He had cancer - but still won't quit smoking. Meet the influencer kids love

The Advertiser

2 days ago

Despite having a testicle removed due to cancer, cream bun-scoffing social media personality Alex Wood has no plans to quit smoking.
Those familiar with his posts on Instagram and TikTok, each with 70,000-75,000 followers, may know him as the "cream pie guy" or "happy Allan".
The Gold Coast 29-year-old has even made an appearance on national breakfast television as the man who - literally - stuffs whole cream buns into his mouth.
And he's frequently seen with a cigarette between his lips or tucked behind his ear and a beer in hand, sharing videos of drinking sessions and chronic hangovers.
He's not alone.
Sixty-one per cent of young people report seeing content about vaping and smoking on social media.
A 2024 University of Queensland study found young people exposed to these posts were more likely to try them.
But for Mr Wood, it's all part of being his authentic self, warts and all.
"I just am who I am," he told ACM, the publisher of this masthead, over the phone while on the way to the gym one morning.
"I genuinely love having a beer and a cigarette."
Mr Wood, who is charismatic and comes across as sincere, said he does not advocate smoking and encourages people who've never tried cigarettes to steer clear.
"I've got ADHD, so I've got an addictive personality, so I get addicted to everything," he said.
"A lot of people resonate with that because there's so many fake people online now; they pretend to be someone else when it's not who they are."
In the under-regulated world of social media - and in the context of strict bans on tobacco and e-cigarette advertising in Australia - Mr Wood, who says he's not being paid to promote alcohol or cigarettes, is not breaking any laws.
Though he does have plenty of impressionable child fans, including nine-year-olds who ask for selfies.
"I just enjoy an afternoon beer and I like going out on the weekends and letting some steam off and having some fun," he said.
"Everyone's adults; they can make their own decisions."
Mr Wood said he promotes "balance" and "moderation" by also going to the gym every day, journaling, and taking breaks through fundraisers like "dry July" where he stops drinking for a month.
(He started dry July two weeks early in 2025 because he said he needed a reset.)
"I'm pretty real on my page, so I told people I was obviously drinking too much, so I think it's good to show the boys, and whoever follows me, that if you do feel like you are drinking too much, it's OK to take a break," he said.
Australian health guidelines recommend people aged under 18 should not drink alcohol and adults should consume no more than 10 standard drinks a week - and no more than four standard drinks on any one day.
When ACM approached the eSafety Commissioner, which regulates online safety, about the potential harms of alcohol and smoking content on social media - especially for children - it was directed to the federal health department.
The department limited most of its responses to the legal and regulatory restrictions on alcohol and tobacco advertising and sponsorship.
But a spokesman said Health Minister Mark Butler had urged social media companies to do more to limit this kind of content on their platforms.
"[Mr Butler] has previously written to social media companies regarding tobacco and e-cigarette content appearing on their platform, and encouraged social media companies to take a proactive approach to ensuring those products do not appear on their platforms," the spokesman said.
He also pointed to government initiatives like the 2024 "Give up for Good" campaign, as well as resources like quit.org.au and information about the dangers of vaping.
All these materials state there is no safe level of smoking or vaping.
Jocelyn Brewer, a psychologist who specialises in digital wellbeing, said social media accounts like Mr Wood's could be a "teaching moment" for children and parents.
"Parents need to be clear that social media platforms allow anyone to post publicly on whatever content they want to," she said.
"[And] what the community guidelines around content cover (and don't cover), and the risks of kids being exposed to certain content - especially how algorithms promote sensationalised content over factful kinds."
In the absence of content restrictions, parents should have regular, casual conversations with their kids about social media trends and reinforce their family's values.
"We have a responsibility to teach young people [the] skills to recognise and navigate content that is mis/dis/malinformation and have media literacy skills to be able to identify, report and distance themselves from content that is low grade, risky, misaligned and simply dumb," she said.
Observing the minimum age restriction of 13 on most platforms was also important, though new laws in late 2025 will ban children under 16 from accessing social media.
For his part, Mr Wood has no plans to change what he presents on social media, which includes sculling "breakfast beers", eating "hungover asf cream pie", and attempting to drink six cans of beer in a row to celebrate 60,000 followers.
"I met this little kid the other day - he's only nine years old or something - and he was so nervous to come over and say hello, and I got a photo with him and everything," Mr Wood said.
"Then his dad came up to me afterwards and was like, 'Mate, he bloody loves you, thank you so much for taking the time to say hello to him'."
Mr Wood, who grew up in a single parent household and had a mother, father and grandmother who smoked, said he was trying to be an advocate for doing better.
He was fiercely anti-gambling, for example.
But the nicotine-laced, addictive cigarettes were here to stay.
"I don't think I want to quit fully, to be honest.
"I love sitting down, having a beer and a cigarette, having a coffee and a cigarette in the morning," he said.
"That's what I enjoy doing. And if I stay healthy otherwise then, you know, it is what it is."
Though he acknowledged it was not "the smartest thing" after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and had a testicle removed.
"I've got these boys around my age, or 25 to 30, and now [they are] all getting their testicles checked," Mr Wood said.
"I do put out some really good messages to people."
Tobacco, alcohol and illegal drug use combined accounted for 14 per cent of Australia's total disease burden in 2024, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Despite having a testicle removed due to cancer, cream bun-scoffing social media personality Alex Wood has no plans to quit smoking.
Those familiar with his posts on Instagram and TikTok, each with 70,000-75,000 followers, may know him as the "cream pie guy" or "happy Allan".
The Gold Coast 29-year-old has even made an appearance on national breakfast television as the man who - literally - stuffs whole cream buns into his mouth.
And he's frequently seen with a cigarette between his lips or tucked behind his ear and a beer in hand, sharing videos of drinking sessions and chronic hangovers.
He's not alone.
Sixty-one per cent of young people report seeing content about vaping and smoking on social media.
A 2024 University of Queensland study found young people exposed to these posts were more likely to try them.
But for Mr Wood, it's all part of being his authentic self, warts and all.
"I just am who I am," he told ACM, the publisher of this masthead, over the phone while on the way to the gym one morning.
"I genuinely love having a beer and a cigarette."
Mr Wood, who is charismatic and comes across as sincere, said he does not advocate smoking and encourages people who've never tried cigarettes to steer clear.
"I've got ADHD, so I've got an addictive personality, so I get addicted to everything," he said.
"A lot of people resonate with that because there's so many fake people online now; they pretend to be someone else when it's not who they are."
In the under-regulated world of social media - and in the context of strict bans on tobacco and e-cigarette advertising in Australia - Mr Wood, who says he's not being paid to promote alcohol or cigarettes, is not breaking any laws.
Though he does have plenty of impressionable child fans, including nine-year-olds who ask for selfies.
"I just enjoy an afternoon beer and I like going out on the weekends and letting some steam off and having some fun," he said.
"Everyone's adults; they can make their own decisions."
Mr Wood said he promotes "balance" and "moderation" by also going to the gym every day, journaling, and taking breaks through fundraisers like "dry July" where he stops drinking for a month.
(He started dry July two weeks early in 2025 because he said he needed a reset.)
"I'm pretty real on my page, so I told people I was obviously drinking too much, so I think it's good to show the boys, and whoever follows me, that if you do feel like you are drinking too much, it's OK to take a break," he said.
Australian health guidelines recommend people aged under 18 should not drink alcohol and adults should consume no more than 10 standard drinks a week - and no more than four standard drinks on any one day.
When ACM approached the eSafety Commissioner, which regulates online safety, about the potential harms of alcohol and smoking content on social media - especially for children - it was directed to the federal health department.
The department limited most of its responses to the legal and regulatory restrictions on alcohol and tobacco advertising and sponsorship.
But a spokesman said Health Minister Mark Butler had urged social media companies to do more to limit this kind of content on their platforms.
"[Mr Butler] has previously written to social media companies regarding tobacco and e-cigarette content appearing on their platform, and encouraged social media companies to take a proactive approach to ensuring those products do not appear on their platforms," the spokesman said.
He also pointed to government initiatives like the 2024 "Give up for Good" campaign, as well as resources like quit.org.au and information about the dangers of vaping.
All these materials state there is no safe level of smoking or vaping.
Jocelyn Brewer, a psychologist who specialises in digital wellbeing, said social media accounts like Mr Wood's could be a "teaching moment" for children and parents.
"Parents need to be clear that social media platforms allow anyone to post publicly on whatever content they want to," she said.
"[And] what the community guidelines around content cover (and don't cover), and the risks of kids being exposed to certain content - especially how algorithms promote sensationalised content over factful kinds."
In the absence of content restrictions, parents should have regular, casual conversations with their kids about social media trends and reinforce their family's values.
"We have a responsibility to teach young people [the] skills to recognise and navigate content that is mis/dis/malinformation and have media literacy skills to be able to identify, report and distance themselves from content that is low grade, risky, misaligned and simply dumb," she said.
Observing the minimum age restriction of 13 on most platforms was also important, though new laws in late 2025 will ban children under 16 from accessing social media.
For his part, Mr Wood has no plans to change what he presents on social media, which includes sculling "breakfast beers", eating "hungover asf cream pie", and attempting to drink six cans of beer in a row to celebrate 60,000 followers.
"I met this little kid the other day - he's only nine years old or something - and he was so nervous to come over and say hello, and I got a photo with him and everything," Mr Wood said.
"Then his dad came up to me afterwards and was like, 'Mate, he bloody loves you, thank you so much for taking the time to say hello to him'."
Mr Wood, who grew up in a single parent household and had a mother, father and grandmother who smoked, said he was trying to be an advocate for doing better.
He was fiercely anti-gambling, for example.
But the nicotine-laced, addictive cigarettes were here to stay.
"I don't think I want to quit fully, to be honest.
"I love sitting down, having a beer and a cigarette, having a coffee and a cigarette in the morning," he said.
"That's what I enjoy doing. And if I stay healthy otherwise then, you know, it is what it is."
Though he acknowledged it was not "the smartest thing" after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and had a testicle removed.
"I've got these boys around my age, or 25 to 30, and now [they are] all getting their testicles checked," Mr Wood said.
"I do put out some really good messages to people."
Tobacco, alcohol and illegal drug use combined accounted for 14 per cent of Australia's total disease burden in 2024, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Despite having a testicle removed due to cancer, cream bun-scoffing social media personality Alex Wood has no plans to quit smoking.
Those familiar with his posts on Instagram and TikTok, each with 70,000-75,000 followers, may know him as the "cream pie guy" or "happy Allan".
The Gold Coast 29-year-old has even made an appearance on national breakfast television as the man who - literally - stuffs whole cream buns into his mouth.
And he's frequently seen with a cigarette between his lips or tucked behind his ear and a beer in hand, sharing videos of drinking sessions and chronic hangovers.
He's not alone.
Sixty-one per cent of young people report seeing content about vaping and smoking on social media.
A 2024 University of Queensland study found young people exposed to these posts were more likely to try them.
But for Mr Wood, it's all part of being his authentic self, warts and all.
"I just am who I am," he told ACM, the publisher of this masthead, over the phone while on the way to the gym one morning.
"I genuinely love having a beer and a cigarette."
Mr Wood, who is charismatic and comes across as sincere, said he does not advocate smoking and encourages people who've never tried cigarettes to steer clear.
"I've got ADHD, so I've got an addictive personality, so I get addicted to everything," he said.
"A lot of people resonate with that because there's so many fake people online now; they pretend to be someone else when it's not who they are."
In the under-regulated world of social media - and in the context of strict bans on tobacco and e-cigarette advertising in Australia - Mr Wood, who says he's not being paid to promote alcohol or cigarettes, is not breaking any laws.
Though he does have plenty of impressionable child fans, including nine-year-olds who ask for selfies.
"I just enjoy an afternoon beer and I like going out on the weekends and letting some steam off and having some fun," he said.
"Everyone's adults; they can make their own decisions."
Mr Wood said he promotes "balance" and "moderation" by also going to the gym every day, journaling, and taking breaks through fundraisers like "dry July" where he stops drinking for a month.
(He started dry July two weeks early in 2025 because he said he needed a reset.)
"I'm pretty real on my page, so I told people I was obviously drinking too much, so I think it's good to show the boys, and whoever follows me, that if you do feel like you are drinking too much, it's OK to take a break," he said.
Australian health guidelines recommend people aged under 18 should not drink alcohol and adults should consume no more than 10 standard drinks a week - and no more than four standard drinks on any one day.
When ACM approached the eSafety Commissioner, which regulates online safety, about the potential harms of alcohol and smoking content on social media - especially for children - it was directed to the federal health department.
The department limited most of its responses to the legal and regulatory restrictions on alcohol and tobacco advertising and sponsorship.
But a spokesman said Health Minister Mark Butler had urged social media companies to do more to limit this kind of content on their platforms.
"[Mr Butler] has previously written to social media companies regarding tobacco and e-cigarette content appearing on their platform, and encouraged social media companies to take a proactive approach to ensuring those products do not appear on their platforms," the spokesman said.
He also pointed to government initiatives like the 2024 "Give up for Good" campaign, as well as resources like quit.org.au and information about the dangers of vaping.
All these materials state there is no safe level of smoking or vaping.
Jocelyn Brewer, a psychologist who specialises in digital wellbeing, said social media accounts like Mr Wood's could be a "teaching moment" for children and parents.
"Parents need to be clear that social media platforms allow anyone to post publicly on whatever content they want to," she said.
"[And] what the community guidelines around content cover (and don't cover), and the risks of kids being exposed to certain content - especially how algorithms promote sensationalised content over factful kinds."
In the absence of content restrictions, parents should have regular, casual conversations with their kids about social media trends and reinforce their family's values.
"We have a responsibility to teach young people [the] skills to recognise and navigate content that is mis/dis/malinformation and have media literacy skills to be able to identify, report and distance themselves from content that is low grade, risky, misaligned and simply dumb," she said.
Observing the minimum age restriction of 13 on most platforms was also important, though new laws in late 2025 will ban children under 16 from accessing social media.
For his part, Mr Wood has no plans to change what he presents on social media, which includes sculling "breakfast beers", eating "hungover asf cream pie", and attempting to drink six cans of beer in a row to celebrate 60,000 followers.
"I met this little kid the other day - he's only nine years old or something - and he was so nervous to come over and say hello, and I got a photo with him and everything," Mr Wood said.
"Then his dad came up to me afterwards and was like, 'Mate, he bloody loves you, thank you so much for taking the time to say hello to him'."
Mr Wood, who grew up in a single parent household and had a mother, father and grandmother who smoked, said he was trying to be an advocate for doing better.
He was fiercely anti-gambling, for example.
But the nicotine-laced, addictive cigarettes were here to stay.
"I don't think I want to quit fully, to be honest.
"I love sitting down, having a beer and a cigarette, having a coffee and a cigarette in the morning," he said.
"That's what I enjoy doing. And if I stay healthy otherwise then, you know, it is what it is."
Though he acknowledged it was not "the smartest thing" after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and had a testicle removed.
"I've got these boys around my age, or 25 to 30, and now [they are] all getting their testicles checked," Mr Wood said.
"I do put out some really good messages to people."
Tobacco, alcohol and illegal drug use combined accounted for 14 per cent of Australia's total disease burden in 2024, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Despite having a testicle removed due to cancer, cream bun-scoffing social media personality Alex Wood has no plans to quit smoking.
Those familiar with his posts on Instagram and TikTok, each with 70,000-75,000 followers, may know him as the "cream pie guy" or "happy Allan".
The Gold Coast 29-year-old has even made an appearance on national breakfast television as the man who - literally - stuffs whole cream buns into his mouth.
And he's frequently seen with a cigarette between his lips or tucked behind his ear and a beer in hand, sharing videos of drinking sessions and chronic hangovers.
He's not alone.
Sixty-one per cent of young people report seeing content about vaping and smoking on social media.
A 2024 University of Queensland study found young people exposed to these posts were more likely to try them.
But for Mr Wood, it's all part of being his authentic self, warts and all.
"I just am who I am," he told ACM, the publisher of this masthead, over the phone while on the way to the gym one morning.
"I genuinely love having a beer and a cigarette."
Mr Wood, who is charismatic and comes across as sincere, said he does not advocate smoking and encourages people who've never tried cigarettes to steer clear.
"I've got ADHD, so I've got an addictive personality, so I get addicted to everything," he said.
"A lot of people resonate with that because there's so many fake people online now; they pretend to be someone else when it's not who they are."
In the under-regulated world of social media - and in the context of strict bans on tobacco and e-cigarette advertising in Australia - Mr Wood, who says he's not being paid to promote alcohol or cigarettes, is not breaking any laws.
Though he does have plenty of impressionable child fans, including nine-year-olds who ask for selfies.
"I just enjoy an afternoon beer and I like going out on the weekends and letting some steam off and having some fun," he said.
"Everyone's adults; they can make their own decisions."
Mr Wood said he promotes "balance" and "moderation" by also going to the gym every day, journaling, and taking breaks through fundraisers like "dry July" where he stops drinking for a month.
(He started dry July two weeks early in 2025 because he said he needed a reset.)
"I'm pretty real on my page, so I told people I was obviously drinking too much, so I think it's good to show the boys, and whoever follows me, that if you do feel like you are drinking too much, it's OK to take a break," he said.
Australian health guidelines recommend people aged under 18 should not drink alcohol and adults should consume no more than 10 standard drinks a week - and no more than four standard drinks on any one day.
When ACM approached the eSafety Commissioner, which regulates online safety, about the potential harms of alcohol and smoking content on social media - especially for children - it was directed to the federal health department.
The department limited most of its responses to the legal and regulatory restrictions on alcohol and tobacco advertising and sponsorship.
But a spokesman said Health Minister Mark Butler had urged social media companies to do more to limit this kind of content on their platforms.
"[Mr Butler] has previously written to social media companies regarding tobacco and e-cigarette content appearing on their platform, and encouraged social media companies to take a proactive approach to ensuring those products do not appear on their platforms," the spokesman said.
He also pointed to government initiatives like the 2024 "Give up for Good" campaign, as well as resources like quit.org.au and information about the dangers of vaping.
All these materials state there is no safe level of smoking or vaping.
Jocelyn Brewer, a psychologist who specialises in digital wellbeing, said social media accounts like Mr Wood's could be a "teaching moment" for children and parents.
"Parents need to be clear that social media platforms allow anyone to post publicly on whatever content they want to," she said.
"[And] what the community guidelines around content cover (and don't cover), and the risks of kids being exposed to certain content - especially how algorithms promote sensationalised content over factful kinds."
In the absence of content restrictions, parents should have regular, casual conversations with their kids about social media trends and reinforce their family's values.
"We have a responsibility to teach young people [the] skills to recognise and navigate content that is mis/dis/malinformation and have media literacy skills to be able to identify, report and distance themselves from content that is low grade, risky, misaligned and simply dumb," she said.
Observing the minimum age restriction of 13 on most platforms was also important, though new laws in late 2025 will ban children under 16 from accessing social media.
For his part, Mr Wood has no plans to change what he presents on social media, which includes sculling "breakfast beers", eating "hungover asf cream pie", and attempting to drink six cans of beer in a row to celebrate 60,000 followers.
"I met this little kid the other day - he's only nine years old or something - and he was so nervous to come over and say hello, and I got a photo with him and everything," Mr Wood said.
"Then his dad came up to me afterwards and was like, 'Mate, he bloody loves you, thank you so much for taking the time to say hello to him'."
Mr Wood, who grew up in a single parent household and had a mother, father and grandmother who smoked, said he was trying to be an advocate for doing better.
He was fiercely anti-gambling, for example.
But the nicotine-laced, addictive cigarettes were here to stay.
"I don't think I want to quit fully, to be honest.
"I love sitting down, having a beer and a cigarette, having a coffee and a cigarette in the morning," he said.
"That's what I enjoy doing. And if I stay healthy otherwise then, you know, it is what it is."
Though he acknowledged it was not "the smartest thing" after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and had a testicle removed.
"I've got these boys around my age, or 25 to 30, and now [they are] all getting their testicles checked," Mr Wood said.
"I do put out some really good messages to people."
Tobacco, alcohol and illegal drug use combined accounted for 14 per cent of Australia's total disease burden in 2024, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.