Grace VanderWaal

“ ...being a fan of a pedo that's haunted my life and continue to twist the blade with harassment isn't really a great road to success ” — Grace's first (and probably only) official comment on Daniel, 2024.

Grace VanderWaal

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Name: Grace Avery VanderWaal

Aliases: {{{Knownas}}}

Time Active: {{{timeActive}}}

Alignment: Obsession of Daniel

DOB: January 15, 2004

Gender: Female

Race: White

Nationality: American

Height and Weight: {{{HeightnWeight}}}

Parents: Tina VanderWaal (Mother), Dave VanderWaal (Father)

Siblings: {{{Siblings}}}

Signature:

Arcs Involved:

Grace Avery VanderWaal (born January 15, 2004) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Daniel Larson has exhibited a persistent and unhealthy obsession on her since he was around 17 years old. His obsession with Grace began when he saw her perform on America's Got Talent while watching the show with his grandmother, Nancy Shimer.

Ever since, Daniel has had an unhealthy obsession, despite Grace being underage for the majority of it. Since his infatuation with her started, he has convinced himself that he is a part of her life. This perceived 'relationship' progressed rapidly over time, influenced by Daniel's own delusions, which were further reinforced by interactions with managers, trolls, and those pretending to be Grace.

Over time, Daniel's posts regarding Grace on his numerous social media accounts became increasingly explicit. In many of these posts, Daniel would talk in graphic detail about his sexual fantasies involving her, describing the various inappropriate acts that he would like to do with her. When engaging with trolls impersonating Grace, Daniel has consistently referenced images of her from her childhood.

Grace, and to a lesser extent, her family, were frequently impersonated by trolls, who used her identity to deceive Daniel and gain his trust. On multiple occasions, Daniel has engaged with these trolls in conversations involving disturbing and often inappropriate topics. Despite being misled by numerous individuals pretending to be Grace, he continues to fall for these deceptions.

On the April 17, 2024, Grace publicly acknowledged Daniel in a comment on her TikTok, @gracevanderpeepee, calling him a pedophile who has haunted her life. Additionally, Grace has filtered out any mention of Daniel's name from her comment sections, providing additional weight to the notion that she is aware of him and detests him. Furthermore, messages attributed to her mother suggest that Grace and her family want no contact with him.

Despite being told off by Tina VanderWaal, thousands of people online, and even Grace herself, Daniel still deludes himself into believing he is truly dating Grace. Most recently in the Second Jail Arc, during a call in September 2024, Daniel mentions plans for a wedding with her, and believes that her father Dave actually supports him.

Origins

Daniel has had an obsession with Grace Vanderwaal ever since Grace performed on America's Got Talent in 2016. He has stated that watching the show was a common pastime with his grandmother. While of questionable validity, his grandmother is documented to have said that Daniel may sing with Grace on stage one day. Since then, Daniel has believed that they were in a romantic relationship, despite him being 17, and Grace being 12.

Daniel mentioned Grace a few times in 2020, in one instance in November, he claimed that he would be collaborating with Grace on a Zoom meeting, which he was likely told by management at the time.

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Starting on May 12, 2021, Daniel began claiming that he and Grace had a collaboration in progress that would be coming out soon. Later, he escalated these claims by stating on TikTok that he and Grace had started dating. Things escalated quickly from there. Daniel's fixation intensified as he began telling strangers on the street that he was in a relationship with her. More disturbingly, Daniel recorded multiple videos of himself moaning and whispering in a sensual manner for Grace's viewing pleasure, and even worse, recorded himself having an orgasm (NSFW!) while whispering her name. In stark contrast to his lustful posts regarding Grace, Daniel has also posted hysterical videos about her 'breaking up' with him, calling her a bitch and various other expletives. Although Daniel has issued multiple apologies for the sexually charged videos he made about Grace, he has continued this behavior. While malicious trolls have played a role in deceiving and reinforcing his belief that he was in a relationship with her, his actions have repeatedly demonstrated an intense and persistent obsession with her.

Daniel mogs Grace with his Greek God-esque Jawline.

Daniel, fully aware that Grace was under 18, made multiple posts claiming that he would, "...wait until Grace is 18." His claims about their relationship have shifted depending on his delusions at the time. When viewing it as romantic, Daniel refers to Grace as his girlfriend. When perceiving it as sexual, he has described explicit acts he wishes to engage in with her.

Daniel continues to insist that his obsession with Grace is not sexual, claiming instead that he simply "...wants to have a chance" with her. However, everything Daniel says about Grace should be taken with a huge grain of salt as he has a tendency to internalize his delusions.

“ I just wanted a chance and I need help! I was never givin a chance and every single time I tried to contact you i get threatened. I really like your daughter for who she is and not for sexual reasons. The trolls want everyone to think it's for sexual reasons. I just wanted to stand out and have a chance with her! I know the competition she has. We are all human and we do sexual activities though. But that doesn't make me a pedophile if I have never even done anything and everyone uses me because I don't have protection. I'm sorry for everything being crazy ”

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  Daniel denying his pedophilic attraction to Grace.

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Daniel holds Grace in particularly high regard and has frequently targeted her with his obsessive behavior, similar to other figures he has fixated on, most notably Bob Proctor. Posts made by Grace on TikTok or Instagram were frequently inundated with comments from Daniel, as if he were having a direct conversation with her in real time. Daniel repeatedly mentioned and tagged her in his own TikTok videos, causing her notifications to be dominated by his messages. This behavior persisted across nearly all of his TikTok accounts, eventually leading to the suspension of one due to repeated harassment. Shortly after, Grace filtered out terms in her comments such as "Daniel Larson," "Mr. President," and "Danderson" from her TikTok comments to prevent further interaction.

As of 2024, Daniel's obsession with Grace shows no signs of stopping. He continues to fall for trolls’ claims about her and follows the instructions of individuals impersonating Grace, often leading him to engage in egregious and disturbing actions, including the creation of NSFW content like the Pencil Incident.

Even during the Jail Arc, Daniel has mentioned Grace in phone conversations with Clark, seemingly believing that she might bail him out. While his Graceposting has eased up, it has never truly died down or stopped. Daniel's current head-canon is that he and Grace are periodically breaking up and getting back together, or getting an apartment, with no inbetween. He still thinks about Grace while incarcerated for federal crimes.

Although these delusions do appear to be what Daniel is genuinely thinking, Flexburger has said in the past during a AMA that Daniel does not truly believe that he is dating Grace. Instead, it is said he wants to believe it, and likes having someone to sext and talk to.

Delusions

The Likee Meltdown

Main Article: Likee Meltdown

During one of his delusional episodes, Daniel, seemingly without access to his phone, posted on Likee, a short video creating platform he used while banned from TikTok, in despair and asking his followers to retrieve information from the 'VanderWaal Team'.

Daniel appeared to believe that an unspecified accident had occurred and that the VanderWaal family, whom he was convinced had been in contact with him, was withholding information about Grace. Throughout the video, he hit his head and made threats against his own life. This incident was particularly notable as it marked the first time Daniel had a meltdown online.

Despite his claims, he did not act on his threats, and once the episode subsided, he returned to his usual behavior. Daniel said that if he did not get into contact with the VanderWaal family, he would end up homeless. Though relatively minor at the time, this episode foreshadowed more severe delusional behavior in the future.

Afterwards, Daniel uploaded a video to YouTube mourning the supposed deaths of Grace, and her father Dave. In this video, he expressed the belief that Grace had both committed suicide and suffered a heart attack simultaneously. Before Daniel addressed their deaths, he became emotional, crying and hysterically apologizing for sexting minors and sending pictures of his genitals to individuals he believed to be Grace. He promised to repent for the bad choices he had made and honor her legacy.

After this live-stream, Daniel posted to his TikTok admitting that Grace was one of the minors he had supposedly sexted. Daniel admitted, "I have sexted minors, 13 years old, well I'm gonna be honest, 12 years old". The video ends with Daniel saying that he planned to move on by not doing things such as this anymore and putting in the work to become a better person for her, especially after Grace's 'death.'

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While it may have appeared that Daniel's belief in Grace’s supposed death prompted a moment of repentance, this was short-lived. Upon realizing that Grace was still alive, he quickly reverted to his usual obsessive behavior, once again posting about her regularly and continuing to sext with individuals he believed to be her.

Tyrone

"Tyrone just shot Grace VanderWaal in the abdomen and shoulder"

Daniel, alluding to the hospital Grace was apparently staying at, was being shot up.

During the July 24th freak-out, Daniel became convinced that Grace was being attacked by an individual named "Tyrone," whom he described as an African-American man attempting to kill her. He claimed that Tyrone had "just shot Grace VanderWaal in the abdomen and shoulder." Following this, Daniel's community tab was filled with paranoid posts, as he simultaneously believed that Grace had died and that she was still alive in a hospital while Tyrone continued to pursue her.

At one point, he became convinced that Tyrone was attacking the hospital where Grace was supposedly being treated, escalating to what he described as a "standoff." These delusions were likely exacerbated by trolls who fueled his paranoia.

Daniel's (Failed) Trek from Colorado to New York

While in contact with Daniel, an account claiming to be Grace told him that she had recently been with another man. Fueled by delusions, rage, and his obsessive fixation on Grace, Daniel decided to hike from Colorado to New York in an attempt to "win her back," documenting his journey through TikTok videos recorded during the night.

In these TikToks, Daniel claimed that he had, "...officially fucked up," with Grace to the point that she had broken up with him. In a rare moment of clarity, Daniel acknowledged that Grace was her own person and that she could date whoever she wanted. Daniel’s reason for going to New York was to win back Grace’s love from whomever she was apparently having sex with. He tried to guilt trip her in these videos by saying that he had a, "...[h]eart disease from heartbreak," and details about how hard his childhood was.

As the night progressed, Daniel remained awake, continuing his journey as the sun began to rise. During the walk, he made increasingly erratic statements and even broke into karaoke. Ultimately, the hike ended with Daniel returning to Denver, either due to exhaustion or after realizing that the "Grace" he had been communicating with was, in fact, a troll.

Grace "pregnant" with Jacob's baby.

The Grace and Jacob Sartorius Love Affair

Main Article: Jacob Sartorius#Delusions

On July 24th, 2023, Daniel became convinced that Grace, whom he believed had been in a relationship with him until this point, had broken up with him as things were, "..moving too slow". Shortly after, he became fixated on the idea that she had started dating American social media personality and singer Jacob Sartorius. Daniel would soon believe that Jacob had impregnated Grace, and ordered her assassination by "Tyrone", all at the same time. Daniel's narrative regarding Jacob rapidly changed, at one point claiming that Jacob was harassing him, and later insisted that he was targeting Grace instead.

This eventually culminated into Daniel throwing his dinner into a river because of his anger at Grace dating Jacob instead of him.

Contact

Grace's mom responding to what is most likely thousands of messages from Daniel

While Grace is aware of Daniel's existence, she has rarely publicly acknowledged him, despite hundreds of comments and posts by Daniel and his trolls. It is highly likely that she chooses not to acknowledge them, particularly Daniel, as he thrives on attention. Some speculate that Grace stopped posting on her original TikTok account due to harassment from Daniel and his followers in the comment section, though this remains unconfirmed.

Jakob VanderWaal

Daniel's obsession caused Grace's brother, Jakob, to message him in December 2021. He directly confronted him, telling him to leave her and their family alone, and were considering putting a restraining order against him with the threat of building a criminal case. Daniel had an intense reaction to this confrontation, as he went to the hospital and at one point, had a meltdown and violently hit his head in response.

Tina VanderWaal

Daniel's continued obsession eventually caused Tina VanderWaal, Grace's mother, to message him on July 25, 2022.

Tina, through Instagram, firmly demanded that Daniel cease all contact with her family, especially her daughter, calling out his mental illness and delusions. Tina then claimed to be in contact with the police, and if he did not stop making videos and posts about Grace, she would pursue legal action and have him arrested.

In response, Daniel acknowledged her message but then stated that he planned to take his own life that night. However, he did not follow through with this threat. It is likely that he made the statement as an attempt to guilt-trip Tina or gain attention.

“ Stop saying my daughters name. Stop saying you are in a relationship with her. You are scaring her and our family. Everything you have said and done has been in your own mind. You need to access some mental health support and stop harassing my daughter. I have contacted the authorities and will continue to press the issue of you don't stop making disturbing videos. You followers have harassed my daughter long enough. STOP ”

Despite this, Tina has not followed suit with her threats. According to a message exchange with a member of the Daniel Larson subreddit, Tina had reached out to the Denver police However, they were unable to intervene, as Daniel had not made any direct threats against Grace at the time.

Even so, this interaction with Grace's mother was a focal point of multiple videos and community posts for some time. Daniel posted multiple videos where he appeared emotional, often crying and/or apologizing to the VanderWaal family while repeatedly addressing the 'allegations' against him. However, his responses were inconsistent; at times, Daniel acknowledged his actions, while at other times, he dismissed the allegations as unfounded rumors.^{[citation needed]}

Two weeks later, Tina left a comment on one of Daniel's live-streams, urging him to stop his obsessive posting.

“ God Daniel….. do you think I’m watching your lives? whoever just contacted you claiming to be me was not me. I have no idea who Ox even is. I don’t want you to talk about Grace or our family anymore. I have only replied to you once when you DM’d me a couple of weeks ago - then I told you to stop saying Grace’s name but clearly you refuse to listen. Stop all of this. Everyone communicating with you are trolls trying to get you to do crazy things. Please STOP ”

Upon receiving this message, Daniel repeatedly responded to Tina, pressing her with questions, to which she replied:

“ I do mind. Stop everything to do with our family ESPECIALLY my daughter. You are making me reply publicly so you can’t censor what I’m actually saying to you. I’ve spoken to DDRC as well as the Denver police and Denver FBI. Do you really want to continue this? Again, just stop. Your reality is not real. ”

Daniel responded to these posts by asking even more for forgiveness, stating that things got, "...fucked up," because of his "...past friendships," and insisting he is misunderstood. He has not received a response.

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Months later, on March 26, 2023, an exasperated Tina left a comment on Daniel's YouTube short, titled "the vanderwaal's told me that I am safe from all legal trouble if I stay in contact with them." She denied this claim and warned Daniel that he was close to being arrested.

“ Great!!!! Stop talking about Grace and all of us.

Now you’re going to be safe…… I have talked to the FBI Daniel, this is truly not a joke and you are moving in the direction of being arrested for a very serious offense.

”

Daniel responded 10 times, begging her for a second chance and crying. Tina ignored these messages. However, the next day, Tina posted on Daniel's community tab post, with a link to his Cash App. Tina warned his followers that they were participating in committing a crime.

“ Anyone that contributes to this cash app and helps Daniel get to my daughter is assisting in committing a crime. I hope you know that. It is a recorded record and you will be held accountable. This is serious. Stop thinking people’s lives are a joke. ”

Daniel would respond, idiotically "siding" with Tina and ignoring the severity of the situation. He continued to make similar posts that day. As of 2024, this remains the last verifiable message Tina has sent to Daniel regarding Grace.

Grace Rape Troll

Messages the troll sent to Daniel.

Sometime in late 2021, Daniel texted a number belonging to someone who claimed to be Grace VanderWaal; the identity of the person behind this number remains unknown.

In these messages, "Grace" made bizarre claims, stating that she was at the White House, being sexually assaulted by her father, and had been impregnated by multiple individuals. Daniel believed this to be genuine and attempted to convince "Grace" to move to Denver, where she could press charges against her father and live with him.

The messages initially showed Daniel expressing genuine concern for "Grace’s" well-being, asking how he could help. However, the conversation quickly took a disturbing turn, with Daniel proceeding to ask "Grace" what it felt like to be raped and what she thought about during the assaults—seemingly desperate to imagine her engaging in intercourse. Daniel later claimed that he asked these questions to gather information for use in court, though this is highly unlikely, as no legal action followed.

Whenever this fake "Grace" spoke about the alleged assaults, they claimed the incidents were being recorded and uploaded to a social media or pornographic website, which led Daniel to express interest in finding and viewing the supposed footage. Following this exchange, he made multiple videos stating that he had contacted the police regarding the situation. Given his history of misusing emergency services, it is likely that he did, in fact, call the authorities.

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AI Prank

On June 16, 2023, Reddit user u/TMZ_news posted a video of Grace VanderWaal's Instagram account, editing the image to make her most recent post appear as a video addressing Daniel. The video in question being made using AI.

In the video, 'Grace' urges Daniel to leave her and her family alone, reinforcing the fact that he had never been in contact with any of the members of the VanderWaal family. u/TMZ_news went on to post screenshots of alleged messages between him and Tina VanderWaal, in which Tina claimed the video was taken down due to Grace's "lawyer" advising them to do so, although these messages are most likely fake.

Daniel addressed the video on the community section of his YouTube page, and his panicked reactions made it clear that he did not see the posts as fake, and had fallen for the elaborate prank. [citation needed]

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Messages with u/TMZ_News

While Daniel himself has not had contact with Grace, on June 21, 2023, u/TMZ_News reached out to Grace to ask if she knew who Daniel was and if she had ever been in contact with him. Grace responded by stating that she had never been in contact with Daniel and never plans to do so. She emphatically expressed her hatred for him and her desire for him to stop mentioning her name.

“ I know who he is, but I have never contacted him and don't have want anything to do with him. He's the worst thing that has ever happened to my career. Every time I search my name I see pictures of that dirty pedophile. My posts get spammed with comments about that freak Daniel. I hate him and I wish he would just stop talking about me. ”

They replied to Grace with condolences for both her and her family, offering to stop messaging Grace about Daniel.

“ No, it's okay I understand that you're just trying to help. It's nice having someone to talk to about the problem and I can tell that you're a nice guy. ”

This was the last message Grace sent before their exchange ended.

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There is a very high chance that even if Daniel sees these messages, he will not change. Due to his delusions, he will likely continue to believe that Grace loves him and that everyone else is lying. If this response is authentic, it would likely encourage Daniel to persist, as his efforts have made Grace aware of him.

However, there is a high chance that these messages are fake. This same user had previously faked posts from Grace's Instagram in order to trick Daniel, so any other media coming from U/TMZ_news should be approached with skepticism. Until more evidence comes out, it is safe to assume that the exchange pictured above is faked.

TikTok Comment (Official Acknowledgement)

On April 17, 2024, it was revealed that Grace is, in fact, aware of Daniel. On a post of her TikTok account, a user commented,

“ Is laniel darson featured? ”

Grace had filtered out "Daniel Larson" from her comments on TikTok due to the harassment. She replied,

“ If ur trying to be a musician with [REDACTED BAND NAME] being a fan of a p*do that's haunted my life and continue to twist the blade with harassment isn't really a great road to success ”

Daniel, in response to Grace's comment.

The commenter later deleted his original comment after Grace had replied, taking issue with Grace mentioning his band. However, he provided a screen recording of the comment.

This finally confirms that Grace is indeed aware of Daniel, and clearly does not want anything to do with him, mentioning that he has haunted her. Given the amount of weens who have likely flooded Grace's comment section with mentions of Daniel, this is not very surprising. Daniel saw the comment and confirmed this on his Community Tab, but he continues to harbor delusions, still thinking she loves him, when in reality she does not. In addition, it is possible Daniel even thought the comment was made by a troll.

However, the overall message is clear: Grace and her family want NOTHING to do with Daniel. DO NOT contact the VanderWaals about Daniel Larson.