This study investigates crisis communication and trust repair strategies within influencer-driven companies in Sweden, using Djerf Avenue and the so-called“toilet-scrubbing scandal” as a case study. The aim is to explore how Djerf Avenue has navigated the crisis in their communication on Instagram and to identify key themes and narratives in audience responses that reflect perceptions of trust and loyalty. Combining Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) with elements of Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA), a qualitative approach is used to closely examine linguistic and visual tactics used in the brand’s communication and underlying discourses in audience responses. The analysis was grounded in the theoretical framework of Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) and Image Repair Theory (IRT). Findings revealed that Djerf Avenue’s crisis response evolved from minimal acknowledgment to emotionally driven appeals, but lacked overall coherence, trustworthiness and visibility. The fragmented approach signaled an absence of a comprehensive crisis strategy, undermining efforts to regain trust. Audience responses were largely negative, reflecting themes of blame, strong skepticism and calls for accountability. This backlash revealed the fragility of parasocial relationships central to influencer branding, and how quickly they can dissolve when that trust is breached in a crisis. This case shows that repairing damaged trust in such contexts requires a clear, sustained and context-aware communication strategy that acknowledges both the business and personal dimensions of trust.