David Dobrik, a 24-year-old YouTuber, has become one of the most popular faces on the platform in the past few years. Dubbed as the "Gen Z's Jimmy Fallon," he had gained more than 18 million subscribers.
Aside from having a thriving YouTube channel, Dobrik has garnered sponsorships with high-profile companies such as SeatGeek and Chipotle.
David Dobrik's Vlogs
Dobrik gained popularity for his fun vlogs that glorify the partying lifestyle that is usually seen in college. He then used his YouTube fame to reach out to Hollywood celebrities such as Josh Peck, John Stamos, and Kylie Jenner.
The Wall Street Journal described him as a wholesome content creator and an overall good guy. Dobrik has won two Kids' Choice Awards, cementing his status as a family-friendly influencer.
Dobrik's Allegations
In May, Dorbik went on a YouTube hiatus after a series of sexual assault allegations regarding a member of his vlogging group has surfaced.
Around the time, another news came out that one of Dobrik's close friends was gravely injured in a stunt performed for his YouTube video.
In mid-June, another video was uploaded that showed how the YouTuber nearly caused his friend to lose an eye. He then films a friend lying down as he gets pushed by a golf cart. When his friend began vomiting during a car ride, he kept filming and refused to pull over.
Fans started to notice his problematic behavior, and soon enough Dobrik's videos were accused of romanticizing excessive drinking, violent behavior, misogyny, and sexual assault.
This makes millions of his viewers want to replicate the same problematic and immature behavior that are seen on his videos.
The Un-cancellation of Dorbik
In March, one of Dobrik's friends and the main character in his vlog, Dom Zeglaitis, was accused of sexually assaulting a fan in 2019. Dobrik had recorded parts of the interaction, and he posted it in one of these vlogs for content.
The fan accusing Zeglaitis is going by the alias of Hannah, and she did an in-depth interview with Kat Tenbarge at Insider about her assault. According to Hannah, Zeglaitis raped her while she was intoxicated.
Accounts from numerous eye-witnesses and numerous video evidence pointed out that Dobrik was complacent in the sexual assault.
Dobrik even instructed his gang members to buy alcohol to "loosen up the girls" who were with them at that time.
Days after the news broke out, Dobrik posted his first apology on his YouTube channel, but it was met with criticism, and he trended on Twitter. A week after, Dobrik posted his second apology video and deleted more than 17 million views' worth of videos, according to Social Blade.
Dobrik deleted a total of 95.6 million views since the allegations were reported, according to Vulture.
Dobrik then went on social media hiatus for a month, and now, he is back.
On June 16, Dobrik posted another Instagram video on his channel, announcing he will be uploading content on his YouTube channel weekly, signaling the end of his hiatus.
Judging by the comments on his recent video, his fans seem more than happy to move on from his controversies. And it may not be long enough until advertisers will come back and sponsor him again.
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Written by Sophie Webster
