Who is "Paul in USA"? The Chinese influencer who posted a 23-hour video of his wife giving birth

Childbirth is one of the most magical and vulnerable moments for a mother and the family, one that is a mix of hope, pain, and miracle all crammed into one unforgettable moment.But recently, a video of this precious, vulnerable moment went viral, turning it into social media content, complete with ads and exposed vulnerability, for millions to gawk at.A Chinese influencer living the American dream blew up online, not just for his fancy life abroad, but for crossing a line that left everyone questioning. Zhou Zhao, popularly known as "Paul in USA," was born in 1990 and has built a massive online empire from his Seattle base. A Columbia University graduate, he once worked as a product manager at Microsoft before ditching the corporate job for full-time content creation.Starting in February 2019, he posted videos of his daily life abroad, accumulating over 12.2 million followers on Douyin (Chinese TikTok) by the start of 2026, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports.But fame took a dark turn when he shared a video of his wife's childbirth, a 23-hour experience. The footage captured severe medical complications: a third-degree perineal tear, risking faecal incontinence, postpartum haemorrhaging, and a staggering 3,344 millilitres of blood loss.She needed an emergency operation and transfusion, but thankfully, both mother and newborn daughter pulled through safely.He was trolled online massively for filming nonstop through the crisis, exposing her body, and weaving in a nappy ad where he read the promo script himself, reported SCMP.The video went viral, then vanished after deletion. On February 10, his unnamed wife defended it online: “Our intention was to authentically document the childbirth process. We did not anticipate complications during filming, but still felt it was important to share the footage.” She added, “Some people told us it helped them better understand the risks and unpredictability of childbirth: not every delivery is smooth; some are extremely dangerous,” according to an SCMP report.Netizens accused him of exploiting her pain for traffic, ignoring consent amid her agony. On February 11, Douyin banned "Paul in USA" for “violating relevant laws, regulations and platform policies,” per SCMP.Paul later issued a statement via lawyer Zhou Zhao Cheng, admitting "content尺度考虑不周," poor judgment on content scale, and apologising. He insisted filming was a joint decision, reviewed by his wife, debunking claims of disregard.