Unveiled: The Shocking Secret Behind America’s Most Hated Influencer Mom

When fitness and lifestyle influencer Tara Woodcox shared a TikTok video last November, she likely didn’t anticipate the uproar it would cause, branding her as one of America’s most criticized influencers.

The video featured what she touted as an ingenious travel hack: using a hotel coffee maker to wash her dirty underwear.

While Woodcox, 37, praised her “brilliant” discovery, the internet’s response was far from positive, with many expressing shock and revulsion.

The backlash was so intense that numerous other content creators chimed in, accusing her of engaging in cheap “rage bait” tactics.

Amid this “underwear-gate” debacle, it has also come to light that Woodcox has been dealing with personal challenges, as revealed by the Daily Mail.

In January, she filed for divorce from her husband of 14 years, Zachary Woodcox, 40, claiming that the ‘parties were incompatible,’ according to divorce documents viewed by the Daily Mail. She also filed for a temporary restraining order.

Woodcox, a self-styled fitness and nutrition guru for fellow mothers, first found online fame by sharing workout tips and dieting advice to help ‘busy moms get strong and confident’, swiftly gaining over 391,000 followers on Instagram and 714,000 on TikTok.

But it was her unconventional laundry tip in November that really put her in the spotlight.

Fitness influencer Tara Woodcox sparked immense backlash after she posted a video in November encouraging people to wash their dirty underwear in a hotel coffee machine 

In the wake of the controversy, the Daily Mail has now learned that Woodcox has filed divorce from her husband, Zachary Woodcox (pictured in 2021)

‘I’m about to show you guys one of the coolest tricks ever,’ Woodcox began in the now-infamous TikTok clip. 

‘Say you’re traveling and you didn’t pack enough underwear and you’re like, “Oh my gosh, what am I gonna wear tomorrow?”

‘Every room has a coffee pot in it. All you have to do – put your underwear where you would put the coffee grounds, you close it and press brew and it puts scorching hot water through it.’

She went on to encourage her followers to dry the underwear using a blow dryer. 

‘You blow dry those bad boys and you’ve got yourself a cleaner pair of underwear to wear,’ she continued.

‘I learned it years ago from a friend who is a flight attendant and it’s brilliant.’ 

The clip raked in hundreds of thousands of views and left people all across the globe furious with Woodcox for sharing the ‘unsanitary’ and ‘disgusting’ advice.

One person branded it as a ‘public health issue’ while others wondered if she could get in trouble for encouraging something so ‘unsafe.’

A representative from the hotel told the Daily Mail they have been addressing the issue with Woodcox personally. 

Woodcox appeared to laugh off the public scrutiny while insisting in a new video shared to TikTok this week that she had never actually washed her underwear in a hotel coffee machine.

She claimed to have posted the initial hack as a way to warn others ‘not to use coffee pots’ in public places.

‘I’ve never actually done that. It’s really funny, the amount of…’ she trailed off as she started giggling.

When someone off camera asked her why she even said it, she responded: ‘Because I’ve heard it from a friend before, she’s a flight attendant. People do that.’

‘The amount of people that have been out for me… this is insane. I have to say thank you though because it’s pretty entertaining,’ she added. 

‘It was something that I posted as [a reason] why you should not use the coffee pot. It was more like, “Hey, this is why I wouldn’t use the coffee pot.” I learned that from a friend and I was like, “Ew.”‘

Woodcox, a fitness and nutrition coach, first found online fame by sharing workout tips and dieting advice and has gained over 391,000 followers on Instagram and 714,000 on TikTok

But while the social media star seemed unbothered by the backlash, days prior she posted an emotional message to Instagram hinting that she was struggling behind the scenes.

Woodcox admitted that she had ‘nothing left to give’ and that some days it ‘takes everything in her just to get up.’

Woodcox and Zachary, who are based in Canton, Ohio, wed in November 2011 and welcomed three children together – Colton, 13, Wyatt, 12, and Kope, six – over the years.

She is requesting to be the ‘designated residential parent,’ and that she be granted ‘reasonable child and spousal support, all of her separate property and an equitable division of their marital property, attorney fees and court costs deemed necessary,’ the divorce documents state.

The temporary restraining order she filed for was signed by a judge. She claimed in her court paper that she ‘has reasonable grounds to believe’ that Zachary will either ‘assault, molest, injure, harass or bother her’ when her complaint is served.

‘This isn’t easy to share, but I’m going to be honest,’ she wrote in the February 16 Instagram post. ‘I know you guys have probably noticed I’m not on here the same. I don’t show my face as much. I look different. I look tired…

‘The last couple years have been really hard on me and my boys. There are days I feel strong and like I’ve got it together. And there are days it takes everything in me just to get up and be present for them. Some days I’m just trying to survive the day.

‘I’m hurting. I’m scared sometimes. I feel overwhelmed a lot. And I’m doing my best to hold it together for my kids while I figure things out. Even on our hardest days I know we will get through this.’ 

The court document also said that she believes Zachary will ‘sell, encumber, dispose of, conceal or remove the household furniture, motor vehicles, goods and bank accounts’ they share, ‘incur further debt’ in either of their names and ‘remove their minor children from the jurisdiction of the court or otherwise attempt to conceal their whereabouts.’

A temporary order hearing is set for March 17 followed by a pre-trial in June.

This wasn’t the first time Woodcox had tried to file for divorce. 

She also filed in December 2024 – but a judge dismissed that filing in May 2025. Woodcox wrote in her new submission that she ‘didn’t go through with it’ then, but didn’t share any further information as to why.

Woodcox and Zachary, who are based in Canton, Ohio, wed in November 2011 and welcomed three children together over the years: Colton, 13, Wyatt, 12, and Kope, six

Back in December 2025, Woodcox revealed that there were problems brewing between her and her husband. She posted a lengthy note to Facebook detailing the hidden ‘wounds’ stemming from his past time in the military.

‘I used to think the worst wounds from war were the ones you could see. I know now that was wrong,’ she wrote.

‘War doesn’t always end when the uniform comes off. Sometimes it comes home and lives in the quiet moments. Like standing at the sink doing dishes, holding your breath so your kids don’t hear you cry. Learning how to break silently.

‘The wounds that come home don’t bleed, but they drain everything. Your energy. Your patience. Your words.’

Woodcox recalled how when her husband was away, she was forced to ‘carry’ the rest of their family – from sleepless nights with their kids to solo holidays and rearranging their lives around his schedule.

‘I did everything in my power to give the military the best version of my husband because that’s what they needed,’ she continued.

‘I was at every homecoming. I was at every send off, hugging him goodbye and pretending I was stronger than I felt.’

Woodcox appeared to laugh off the public scrutiny while insisting in a new video (seen) shared this week that she had never actually washed her underwear in a hotel coffee machine

She wrote that when it was her ‘turn’ to have her partner back at home, the family was faced with ‘a version [of him that was] medicated beyond belief.’

Woodcox described him as ‘a man numbed to the world,’ and someone ‘who wants help but struggles to get the right kind because he’s no longer active duty.’

She called the system in place for veterans ‘so complicated,’ naming ‘loopholes,’ ‘endless phone calls’ and ‘dead ends’ as constant obstacles to his recovery. ‘It feels impossible to actually bring him home the way we were promised,’ she wrote.

It’s unclear when Zachary served or for how long.

Woodcox said that her husband entered the military as the ‘strongest version’ of himself. But now, she claimed their family has been left ‘trying to piece things back together.’

‘I thought the war ended the day my husband retired. I didn’t know it would follow him home and slowly take pieces of all of us with it,’ she wrote.

‘I’m tired in a way sleep doesn’t fix. I’m sad in a way that doesn’t go away in the morning. 

‘And I’m trying every day to be strong for my kids while quietly grieving the man I love and the life I thought we were getting back.’

The Daily Mail contacted both Woodcox and Zachary for further comment.