Kelly Ripa says y'all constantly. She's from New Jersey. I am also Southern and never, ever say it. I usually say you guys, but now even that is problematic.I never thought about that! But the more I'm thinking about it now, I can definitely see how it could throw people off to see or hear it used a lot when it's from non-southern people or when they're not used to hearing it. I'm trying to think of someone saying y'all without having a southern accent or drawl, and it'd probably sound a little weird. My family is Cajun French and a lot of the people I grew up around or spent time with when I was younger were also Cajun, so I can only really think of people saying it with that very particular accent. I also have that accent, and apparently sound like a crawfish when I talk hahaha.
All that to say, it's crazy how language is and how certain words can be construed differently just by who is saying them.