‘I Used To Watch Cooking Videos On TikTok Just To Salivate’ — Jarvis Opens Up About Childhood Struggles Before Fame

Nigerian content creator Jarvis has opened up about the difficult circumstances she experienced growing up, including living with a mother who suffers from bipolar disorder, growing up without knowing her father and experiencing periods of severe financial hardship.

Jarvis shared her story during a meeting with Spark Nation founder, Pastor Tobi, where she reflected on the challenges she faced before gaining recognition and financial stability through content creation and TikTok livestreaming.

According to the content creator, her childhood was particularly difficult because of her mother’s mental health struggles.

“My grandpa was sick and I came into a family where my mother has bipolar disorder. Growing up with her has been very stressful and depressing because sometimes the disorder is crazy. Today she is nice and good and next minute she is violent, insulting us,” she said.

Jarvis also revealed that she grew up without her father, explaining that her mother had travelled out of the country before returning pregnant with her.

“I didn’t grow up with my father because my mother travelled out of the country and came back pregnant and gave birth to me. Growing up without a dad has not been good because my mum is not mentally okay,” she said.

With her parents largely absent from her upbringing, Jarvis said her grandparents took on the responsibility of raising her and her sister.

“I grew up with my grandma and grandpa. They did their best to raise me up and they are very learned and strict. All their strictness made me who I am today,” she added.

She recalled that her family later went through a period of serious financial hardship, with difficulties paying her school fees and even putting food on the table.

“When everything was going down, and there was no money for school fees, I didn’t want to drop out of school or go through the wrong way to make money,” Jarvis explained.

It was during this difficult period that she and her sister discovered TikTok livestreaming as a potential source of income.

According to Jarvis, someone contacted her through TikTok and introduced her to the possibility of earning money by going live on the platform.

“Someone messaged me on TikTok and told me if I know that by just going live on the app, I can make money. So I started with my sister, and we made $5 at first, and we were very happy because it was crazy,” she said.

However, before they began earning from the platform, Jarvis said she and her sister experienced moments when they could only watch food content online while struggling with hunger.

“My sister and I used to watch cooking videos on TikTok just to salivate, and at the end of the day we cry and sleep because there is hunger,” she recalled.

Jarvis said the opportunity eventually gave her hope and allowed her to begin working towards becoming financially independent and supporting her sister.

“I wanted to take care of my sister. I want to be able to provide a living…” she said.

Her account offers a glimpse into the challenges Jarvis faced before becoming a recognised content creator and highlights how TikTok livestreaming became an unexpected turning point in her journey from financial hardship to fame.