Influencer Says Ned Fulmer Launched Podcast with Same Name as Hers (Exclusive)

An influencer says her plans to release a podcast have been thrown for a loop after another internet personality launched a podcast with the same name.

Mayssa Chehata, a wellness influencer with over 48,000 followers on TikTok, shared that she had spent her “entire life savings” over the past few months preparing to launch a new podcast titled Rock Bottom. Then she discovered a hiccup: Another podcast just launched with the same name.

“Over the last 48 hours, my For You page has become nonstop videos of a new podcast called Rock Bottom with Ned Fulmer,” she said in a video posted to TikTok on Thursday, Sept. 25, referencing the new show started by the former member of The Try Guys, 38, who made his public return to the internet last week, three years after a cheating scandal torpedoed his career.

Released on Wednesday, Sept. 17, the debut episode of Fulmer’s podcast Rock Bottom features an open conversation with his estranged wife Ariel Fulmer, 39, where they discuss his extramarital affair with a member of his production company, their subsequent years out of the spotlight and the status of their relationship now.

“I think I’m just putting this video out there to be like, ‘Do I need to change the name of my podcast?’ ” Chehata said in her post on TikTok. “I kind of need to figure this out because we’re set to launch in the next two weeks.”

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, Chehata further reveals that she had started workshopping the idea for her podcast in January, investing “thousands of dollars” into creating a logo, making custom microphones and renting a studio space in Downtown Manhattan to record the podcast’s first season throughout the summer.

“I actually did not know who Ned Fulmer was,” she admits. “But my initial reaction was like, ‘Oh shoot, is this going to affect our launch?’ Because it was clear to me — even though I didn’t know who he was — that Ned Fulmer had some kind of platform and following.”

The two podcasts have similar premises, as well: On Ned’s podcast, he plans to interview people about their lowest moments — those overcoming drug addiction, convicted gang leaders and even canceled social media personalities. Likewise, Chehata describes her podcast as a series of interviews with people who “hit rock bottom in one way or another, then took accountability, found a spiritual journey and went through healing themselves.”

But as she became more familiar with Ned and his podcast, Chehata says she realized that their two podcasts were “talking to completely different audiences” — and that, despite their identical names, it wouldn’t sink her own show.

And so, after “monitoring the situation” for a few days, she has decided to move forward with her original name, she tells PEOPLE.

“I always think the universe is kind of winking at you and playing with you,” Chehata says. “So after that initial moment of anxiety, I kind of just laughed at the universe and was like, ‘Okay girl, I see you.’ ”

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When asked about the closely timed launches of his and Chehata’s podcasts, Ned told PEOPLE in a statement, “This is the first I’m hearing of it, but I encourage everyone to check out her podcast. It sounds like we’re both interested in telling stories of growth, transformation and facing the toughest moments in life, which is certainly a shared human experience. I’m sure we will have different perspectives, which is why I named my podcast, ‘Rock Bottom with Ned Fulmer.’ ”

Though she says she hasn’t personally reached out to Ned’s team about the whole ordeal, Chehata tells PEOPLE that she had a few messages from her followers telling her that Ariel would be a perfect guest for her show.

Says Chehata: “So I did send her a DM.”