A 4-year-old Southern California girl who rose to internet fame by predicting football winners on her dad’s social media is now at the center of an online firestorm, receiving death threats from angry gamblers who blame her for their losses.
What began as a lighthearted father-daughter bonding ritual between preschooler Reese Donatelli and her father, Southern California radio personality Anthony Donatelli, has spiraled into what he describes as a disturbing and “nuts” online ordeal.
Anthony Donatelli and his daughter.
The charming ritual — part of a series called “Trust the Toddler” — began innocently enough as a way for Donatelli to teach his daughter about colors and geography using miniature football helmets.
Fans were quickly captivated by little Reese, eagerly watching as she picked winners by grabbing the helmet of the team she believed would prevail. The videos racked up millions of views and thousands of likes and comments.
But the lighthearted fun took a darker turn earlier this month during the NFL’s Wild Card round.
Reese Donatelli went viral for her surprisingly accurate game predictions.
But as her popularity grew, she began missing more picks, inadvertently becoming a reverse jinx for teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As the misses spread online, the tone in the “Trust the Toddler” comment section shifted sharply.
The situation reached a breaking point when the family reportedly began receiving explicit threats.
What began as a lighthearted father-daughter bonding ritual between preschooler Reese Donatelli and her father, Southern California radio personality Anthony Donatelli, has spiraled into what he describes as an online nightmare.
“She’s obviously not an NFL analyst,” Donatelli told the Los Angeles Times. “She’s picking teams based on the color of her dress, or she’ll pick the Packers because she likes cheese. She just relates these silly little things as reasons why she picks certain teams.”
The viral phenomenon even drew the attention of Cardi B, who appeared to take a swipe at Reese after the toddler picked the New England Patriots to defeat the Houston Texans over the weekend.
During an Instagram Live session, the rapper said, “That little white girl said we’re going to win. F— that bitch!” before quickly adding, “I didn’t mean to say that.”
Despite the backlash, Reese’s prediction ultimately proved correct.
