David Dobrik, 24, is just one of the ideal-known YouTubers in Hollywood. He created a identify for himself on Vine, the short-form movie app that developed a era of on line stars. Then he moved on to YouTube, exactly where he and a group of good friends regarded as the Vlog Squad started sharing speedy-paced comedic written content, often involving stunts.
Since 2014, he’s amassed a lot more than 18 million subscribers on his main YouTube channel.
But an investigation by Kat Tenbarge at Insider printed this 7 days, detailing sexual assault allegations in opposition to a previous Vlog Squad member, led many viewers to angrily re-evaluate Mr. Dobrik’s perform and their fandom. Now it’s tough the accomplishment of his escalating empire.
On Friday, a spokesperson for HelloFresh, one particular of his sponsors, explained: “We can affirm that we are no for a longer time doing work with David Dobrik or any member of the Vlog Squad and do not have any options to get the job done with them all over again in the foreseeable future.”
“We’ve produced the conclusion to finish our connection and terminate all planned activity,” claimed a consultant for Greenback Shave Club. A spokesperson for EA Sports activities, which once gave Mr. Dobrik a Lamborghini, claimed the enterprise “can verify we are not currently functioning with him nor do we have any ideas to in future.”
On Thursday, SeatGeek, the ticketing organization that is one of Mr. Dobrik’s largest advertisers, told Insider it was “reviewing” the company’s partnership.
In 2018, Mr. Dobrik posted a online video on his YouTube channel known as “SHE Should really NOT HAVE Performed WITH Hearth!!” It showed footage of youthful women of all ages socializing with Mr. Dobrik and customers of the Vlog Squad as the adult men joked about having sexual encounters with them. Later, a person of the men, Dom Zeglaitis, recounts acquiring intercourse with a single of them.
That girl explained to Insider that she was incapacitated by liquor throughout the program of the evening and described the knowledge as rape. Her account was corroborated by at minimum 1 other lady who was present.
The woman confirmed her story to The New York Times and delivered pics, texts and online video from the evening to corroborate her account.
“We’re going to jail,” Mr. Dobrik said at the conclude of the video clip.
The woman reached out to Mr. Zeglaitis to talk to that the online video be taken out it was, just after receiving more than 5 million views.
The accuser has not contacted the law enforcement, and no expenses have been filed.
Mr. Dobrik declined via a consultant to remark. He unveiled a video addressing the story on Tuesday.
“I wished to come on in this article actual speedy and handle some discussions that are heading on on the world-wide-web,” Mr. Dobrik said in the video clip, titled “Let’s chat.” It was posted to a secondary channel that has about a tenth of the followers of his principal channel.
Mr. Dobrik mentioned in the online video that “consent is a thing that’s tremendous, tremendous vital to me.” He extra that he seeks approval from everybody who seems in his movies and will acquire videos down if these featured in them no longer want to be integrated.
“There’s also been times wherever I’ve seemed back on videos, and I understand that these don’t signify me any longer, and they are hurtful to other people, and I really do not want them up because I have developed as a content creator and as a individual,” he claimed. “And I really don’t concur with some of the video clips I’ve posted.”
“I’m sorry if I’ve enable you down,” he mentioned.
Previous month, a previous Vlog Squad member named Joseth “Seth” Francois explained he was sexually assaulted in one of Mr. Dobrik’s films. In it, he was tricked into kissing Jason Nash, another YouTuber Mr. Francois thought he was kissing a girl.
“The stage of the video is to sexually assault me. That is the full premise,” Mr. Francois informed BuzzFeed.
Mr. Dobrik addressed that incident in his apology. “With the Seth situation, I’m sorry to Seth, simply because like I explained, I just want to make video clips in which most people in it, whether or not you’re participating or seeing, is taking pleasure in and obtaining a fantastic time,” Mr. Dobrik explained. “And I missed the mark with that a person. And I’m truly sorry. I certainly, truly am.”
Mr. Dobrik’s profession as an entertainer has designed him wealthy adequate to obtain a $9.5 million home in Los Angeles — complete with a Hawaiian Punch fountain.
Early very last calendar year, Mr. Dobrik was dubbed “Gen Z’s Jimmy Fallon” by The Wall Avenue Journal. Previous April, he stepped again from normal vlogging, which had develop into demanding through the pandemic, and turned his aim to other assignments, which include launching his own photograph sharing application, named Dispo.
That app’s ranking dropped underneath two stars in Apple’s app keep this week. Apple briefly paused the capacity to depart reviews, as persons crowded to the place to berate Mr. Dobrik in the form of ratings and testimonials.
Mr. Dobrik has shed far more than 100,000 subscribers on his major YouTube channel in the final week.
In Mr. Dobrik’s apology video, he also stated that he “chose to distance” himself from some people today previously featured in his information. “I really don’t stand for any form of misconduct,” he reported, “and I have been genuinely disappointed in some of my mates, and for that explanation I’ve divided from a great deal of them.”
