David Dobrik / Vlog Squad
- David Dobrik posted a video to his podcast channel, apologizing for some of his past actions and content.
- Dobrik and former and current members of his Vlog Squad crew have recently faced criticism revolving around several sexual assault allegations.
- Dobrik said consent is "super super important" to him and he has learned from his mistakes.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
YouTuber David Dobrik posted an apology to his podcast channel on Tuesday night, where he addressed rape and sexual assault allegations against former and current members of his Vlog Squad crew.
Dobrik, who is widely known for rarely addressing controversy, titled the two-minute-and-thirty-seconds video "Let's talk," and turned off the comments and likes to dislikes ratio.
He said he wanted to address "some conversations that have been going on" online.
Earlier Tuesday, Insider published an investigation that included allegations from a woman who said that she was raped during the filming of a 2018 Vlog Squad video that was posted on Dobrik's channel. She said that she was given alcohol by Vlog Squad members, and became intoxicated to the point of blacking out. Then, she said, she was involved in group sex with Dominykas Zeglaitis (AKA Durte Dom) that she could not consent to.
In February, former Vlog Squad member Seth Francois spoke out and said that he was tricked into kissing Dobrik's right-hand man Jason Nash in a 2017 video. Francois said it was non-consensual and was sexual assault, as he was under the illusion he would be kissing model and influencer Corinna Kopf who would be wearing a mask, rather than Nash, a 45-year-old man.
In his apology video, Dobrik said "Consent is something that's super super important to me." He continued, "Whether I am shooting with a friend, or I am shooting with a stranger, I make sure whatever video I am putting out I have the approval from that person."
Dobrik said a lot of his old content no longer represents him or what he believes
Dobrik did not address the details of either set of allegations, but referenced an accuser and an alleged participant.
"With the Seth situation, I am sorry to Seth," Dobrik said. "I just want to make videos where everyone who is participating is enjoying and having a good time. I missed the mark with that one and I am really sorry, I truly, truly am."
Dobrik also distanced himself from Zeglaitis (Durte Dom).
"I have been really disappointed with some of my friends, and for that reason, I have separated from a lot of them," he said, mentioning Zeglaitis specifically. He added that he does not "stand for any kind of misconduct."
In the apology, Dobrik referenced "times when people change their mind," appearing to suggest that consent was withdrawn after-the-fact in certain situations involving his videos.
The claim echoed statements made by Vlog Squad member Scotty Sire about Francois. Sire claimed Francois consented at the time but had since backtracked. Dobrik said when that happens, "I will take the video down." The two videos where Francois was pranked by Dobrik and Nash have been unlisted.
The video Sire posted in defense of Dobrik was initially met with praise by Dobrik's fans, but has since widely criticized as "victim blaming" Francois, and invalidating his story. Sire took the video down after less than a week, and posted an apology, saying he "did not expect it to hurt so many people."
In his apology, Dobrik also appeared to reference content that viewers have grown to see as uncomfortable or offensive, such as a video where he and Nash dressed up as Native Americans or other vlogs with Francois that featured racially insensitive jokes.
"There's also been moments where I have looked back on videos, and I realized that these don't represent me anymore, and they're hurtful to other people, and I don't want them up," he said.
Dobrik ended the video by saying his main purpose with his content is "to make people happy and inspire people." He said he was sorry for letting his fans down, and he's learned from his mistakes.
"I also believe actions speak a lot louder than words," he said. "You can take my word for it that I'm going to change, but I will also show you and prove to you that mistakes I made before won't be happening again."