The couple have known each other for years and previously said they met through family and mutual friends when they were about 13. Over time, however, that fairly ordinary history acquired a more provocative version involving their parents and an alleged step-sibling relationship.
Earlier coverage by Us Weekly, 7NEWS and Parade described Vas and Ricci as step-siblings whose parents had married. Those reports relied heavily on statements, videos and posts produced by the couple themselves. That becomes important because they later offered a rather different account.
Are Scarlet Vas and Tayo Ricci actually step-siblings?
According to Vas and Ricci’s own 2025 clarification, no.
The Tab reported that the couple addressed the rumour in a September 2025 video. They said the step-sibling premise began with TikTok sketches made after they moved to the United States in 2020. Viewers treated the fictional setup as a genuine description of their family, and the couple did not rush to spoil a story that was attracting attention.
“I think it’s obviously a joke, but because it went so viral, everyone wanted us to do it,” Vas said.
Ricci was similarly direct about why the misunderstanding survived: “Maybe we didn’t denounce it right away” because they decided to “ride with it.”
That admission conflicts with their earlier public comments. In a 2021 video, Vas said she had “fell in love with my bf’s best friend... who happens to be my step-bro.” On the Uncensored Podcast, she also said: “He’s my step-brother and Australian and we’ve known each other for a very long time.”
The couple had previously insisted they were not biologically related, while still presenting the step-sibling label as genuine. Following the 2025 clarification, commenters accused them of avoiding responsibility for repeatedly encouraging the claim. The internet had been misled, although not exactly without assistance.
Why does the disputed story keep returning?
The August 2026 pregnancy coverage shows how durable a provocative label can be. Nearly a year after Vas and Ricci denied being step-siblings, reports still placed the claim at the centre of the announcement.
That persistence is useful in the attention economy. A conventional post about a married couple expecting another baby competes with thousands of similar announcements. Adding a taboo family premise produces outrage, curiosity and clicks, even when the people involved later say it was merely a sketch.
Vas and Ricci have openly discussed reading negative comments together and occasionally responding. Vas previously told News24 that criticism did not affect them because they had each other, adding that they found trolls “very entertaining.” She said replying to especially negative posts could be a useful “disarming tactic.”
Their social-media visibility also supports a subscription business. Vas launched an OnlyFans account in 2021 and has featured Ricci in her content. PerthNow reported her claim that she earned almost US$200,000 in one month, although no independent evidence verifying that figure has been published.
The disputed step-sibling narrative therefore did more than generate awkward headlines. It helped turn the couple’s relationship into a recognisable online brand, one that keeps resurfacing even after its creators acknowledged the central premise was fiction.
What is Scarlet Vas known for?
Australian viewers may recognise Vas as Mishti Sharma, a police officer she played on Neighbours from 2017 until 2018. She left the soap in October 2018 and later shifted her focus toward social media and subscription content.
Her online career has since become closely tied to Ricci, their relationship and their growing family. The second pregnancy is real according to their announcement. The “step-brother’s baby” description, by their later account, is not.
Pregnancy news usually comes with enough practical complications. This one arrived carrying an old marketing device that the couple had already tried to retire, apparently without informing the headline industry.
