The ‘Scarface’-loving TikTok star who killed his wife

Social media is both unreliable and destructive, and while these facts may be obvious to anyone who spends time on X or Instagram, they are nonetheless clearly confirmed by Murders of TikTok stars. Premiering June 25 on Peacock, this feature-length documentary chronicles the ugly case of Ali Abulaban and his wife Ana, whose online image as a happy and fun-loving couple turned out to be a terrible lie. An up-close and personal tragedy of fame, ego and domestic violence, punctuated by copious footage of the murderous subject, it’s a 21st century cautionary tale about the desire for fame and the platforms that make that dream seem so easily attainable.

Raised in a strict Muslim household, Ali joined the U.S. Air Force and was eventually stationed in Okinawa, Japan, where he met Ana. The two hit it off instantly, but their relationship was temporarily shattered when Ali was summarily fired for getting into a fight. While back living with his family in Bristow, Virginia in 2015, Ali learned that Ana — who had moved with her clan to her native Philippines — was pregnant with their child. By January 2017, Ali had secured a visa for Ana to join him in Virginia, where they moved into a house and began a life that blossomed thanks to Ali’s growing online fan base.

Wanting to be an actor, Ali began creating short-form content for YouTube, Instagram, and eventually TikTok, where he gained a considerable following with comedy sketch videos featuring spot-on impersonations. His favorite (and most famous) character was Scarface‘s Tony Montana, and how clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Joni Johnston in Murders of TikTok starsthe fact that he idolized such a violent icon was an indication of his true nature. Peacock’s documentary presents many of these viral clips, and while few of them are funny or original, they illustrate his enthusiasm for the bite-sized form as well as his modest talent for imitating A-list celebs like Al Pacino, Nicolas Cage and Keanu Reeves.

When Ali wasn’t busy imitating the legends of the big screen, he produced countless videos about the video game Skyrimand these eventually helped him gain a foothold in the crowded TikTok scene. Ana often supported his cause, acting as his camerawoman when she wasn’t appearing alongside her now-husband in silly scenes that highlighted her charisma and attractiveness. One particular video of the two dancing around at home, titled “When Your Relationship Is Drama Free,” shows how the two created a virtual persona as a picture-perfect couple. Fueled by Ali’s ambition and creativity, their campaign worked and individual posts soon garnered over 2 million views, with Ali declaring herself a bona fide “internet star.”

Murders of TikTok stars includes commentary from journalist Andrea Marks and Ana’s friends Rachel and Julia, both of whom give firsthand accounts of Ali and Ana’s tumultuous romance. After living for a time near Ali’s family in Virginia, Ana convinced her husband to move to San Diego so she could be closer to her best friends and he could fully pursue his Hollywood ambitions. Once they were settled into a swanky high-rise, Ali’s fortunes went from strength to strength, as did Ana’s online profile – and it was the latter, it is implied, that was one of the many problems that complicated their seemingly fairytale life.

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Ali, everyone agrees, was as jealous as one can be, and he worked to isolate Ana as much as possible, alienating her even further from him. His paranoia about his wife’s fidelity was exacerbated by his growing cocaine addiction – an addiction so widespread that he could be seen in livestreamed videos broadcast by Murders of TikTok stars. All of this increasingly frayed Ana, who felt oppressed and dominated by her possessive husband, and her subsequent detachment only fueled his mania. Although it was not made public until later (not even to Julia and Rachel), Ali was physically violent behind closed doors. Even crazier, he had no qualms about documenting his vicious tirades against his wife, cursing her and accusing her of cheating on him – with a friend named Ray, whom Ali had long distrusted.

Peacock’s documentary recounts Ali and Ana’s crumbling relationship — and the nightmare it spawned — in near real time, thanks to countless video and audio recordings of their squabbles, including one in which Ali defends his case to cops called to their apartment (and downplays his behavior). Frequently photographed in close-up, Ali is a man whose wide, charming smile and outgoing demeanor seem to conceal an angry, hungry spirit from the start. So his later unsparing tirades seem unsurprising. Moreover, his eagerness to preserve them for posterity illustrates the extent of his social media obsession, which was so severe that even after his crimes, he makes clear in a monologue recorded in prison that his greatest concern is disappointing his followers.

It all came to a head on October 21, 2021, when Ali broke into the couple’s apartment (where Ana was staying), trashed it, and installed a listening device on an iPad. Later that day, when Ali heard her talking to Ray, he freaked out and drove to the apartment, where he shot both Ana and Ray with a 9mm pistol. In May 2024, he was convicted of premeditated murder, though not without a struggle; in court footage, Ali violently screams at the judge, arguing that he was driven to murder by Ana’s infidelity. He makes similar claims in a prison interview with journalist Kelsey Christensen, while also blaming social media for ruining him, saying, “It messed with my brain! It made me violent, it made me aggressive.”

Murders of TikTok stars It only touches superficially on the deeply ingrained gendered cultural ideas in Ali and Ana’s minds, which is to its detriment; a more comprehensive exploration of their (respectively) Muslim and Filipino upbringings would have given it more context and depth. Still, it offers a surprising insight into the way celebrity (and the intense desire for it) messes with people’s minds, not to mention the terrible dangers of domestic violence.

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