Entertainment
Utah Inventor Behind the ‘Squatty Potty’ Arrested on Child Porn Charge
A Utah inventor and entrepreneur is facing a serious criminal charge for allegedly accepting child sexual abuse material, Us Weekly has learned.
Robert Edwards, who is the creator of the “Squatty Potty,” has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a receipt of child pornography charge.
The indictment was returned on February 10, according to authorities, and Edwards was arrested two days later on February 12.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement that Edwards, 50, “knowingly received multiple images of child sexual abuse material” between March 2021 and November 2025.
He was a Utah resident at the time he “knowingly received multiple images of child sexual abuse material,” according to the statement.
A father in Utah allegedly waterboarded his teenage daughter because her bedroom wasn’t “spotless to his expectations,” according to reports. David Nephi Johnson — who is the chairman of the Wasatch County Republican Party — has been accused of aggravated child abuse, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit viewed by Law&Crime. Officers with the […]
Edwards was caught by an undercover FBI agent, who’d created an online profile in March 2021, and joined a group chat “used to trade child sexual abuse material.”
The release noted that the “online meeting room was viewing a collection of child sexual abuse material videos, which were being streamed on the main screen. Participants in the meeting were visible, including one user later identified as Edwards.”
Federal investigators said it was in May 2025 that they learned that “Edwards was suspected of purchasing additional child sexual abuse material via his PayPal account.”
The release states that on November 4, 2025, law enforcement obtained a warrant to search Edwards and his home.
“Agents seized a cell phone from his vehicle, which contained multiple videos and images of child sexual abuse material, some of which were downloaded onto the cell phone just two weeks before the search warrant was executed,” the press release added. “At Edwards’ residence, law enforcement seized additional devices and found additional child sexual abuse material files.”
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Edwards is due for a detention hearing in federal court on March 2.
It was unclear Tuesday, February 24, who Edwards’ lawyer is, and plea information for the inventor was unavailable,
Edwards and his mother, Judy, conceived the Squatty Potty — a footstool that hugs the base of your toilet, designed to put you in the optimal position for a bowel movement — back in 2011. It made him a millionaire.
The Squatty Potty was actually introduced on the reality show Shark Tank, where Edwards’ pitch was accepted by entrepreneur and TV personality Lori Grier, who invested a whopping $350,000 into the company for a 10% equity stake.
The U-shaped Squatty Potty claims to relieve constipation, and can “unkink your colon,” allegedly preventing users from having to strain. However, specific medical claims made by the company have not been medically tested, according to online consumer reports.
Today, the Squatty Potty company continues releasing the stools that help you release stools, as well as other toilet-related products,
Wikipedia claims more than five million Squatty Potty have been sold.
The company enjoyed a sales boon in 2015, when its ad, “This Unicorn Changed the Way I Poop,” went viral. In the ad, a unicorn defecates soft serve ice cream to the delight of children, and a prince character enters to give his approval to squatting while pooping.