Haley Kalil’s followers think she looks like Angelina Jolie — but she doesn’t quite believe it.
“I still don’t see it, but I’m grateful every single time because she is stunningly gorgeous,” Kalil, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly at the 33rd annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 2. “She’s stunning. I’m like the Temu version.”
The influencer recently had an awkward run-in with Jolie, 49, at the Gotham Awards in December 2024 which Kalil called “insane.”
“Oh God. … I cannot believe that I did that,” Kalil recalled to Us, referencing how she blurted out, “Angie, I just want to say I love you so much.” The actress quickly said “Thank you” and walked away.
Sterling K. Brown ‘Couldn’t Talk’ While Meeting Meryl Streep
Kalil, known on TikTok as Haley Baylee, started posting on the social media app in October 2022 and has amassed 12.6 million followers.
“It’s been crazy. I never thought when I made an Instagram back in the day, and, like, was choosing my username, and I chose one with like 10 e’s and 6 y’s, and I thought nobody’s ever gonna see it,” Kalil shared.
The TikToker often goes viral for her funny interviews with celebrities at award shows — which she prepares for by being “chronically online.”
“So being chronically online almost tells you everything you need to know, right? It’s like you almost know the Oscar-nominated films before they’re nominated. Because it’s the ones everyone’s talking about,” she explained to Us. “So I watch the movies, I literally stalk online the actors, see what they’re going viral for, see what they’re talking about, what they want to talk about. And then you just try to find a way to combine internet culture with celebrity culture and see if you can make magic or just be super awkward — which is usually what ends up happening, but I try.”
While Kalil enjoys going to shows such as the Grammys and Golden Globes, she has faced some criticism from people who believe influencers should not be participating in such big events.
Photobombs! Proposals! See the Funniest Met Gala Moments Over the Years
“I totally get it. And I think for me, social media came into my life in a way that I never expected,” Kalil said. “And I think it’s coming into people’s lives in ways they never expected because it’s also new. And I think we’re at that time where we’re figuring it out. But I also think at the same time, this world is so much more accessible to people who maybe didn’t grow up in this world.”
Kalil noted that she’s from Minnesota and her parents are mechanical engineers, so she wouldn’t be able to “touch any of this” if it wasn’t for social media.
“I’m grateful just to have the opportunity to be a part of this world. But I do think that there’s a certain respect that you need to have, and it’s finding that and figuring out the balance between those things,” she told Us. “I think we’re gonna see that in the next couple years. Soon, TikTokers and this world are gonna mesh, and everyone’s just gonna be in entertainment.”
With reporting by Sienna Leone
