Owning Manhattan star Nile Lundgren broke down in tears as he revealed in a deleted scene from the Netflix reality show that his 13-year-old cousin, Blake, accidentally hanged himself while doing a TikTok challenge.
The luxury estate agent, 32, opened up to his boss Ryan Serhant, 40, about the ‘immense tragedy’ that devastated his family, explaining that he had been put off using the social media platform because of it.
Following the emotional heart-to-heart, which ended with both Nile and Ryan crying, Nile paid a heartwarming tribute to his late cousin, describing him as ‘so much more than a casualty of the TikTok Blackout challenge.’
Nile said: ‘I stopped [posting on TikTok] because my cousin, he was 13 years old, he was involved in a TikTok challenge and accidentally hung himself.
‘So, that really soured my taste for the whole TikTok thing. I was like, I just don’t want to be doing it and I took a real step back.
Owning Manhattan star Nile Lundgren broke down revealing that his 13-year-old cousin Blake accidentally hanged himself while doing a TikTok challenge.
‘For me, to spend that much time and effort, especially in the wake of a very immense tragedy within my family, it just didn’t feel right from a personal standpoint.
‘I’m very aware of where I want to go and where I need to go, I’ve just had a mental block personally, because I just don’t know how to deal with it.
‘Time will heal… I’m ready to get back, it’s just I’ve taken a step back and I’m very aware of that.’
Nile then added: ‘His name was Blake by the way.’
Ryan was visibly moved by Nile’s admission and was at a loss for words.
Eventually, he managed to say: ‘We could sit and talk about real estate all day long, right, and it’s, I don’t know, you’re gonna make me cry.’
‘I had no idea,’ a tearful Ryan continued, before reaching out to comfort Nile, who was also crying, with a hug.
The TikTok blackout challenge, which encourages choking to induce temporary loss of consciousness, gained widespread attention on the social media platform in 2021.
Blake had been doing the notoriously dangerous Blackout challenge when he died
Nile said that Blake’s death caused ‘immense tragedy within my family’
Paying a heartfelt tribute to Blake, Nile described him as the ’embodiment of joy and kindness’
The trend encouraged users to asphyxiate themselves, pass out and regain consciousness on camera, and has been linked to the deaths of dozens of children in the United States.
Nile shared the emotional moment on his Instagram in the hopes that the conversation would ‘raise awareness about the impacts and dangers of children on social media.’
He explained: ‘In this deleted scene from #OwningManhattan, I opened up to Ryan about why I took a break from social media.
‘After careful thought and consideration between Blake’s mom and family, Netflix, and Ryan, we felt it was important to shed light on the conversations of the dangers of social.’
Nile hopes to shed light on the conversations of the dangers of social by speaking up about Blake’s death
Ryan Serhant was visibly moved by Nile’s devastating loss and jumped up to comfort him
In his tribute, Nile described his late cousin, Blake, as being the ’embodiment of joy and kindness.’
He penned: ‘My 13-year-old cousin, Blake, is so much more than a casualty of the TikTok Blackout challenge, that is not his legacy.
‘He was a young hero of everyday moments and always cheering on friends, family, and strangers.’
He continued: ‘Blake was someone who would stay after football practice for the last teammate to finish running and jump out of the car to help an elderly person in need.
‘His closest friends embody Blake’s kind-heartedness as a tribute to him. We celebrate Blake’s life as it was one of love, laughter, and adventure.
‘Blake is the embodiment of joy and kindness. His heart was as big as his spirit, and he left an indelible mark on everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.’
