In one of the strangest viral stories to emerge from TikTok this year, Boston-based content creator Carli Bellmer accidentally swallowed her left AirPod after mistaking it for an ibuprofen pill.
Bellmer, a 27-year-old podcaster and licensed esthetician known on TikTok as @iamcarliiib, shared the mishap in a series of emotional and candid videos that quickly racked up millions of views. The incident occurred as she was getting ready for bed, tired and distracted, holding both an 800mg ibuprofen tablet and the wireless earbud she had just removed.
“I literally ate my fing left AirPod,” she recounted in one of the clips. “I was crawling into bed and I had an ibuprofen 800 in one hand and my fing AirPod — my left earbud — in the other.”
Realizing the error almost immediately, Bellmer attempted to induce vomiting without success. What elevated the story into internet legend was the fact that the AirPod remained powered on and connected via Bluetooth to her iPhone. When she recorded and sent a voice memo to a friend in her panic, the audio captured muffled, eerie gurgling sounds from inside her stomach instead of her voice. She later shared the unsettling clip on TikTok, amplifying its virality.
Seeking medical guidance, Bellmer underwent X-rays that confirmed the device was moving through her digestive system. Doctors monitored the situation conservatively, as the smooth, small object posed a relatively low risk of complications. A follow-up scan a couple of days later showed it had passed naturally.
“I had a feeling that I passed it,” Bellmer confirmed in a subsequent video. “I did not retrieve it, but I know that it’s passed.”
Bellmer framed the ordeal as both a humorous cautionary tale and a serious reminder, urging her followers to double-check what they’re putting in their mouths — especially late at night when fatigue sets in. The story was widely picked up by outlets for its mix of gross-out humor, relatable mishap and the surreal element of technology transmitting audio from within the human body.
While similar incidents have surfaced in the years since, Bellmer’s 2021 experience remains one of the most memorable “only on the internet” stories of its kind — equal parts cautionary, cringeworthy and undeniably shareable.
