David Dobrik lost more than a dozen advertisers and 300,000 YouTube subscribers last week after a report detailed a rape allegation against a former member of his vlogging team.
Business Insider found that 11 brands, including HelloFresh, EA Sports, Dollar Shave Club and Facebook say they are no longer working with him. PopCrave reports that Chipotle, who recently named a burrito Dobrik, abandoned him. AND TubeFilter reports that SeatGeek – formerly one of Dobrik’s biggest advertisers, having sponsored a series of videos in which he gives cars to friends and family – also says it has no plans to work with him.
Advertisers are fleeing the Dobrik channel after a report in Business Insider describing a rape allegation against Dom Zeglaitis, better known as Durte Dom. Zeglaitis, a former member of Dobrik’s Vlog Squad, is accused of raping a woman while filming a video for Dobrik’s YouTube channel in 2018. Parts of meeting were posted on YouTube and then removed at the woman’s request. Dobrik said in a video posted this morning that he stopped filming with Zeglaitis in 2019.
The report followed another allegation of sexual assault by a former Vlog Squad member. BuzzFeed reported in February that Joseth “Seth” François said he was taken to kiss someone as part of a “gotcha” video for Dobrik’s channel in 2017.
Like many important YouTubers whose popularity exploded in the mid-2010s, Dobrik’s channel grew in part thanks to bold videos that often involved obscene plots and immature pranks. As these creators gained a bigger stage, these videos and other past behaviors were examined.
Last June, several YouTubers tackled old racist videos while fans demanded responsibility during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests. YouTube suspended ads on Shane Dawson’s channel about old racist videos, Target stopped selling its book, and makeup company Morphe abandoned its products. Jenna Marbles left YouTube as part of an apology for previous racist videos. And Dobrik also apologized for filming racist videos.
Dobrik has faced increasing consequences as a result of these latest reports. In addition to advertisers fleeing his channel, he has separated from the new Dispo camera app, which he co-founded, and is no longer a co-owner of Angel City Football Club, a U.S. women’s soccer team co-owned by a number of celebrities.
There are still 18 million people subscribed to Dobrik’s YouTube channel alone, so it’s not like your audience has left. But sponsors are a big part of how top YouTubers make money, as it protects them from the uncertainties of YouTube’s built-in advertising system. YouTube does not appear to have acted against Dobrik’s channel. The Verge he held out his hand for comment.
In his video this morning, Dobrik said he will take a short break on YouTube to add “infrastructure” to support his channel. This includes bringing in an HR employee so that people can “communicate discomfort in a way that is comfortable for them”.