attached to the video. She said adding credit after the alleged copying had already happened did not address what she considered the larger problem.
“I appreciate your willingness to address it, but I need you to understand why adding credit after the fact does not resolve the larger issue.”
Her argument was that the problem began when, according to her, her creative idea was reproduced and used commercially without permission or acknowledgment. She also stressed that content creation requires significant time and effort.
“I spent so much time coming up with creative ideas, creative concepts for my audience to enjoy,” she said.
Where The Dispute Stands
By the end of her video, Crystal said she could no longer see Uche’s Instagram page and was unsure whether she had been blocked or whether the actress had deactivated the account. She nevertheless said she wanted to speak about the situation because she believed it raised a wider issue about originality and respect among content creators.
“And since posting, I’m not sure if I’m blocked or if she deactivated her page, but I cannot see it, but I for sure still wanted to make this video to make it known how this is not acceptable in the content creator space or any space to be honest. Getting a check for a creative concept that you yourself did not create is extremely alarming.”
The dispute therefore goes beyond the similarity between two social media videos. Crystal’s main complaint is that she believes her creative concept, wording and execution were reproduced almost word for word, then used in a paid partnership without proper credit from the outset.
Uche’s initial private response indicated a willingness to give credit and settle the matter respectfully, while Crystal’s response made clear that, for her, a post-publication credit would not resolve what she described as plagiarism.
