- An Airbnb host said a painting in her apartment disappeared and was replaced by another.
- Her story went viral on TikTok, as viewers offered theories as to what might be behind it.
- Now he’s trying to find out more about the mystery by sharing his findings on TikTok.
An Airbnb host said her guest swapped out the image on her wall for a completely different one and is taking TikTok with her on her journey to find out why.
“Okay, the weirdest thing just happened,” said Amy Corbett, co-founder of the short-term rental company. They all belong to Co.who rents out some of his properties through Airbnb, in a TikTok video Posted on April 17.
Corbett shared a screenshot of an Airbnb listing for an apartment in Lynchburg, Virginia, which showed an image of a world map hanging above the sofa. He later said that when she recently entered the apartment, he noticed that the image had disappeared and was replaced by a completely different painting of hers. an airplane propeller.
“I’ve never seen this image before in my life,” Corbett said as she filmed the artwork on the wall, adding: “I have to say I was a bit scared.”
The video went viral, receiving more than 7 million views, and commenters seemed immediately intrigued by the mysterious story, offering theories and insights as to what might have happened. Two common theories were that it was part of an elaborate prank involving various Airbnbs obtaining paintings from the previous apartment the guest stayed in, or that the guest somehow damaged the original image.
in a follow-up video on April 20, Corbett attempted to discredit some of these theories. She said that she had been in contact He contacted one of the guest’s previous Airbnb hosts to ask if he had been trading paintings in their apartments, but was told he hadn’t done any of that.
Corbett has published a number of Follow up videos about the situation, some of which received hundreds of thousands or millions of views. One of them included footage that he said was from his security camera and appeared to show a person putting a painting into a building and then coming out with a large object under a blanket, which he placed in a car. Corbett said she believed he was hiding his painting under the blanket, and commenters under his videos began theorizing that the guest was a painter or interior designer, trying to make improvements to the apartment with his trade.
But Corbett said he thinks the guest is unlikely to be an artist, because the canvas painting he put up in the apartment is sold en masse online.
She too saying she had filed a complaint through Airbnb about the artwork and that the guest returned some of the money, but not all that was asked for.
An Airbnb spokesperson told Insider in an emailed statement that the guest in question had been suspended for violating their policies. “Art is covered by our AirCover policy and this Host is being supported through that process,” they added.
Insider was unable to verify the guest’s identity to contact him for comment.
Viewers continue to be baffled by the situation, given the information Corbett provided, but some are still offering new theories, including that he was filming a video for TikTok or another social media platform where this would all be part of some kind of parody.
Others began debating the new artwork itself, with some people saying they thought it made the apartment look better than before, while others said aesthetics shouldn’t be taken into account and the guest was wrong to take the photo. Nonetheless.
Disputes between Airbnb hosts and guests often go viral on TikTok, as users voice their concerns and complaints about Airbnb interactions with millions of viewers, who often take sides or opine on the matter. Some people have also speculated about the outlandish stories could be manufactured by creators for views, or to promote their properties.
In a written statement to Insider, Corbett said she thinks the saga has caught TikTok’s attention because “everyone loves a good mystery” and because people enjoyed joining her in offering theories and engaging in speculation. “We all want to know WHY,” she wrote herself.
For more stories like this, check out Insider’s digital culture team coverage here.
