A billionaire’s newly wedded wife allegedly bullied an Instagram user in a heated exchange over rights to the username, claiming the stranger was illegally “pretending to be someone.”
Katherine Asplundh, formally Driscoll, married Pennsylvania tree service heir Cabot Asplundh on April 27 and wanted to make the celebration Instagram official and change her name on the platform to match her new legal name.
But there was one catch, the desired handle @katherineasplundh was already taken.
In an attempt to get her way, Asplundh messaged the owner of the coveted account under her social media profile still named @katherinedrisc, an ode to her maiden name.
“Hi just wondering if I could purchase your username from you. Just got married and this is my new name,” the newly read wrote, according to screenshots of the conversation posted to the NYCInfluencesnark sub Reddit.
The out-of-the-blue message caught the real Katherine Asplundh, who goes by Kate, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, off guard and made her nervous after doing some research
“Hi congrats! That’s my name too. I just googled and it said selling my username would get me banned from Instagram.”
The new bride’s in-laws own the Asplundh Tree Expert Co. in Pennsylvania, which is the 109th largest private company in America with a revenue of $5.42 billion in 2023, according to Forbes.
She fired back saying that buying accounts was a common trend among high-profile people and she had previously purchased Instagram usernames.
“I purchased my username in the past actually that’s not true. Celebrities do it all the time that’s how they all have their handles as their full names,” the newlywed responded.
“So weird I didn’t know there was another Asplundh’s family out there. There no Katherine asplundh in our family.”
Kate informed the suitor that the account was a “finsta” or fake Instagram that she uses for private stories and archiving photos and her main account uses her maiden name.
After being told no the first time, an irritated Driscoll Asplundh argued that Kate’s name wasn’t Katherine Asplundh, and that she would be reported.
“I actually don’t believe that your name is Katherine Asplundh who would make their finsta their actual name? I reported you to Instagram and they’re actually able to tell me your real name I really hope I don’t know you because that’s gonna be really embarrassing for you.”
The influencer then claimed her then-fiance had also reported Kate.
She last posted to her account on April 30, showcasing her wedding dress to her 14,600 followers.
In a third attempt to get the username, Asplundh researched the name “Katherine Asplundh” on Facebook, and concluded that she must be the only one with the name in America when she didn’t find any results.
“The family I just married into is the only Asplundh in America.”
“I’m not American,” Kate responded.
The influencer then asks for “proof” that the woman is who she is claiming to be.
“Do you have proof that this is your name? Would love to see that.”
The asking for proof was seemingly the final straw for Kate, who blasted the influencer’s attitude.
“I was open to giving her my username,” Kate told the outlet. “I just didn’t want to sell it because that would get me banned. After I replied to her, her messages came off snarky so I told myself, ‘OK, this isn’t worth it.’”
Kate filed two reports to Instagram regarding Asplundh, one for asking to sell the account and the other for harassing her.
“Have a good day,” the original Asplundh concluded.
Many Reddit users jumped to Kate’s defense.
“Legitimately INSANE behavior “I don’t believe that’s your name” HUH?!?!”
“The pivot from hey girly to LET ME SEE YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE gave me whiplash.”
Others offered advice to the account owner on how to get back at the influencer.
“From now on you live on that Instagram account. Do not sell it to this ridiculous woman. I would actually make that public but that’s just me being petty.”
Following the post to the sub-reddit, several more Instagram handles with some variation of “Katherine Asplundh” have appeared on the Meta-owned app.
