Christian YouTube stars Sam and Nia have said they are being persecuted because of their faith in response to criticism they have received after revealing Nia's pregnancy in a viral video and announcing she had miscarried just days later.
"Absolutely everything is true," Sam Rader told People Magazine in an exclusive interview. "We're a Christian family, the last thing we would ever do is deceive our audience. We're very open with our fans."
He adds, "I think as long as you're a Christian in this world and a God believer, you're going to get hatred and persecuted and that's just what you expect when you're living the life of God."
As reported by the Gospel Herald earlier in August, the Texas couple shared they were expecting a third child in a video where Sam surprised Nia by telling her she was pregnant before she even officially knew.
In the video, titled "First Time Ever Daddy Announces the Pregnancy to Mommy," Sam used an overnight urine sample of Nia's to complete a pregnancy test and announce the results to his unsuspecting wife. While Nia didn't believe him at first, she eventually came around and took a second pregnancy test to verify. The video quickly went viral, garnering more than 14 million views.
Less than a week later, a video posted on the Sam and Nia YouTube channel titled "Our Baby Had a Heartbeat" showed the grieving couple sitting beside one another on a bed as they revealed Nia had suffered a miscarriage.
"I just want to say too maybe there's someone out there that's going through this with us," Nia says through tears in the video. "The Bible says to weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn, and I am mourning with those of you who are feeling this."
"I just hope this video continues to be a way for God to shine his light to the world through us," Sam adds. "This is a time when especially the U.S. needs that light and God knew that."
However, hundreds of online commenters have since called the entire incident into question, accusing the couple of faking the pregnancy and miscarriage to benefit their YouTube channel. Additionally, a recent BuzzFeed story argued that the couple's story is particularly dubious in light of Sam's recent claims he quit his job as an ER nurse to focus on vlogging.
"Their cheerfulness in their video the day after they said they miscarried, combined with Sam's glee at finally having enough success to quit his job, only added fuel to the fire," the article explained of the couple's many critics.
However, in continuing his comments to People, Sam explained that his family has gained countless supporters for every critic who doubts his family's story.
"The positivity far outweighs any hate we've received," he says. "The love from around the world has just been overwhelming for our family."
"[T]here's nothing they can throw at us that we haven't already heard," Sam told the news outlet. "We're unaffected by all the negativity just because the outpouring of love has been so overwhelming."
According to Sam and Nia's official Facebook page, they are high school sweethearts who strive to "live for God." They have two children and a reality TV-style daily YouTube show about their adventures at 5 p.m. CT.
