Meg Radice and Audrey Jongens, a pair of food and lifestyle influencers who run The VIP List platform with over a million TikTok followers, were among the 100 content creators officially invited to the 2026 US Open.
Excited about the “dream” opportunity, the two women, who built their following with savage restaurant reviews, posted about it online and went out to celebrate after arriving at the venue in the first week.
Then things went wrong.
They soon learned the US Open had rejected their invitation before they could even attend a match, with a spokesperson later revealing why.
“We were heartbroken, and we still are,” Jongens stated.
Two influencers’ US Open invites were canceled after they posted their credentials online
On Friday, September 4, 2026, Meg Radice and Audrey Jongens told TMZ that they had partnered with their favorite restaurant at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where the US Open takes place.
They were “so hyped” about filming content for the next two weeks that they shared a picture of their credential passes on the account’s Instagram story.
“We post our credentials on our story. We go to our favorite restaurant. Have a nice steak dinner. We’re downing Honey Deuces. We’re having a great time, haven’t even made it to court yet,” Radice said.
“Within two hours of us leaving, we were told we could no longer use our credentials,” Jongens continued.
“We were there to be respectful and follow the rules and just have a good time and show content to our followers about how amazing the US Open is,” she added.
“Yep, and it was taken away like that, just because we wanted to show how hot we looked in our credentials,” Radice chimed in.
She said earlier in the video that they had uploaded “thirst traps” as their credential images and were “obviously” going to post it.
The credentials were revoked because they were improperly submitted
The pair also insisted they had no idea posting the credentials violated any rules, despite having attended the US Open for the past three years as tennis fans.
Towards the end of the video, Radice and Jongens said the incident was “not only embarrassing but devastating,” and begged the authorities to let them back in.
They reiterated multiple times that they would be willing to collaborate with any interested brand to seize the opportunity if it presents itself again.
However, according to a United States Tennis Association (USTA) spokesperson, the women’s access was not revoked because they posted their credentials, but because they had provided incorrect information.
“These individuals were not credentialed as media or content creators,” Brendan McIntyre, the USTA’s managing director and US Open’s Head of Communications, told The Athletic.
“They were improperly submitted for credentials on a staff list provided by a food vendor.”
The 2026 U.S. Open terms governing media and content creator credentials do also state that holders were strictly forbidden from sharing an image or video of their credential, including on social media.
US Open authorities are taking a stricter approach after influencers disrupted Naomi Osaka’s match
Many followers called out the USTA for the decision, but not everyone took the two women’s side.
“Buy a ticket like everyone else and go back,” one netizen commented. Another said, “You were using the U.S. Open to promote yourself – you didn’t follow the rules”
This comes amid a huge backlash over the conduct of credentialed influencers at the US Open.
To make the event more appealing to a younger audience, the USTA began credentialing influencers in 2025, giving 54 content creators official access.
That number nearly doubled in 2026, but also drew criticism from old-school fans for turning a prestigious tournament into a “clown show.”
The controversy reached a boiling point when a group of influencers disrupted Japanese tennis sensation Naomi Osaka’s first-round match against Russia’s Anastasia Zakharova at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday, August 31, 2026, to the point where the spectators near them looked visibly frustrated.
The content creators were seen filming in a suite with ring lights and a voiceover loud enough that chair umpire Kader Nouni was forced to step in, pausing the match and telling them, “Guys, please, in the suite behind me, please, thank you guys, please take your seats.”
After the incident, the US Open is now taking a stricter approach in notifying all attendees “to refrain from any activity that can disrupt the action,” especially the use of flash photography, Brendan McIntyre told the media.
Top tennis stars are split in their opinion on influencers attending the US Open
Monday’s incident drew a sharp response from Naomi Osaka, who didn’t look too happy about the interruption on court.
“If you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport,” Osaka said at the press conference after the match, which she won.
“I feel like it’s common courtesy to read up on the sport—especially the etiquette. I feel like it could be a good thing for people to make the sport of tennis popular to their specific audience. But I think it has to be managed a lot better.”
“I can appreciate the influencers coming and kind of showcasing the US Open experience,” America’s Jessica Pegula said on the matter. “But I do think that it’s tough when you see videos like that when they’re taking pictures and using the selfie lights.”
“People are down there trying to perform, and it’s their career and their job. It seems like a bit disrespectful. I think it’s gotten a little, maybe too much.”
But not all players minded influencers at the event.
US player Coco Gauff said, “I think it’s great to have a different demographic to the sport. I have no problem with influencers. I’ve met some of them and follow some of them online.”
“The more the sport grows, the better it is,” said Russia’s Daniil Medvedev. “I trust USTA with what they’re doing. If it disturbs you during the play, you see the light or something, you always say to the referee.”
“This culture has to end,” one netizen said about influencers
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