30 WORST YouTube Scandals Ever
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VOICE OVER: Phoebe de Jeu
WRITTEN BY: Jordy McKen
From controversial pranks to shocking revelations, join us as we explore the most infamous moments that rocked the YouTube community. These scandals changed careers, sparked heated debates, and in some cases, even led to legal consequences. Which controversy do you think had the biggest impact on the platform? Our countdown includes Logan Paul's forest incident, PewDiePie's controversies, TanaCon disaster, Shane Dawson's past actions, the BetterHelp controversy, and many more shocking moments that shaped YouTube's history.
30 WORST YouTube Scandals Ever
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were exploring our picks for the most shocking controversies that damaged the reputation of YouTube, the company, and those that involved the various channels across that platform.
Dillion Burch the Disney World Danger
Committing mass atrocities isnt a concept for comedy but a very real fear many have. Yet in 2018, Burch decided this situation was hilarious. While at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, the YouTuber got intoxicated and then went around telling guests someone was wandering around with a firearm. Burch reportedly did this to record the peoples reaction as he told them he was joking. However, his practical joke caused the resort to lockdown as the fake story was investigated. The police later found Burch hiding in a bush. Due to his reckless behavior, he was sentenced to 3 days in jail and banned from Disney World.
Dear Fat People
Usually, when a comedian makes a joke, theres a set-up, a punch-line, and laughter from the audience. However, Nicole Arbours 2015 video Dear Fat People missed all these attributes. She spent 6 minutes monologuing to the camera with fatphobic jabs poorly disguised as jokes. Understandably, there was a lot of backlash as fellow YouTubers and viewers heavily criticized her. The controversy even caused Arbour to miss out on film roles, too. However, despite that, the Canadian influencer has little remorse. Instead, she made various other Dear videos, each taking shots at another demographic. Arbour also claimed she did the infamous video to gain notoriety, but its not like this scandal springboarded her career.
Ruby Franke
In 2015, Franke opened the family vlogging channel 8 Passengers. But by 2020, allegations of mistreating her children began to slowly circulate, resulting in the channels decline. After splitting with her husband, Kevin, in 2022, Franke started working with counselor Jodi Hildebrandt on the channel ConneXions. In 2023, shock spread through YouTube when Frankes emaciated and injured son escaped from their house and asked neighbors for help. Police soon investigated and found evidence of abuse. After agreeing to a plea deal, Franke was sentenced to between 4 to 30 years in jail. Hildebrandt, taking a similar deal, also received 4 to 30 years. However, this was soon followed by a lawsuit from a former client and another from Kevin.
ImJayStation Fakes Girlfriend's Death
When looking to boost interest in a channel, YouTubers will typically think of new content ideas or rebranding. However, Jason Ethier, AKA ImJayStation, went in a far more sinister direction. In 2020, he uploaded a video of him tearfully explaining that his partner and fellow YouTuber, Alexia Marano, had passed away after an intoxicated driver struck her. Ethier then released further videos, such as trying to contact her spirit with a Ouija board. However, it soon emerged that the police had no record of a fatal crash in the area and that Marano was alive. Ethier eventually admitted he did this to boost subscribers and that his partner was involved in the ploy. However, Marano then broke up with him and accused him of abuse.
Onision
In the early days of YouTubes popularity, James Jackson, AKA Onision, was one of the platforms biggest names with his sketch videos. However, in 2012, another side to him began to emerge as he made controversial statements about an ex-partner. In 2019, Jackson allegedly doxxed someone, resulting in his Patreon being banned. Soon after, he was then accused of abuse by ex-partner Shiloh Hoganson, followed by accusations hed been grooming fans. This led Chris Hansen of To Catch a Predator fame to target Jackson by arriving at his home to interview him. However, Jackson refused. He then issued petitions against Hansen and YouTuber Daniel Sulzbach, AKA Repzion. However, due to another Chris Hansen being served accidentally, it was dismissed.
BetterHelp
If their commercials arent popping up during videos, BetterHelp was sponsoring specific YouTubers. With a company all about helping those struggling with mental health issues by connecting them to therapists, it seemed like a good message. But not everyone agreed. In 2018, YouTube stars such as PewDiePie criticized BetterHelps practices, accusing the company of faking reviews, deceptive pricing, and Terms of Service that stated it didnt guarantee therapists credentials. Yikes. PewDiePie also highlighted that when viewers signed up via a link, the YouTuber would get paid, essentially meaning theyre profiting from their fanbases struggles. BetterHelp higher-ups rejected the accusations. However, the company found itself in another controversy in 2023 when it shared consumers' health data with third parties.
ReSet & the Inedible Oreo
First specializing in gaming content, Kanghua Ren, AKA ReSet, began incorporating challenge and practical joke videos. However, in 2017, Ren took a pack of Oreos, removed the cream, and replaced it with toothpaste. Then, he went through the streets of Barcelona, Spain, giving the deceptive treats to people. Ren then met a homeless man and gave him some doctored Oreos, causing the man to vomit. He later tried to bribe the man and his family into not pressing charges. In 2019, Ren was sentenced to 15 months in jail, which he was unlikely to serve due to being a non-violent, first-time offender. Ren was also banned from uploading on YouTube for 5 years and had to pay the victim 20,000, around $22,400.
Ava Tyson's Alleged Messages
As a childhood friend of James MrBeast Donaldson, Tyson has been involved with the channel since the early days. In 2023, during an interview with Anthony Padilla, she announced she was a transwoman. However, in 2024, Tyson was then accused of grooming a minor. While she defended herself, claiming it was edgy jokes, Tyson stepped away from the MrBeast channel. The victim originally supported Tysons version of events but later stated they realized it was inappropriate. Donaldson followed the scandal by hiring a law firm to investigate the accusations. After 3 months, the company concluded the allegations were baseless. Following this, the alleged victim called the allegations against Tyson completely false.
The Ukulele Apology
With her character Miranda Sings, Colleen Ballinger took YouTube by storm with her skits, leading to mainstream success with films and TV shows. However, behind the scenes, things were very far darker. After admitting to sending underwear to an underage fan in 2020, it got worse in 2023 when screenshots of a group chat she was involved in went public. Ballinger seemingly asked many inappropriate questions to minors, including those that evolved around intimate acts. As the scandal grew, causing racist and insensitive past videos to resurface, Ballinger did something no one expectedshe released a YouTube apology video while singing as she played the ukulele. It was strange and caused a lot of backlash and mockery that she hasnt recovered from since.
Jeff Wittek's Horror Injuries
Typically, when a group of influencers team up for content, everyone benefits in some way. However, for Wittek and David Dobriks Vlog Squad, it ended horribly. In 2020, Wittek was severely injured by a stunt, resulting in suffering many terrible injuries. In 2021, he released a series of videos titled Don't Try This at Home, which detailed what happened and the aftermath. As the squad was filming stunts in a lake in Utah, one part involved Wittek holding onto a rope as Dobrik swung the excavator it was attached to. However, Dobrik was more aggressive with the movements. He then stopped suddenly, causing Wittek to collide with the vehicle. In 2022, Wittek issued a $10 million lawsuit against Dobrik for causing his injuries.
Hosseinzadeh v. Klein
You may know these parties better as YouTube personalities Bold Guy and h3h3Productions. For those unfamiliar with the works of Ethan and Hila Klein, their two channels h3h3 and Ethan and Hila boast comedy skits, reaction videos, and YouTube criticism. When they reacted to a video uploaded by MattHossZone, the channels owner, Matthew Hosseinzadeh, didnt take too kindly to the slamming or their use of his content. His lawyer demanded the video to be taken down, never spoken of again, and wanted $4,000 in compensation. The lawsuit continued, causing big names like Philip DeFranco and the Fine Brothers to band together to help fund h3h3s defense in the name of fair use.
YouTube Heroes & Subscriber Bug
2016 will go down as a write-off for just about everybody especially YouTube. Throughout the year, many YouTubers saw a hefty dip in their subscribers and were understandably a bit miffed. In response to the outcry, YouTube kind of admitted they didnt know what was happening, later saying it was a bug. To add fuel to the rage fire, YouTube then came out with YouTube Heroes in September 2016, a program that would allow users to flag videos, report users, and assist in closed captioning. Basically, they wanted people to work for YouTube for free. In a sad twist of irony, the community backlash was so brutal that YouTube disabled the Comments section on the video. Talk about a downvote...
Marina Joyce Fake Kidnapping
In July 2016, this young beauty vlogger came under serious scrutiny. In a video about date outfits, Marina Joyce seemed to be behaving strangely. Her fans immediately noticed she wasnt her normal energetic self, and some even thought they could see bruises on her body. Many took these as signs Joyce was in danger, with some even speculating she was kidnapped by ISIS. The hashtag #savemarinajoyce quickly spread online, with fears escalating to the point that authorities visited her home. In reality, the video was just an awkward advertisement, and her bruises a result of a tumble in the woods prior to shooting the video. Whether this was a stunt Joyce pulled, the real deal, or just a lot of jumping to conclusions, its still quite something.
The Beauty Racism Scandal
What do they say about glass houses and throwing stones again? These beauty gurus could have used a refresher! In summer 2018, the beauty community was rocked by a racism scandal reported in Vox and The Washington Post. It all started with a fallout between makeup artist Jeffree Star and other beauty mavens. In a tweet, Gabby Zamora accused Star of being racist, but it backfired when followers dug up offensive social media posts from Zamora, as well as Nikita Dragun, Manny MUA, and Laura Lee - who once advised black people to pull up their pants when running from police . . . The scandal led to Lees infamous and widely ridiculed apology video.
Toby Turners Allegations
Famous for his literal trailers and humorous music videos, Toby Turner, aka Tobuscus, came under fire in Spring 2016 for accusations from ex-girlfriend and YouTube personality AprilEfff. Soon after, another of Turners ex-girlfriends Amelia Talon came forward saying that Turner had pressured her into using drugs and had also physically hurt her. Jaclyn Glenn, another ex, did speak out in support of Turner, though she also claimed that she often felt pressured, but not forced, to do things during their relationship. In November, she posted again saying that Turner was incessantly messaging her and that she just wanted the whole ordeal to stop.
The Ace Family
On the surface, the Ace Family youtube channel portrays a luxurious and fulfilling family life that any normal person could only dream of. But search the internet using the patriarchs name Austin McBroom and the word scandal, and you wont know where to start with this channel. For one, Austin has been accused of cheating on his wife, assaulting other women and has faced lawsuits related to unpaid bills, namely the foreclosure of their 13 million dollar mansion. Hes also come under severe criticism for his problematic behavior relating to his own children, in particular when he brought his daughter to an adult toy store and posted a video about it to Snapchat. The family has been accused of scamming their audience with various membership programs, and of faking ticket sales to their own events, to inflate the appearance of success. All in all, its a little baffling that they are still allowed to exist on the platform.
Elsagate
Spanning multiple channels, Elsagate changed how YouTube monitors content. The foundations were laid in 2014, when Quebec City-based channel Webs and Tiaras began uploading videos featuring people dressed up as Elsa and Spider-Man in unexpected and disturbing situations. At first glance, the videos seemed family-friendly, and designed to draw in younger viewers. But then things get . . . weird. And inappropriate. Then there was the channel Toy Freaks, run by a single father who liked to scare his daughters and show them spitting up food. The media was slow to react, but in 2017 a slew of articles prompted YouTube to delete thousands of videos and announce new guidelines.
Eugenia Cooney
Beauty YouTuber Eugenia Cooney has been controversial ever since her first video, due to her extremely thin appearance. In 2016, a change.org petition called for YouTube to temporarily ban her account, claiming she has a negative influence on young girls - some of whom say they want to be Eugenia Cooney skinny. Eugenia subsequently stated that she doesnt endorse being underweight, and YouTube refused to ban her account. This in turn sparked heated discussions around the extent of control and influence that people can or should have over others bodies. To this day her videos receive a significant portion of dislikes.
Nicole Arbour & Matthew Santoro
YouTuber Nicole Arbour is best known for her infamous Dear Fat People video, in which she harshly criticized obese people. She made more than a few enemies with her comments, all the while gaining a lot of publicity. However, she came into the news AGAIN for another YouTube-related fiasco. Matthew Santoro, whos best known for his factual list videos, posted a video revealing that he had an emotionally and physically abusive relationship. In a video from January 2016 titled My Abuse Story, he talked about the relationship and the ensuing trauma. It wasnt confirmed that he was referring to Arbour until she posted calling him a little bitch, and stated he was using her for attention. Real classy.
LeafyIsHere
For a while there, LeafyIsHere managed to make a career out of just ridiculing people on YouTube. Guess were all good at something? In 2016, he decided to turn his mean streak onto autistic YouTuber TommyNC2010, making fun of his appearance and behavior. In a tearful response, TommyNC2010 claimed that Leafys toxic fans were sending him death threats. An iDubbbz Content Cop video soon followed, criticizing Leafys repetitive and low quality content, after which Leafys subscriber count began to plummet. He stopped uploading content in December 2017, and YouTube isnt exactly worse off for it!
DramaAlert & the RuneScape Predator
No one can stir up the drama quite like Keemstar of the controversial DramaAlert channel. However, sometimes he and the channel jump the gun, and in this case, someone got hurt. DramaAlert found a news story about a gamer named John Phillips using RuneScape to lure young women, and singled out Twitch streamer Tony as the culprit except he wasnt the guy. Tony soon received death threats and hateful messages, reducing him to tears. YouTuber Scarce entered the scene and called out Keemstars lack of fact checking, stating that the actual predator was still in prison, and that Tony was an innocent man. Keemstar issued an apology video and offered the man money in damages, but many thought sorry wasnt nearly enough.
The Channel Awesome Management Controversy
Theres only so much that people will take. In March 2018, former Channel Awesome employees alleged mistreatment by the companys upper management. They accused the Walker brothers of being incompetent and failing to communicate with producers, and alleged that the company fosters an incredibly sexist working environment. A few months later, a document titled Not So Awesome was released via Google Drive, detailing numerous further complaints. Channel Awesome brushed off the accusations, calling its former employees disgruntled and vindictive - making the situation much, much worse. When the dust settled, only four producers remained, where once there were 40.
CSGO Lotto: TmarTn & TheSyndicateProject
In 2013, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive became more customizable for users, giving them the option of skins. Soon, sites popped up giving users no matter how old they were the chance to trade and gamble these coveted items on Counter-Strike games on Steam. YouTuber HonorTheCall started noticing that Trevor Martin, known as TmarTn, and Tom Cassell of TheSyndicateProject both won a LOT of money on CSGOLotto.com, which was used to win the in-game items. He then uncovered that Martin and Cassell were CSGO Lottos President and Vice President respectively, which they hadnt mentioned. What started as a mother suing the games developer for allowing her young son to gamble soon resulted in a class-action lawsuit against Martin and Cassell, who had broken the Federal Trade Commission rules.
The Myka Stauffer Family Scandal
Family themed YouTube channels always seem ripe for controversy. DaddyOFive is one example, having had their channel terminated for causing mental damage to their own children. But the Myka Stauffer scandal involving her adopted son is one that is even more twisted and bizarre. In 2017, with some help from a GoFundMe, the Stauffers adopted a young boy from China, whom they knew had autism. For several years, audiences got to know their son Huxley and how he was readjusting to his new life and family. Then suddenly, he disappeared from the channels uploads, and the news came out shortly after that he had been rehomed to a new family that supposedly was more able to suit his special needs. While some of their audience may have been sympathetic to the situation, the overall response on social media was one of shock and disgust, with many accusing the Stauffers of exploiting the young child for content.
Sam Peppers Killing Best Friend Prank
Former Big Brother housemate Sam Pepper is now most known for prank videos. In 2014, one of his videos featured him touching women without their consent, but a year later, he went to a whole new level. The video depicts Pepper in disguise, kidnapping online personalities Sam Golbach and Colby Brock, then forcing Golbach to watch Brock get shot. Pepper was shocked by the horrified response, and Golbach expressed the videos point was about living life to the full. When petitions called for Pepper to be banned from YouTube, he responded with a GoFundMe page, promising to delete his YouTube account if pledges hit $1.5 million. By February 2016, Pepper began privatizing his videos and purging his Twitter account before re-emerging as a vlogger.
Shane Dawson & His . . . Jokes
Shane Dawson just keeps piling it on. In 2012, Dawson thought it would be hilarious to perform in blackface at VidCon. It . . . wasnt, and he apologized. In the meantime though, hed joked - if thats the word - about Googling inappropriate topics relating to kids. He offered a quote unquote justification for this behavior. It all resurfaced in 2018, when he was lambasted on Twitter. That same year, he copped criticism for his documentary on Jake Paul, in which he asked a marriage and family counselor if Jake Paul was a sociopath. Oh, and then in March 2019, someone dug up a clip of him talking about doing disgusting things to a cat.
TanaCon
If Tana Mongeau will be remembered for anything, it will be the utter dumpster fire that was Tanacon. When VidCon refused to brand Tana a featured creator, she created the self-named TanaCon in retaliation, hosting it at the Anaheim Marriott Suites on the same day as VidCon. The event was sold well over capacity, leaving fans stuck outside in the sun for hours. And when they got inside, the convention was little more than a hotel hallway with nothing to do. The gift bags given to VIPs consisted of wristbands and TanaCondoms. Frustrated attendees compared it to Fyre Festival, and security shut the whole thing down after just a few hours.
The Fine Brothers React World
Best known for their reaction videos, the Fine Brothers announced plans in 2016 to license their format to creators and trademark the term react. Many saw this as a move to capitalize on what is a very common format, and the Fine Brothers were met with heavy criticism from both viewers and fellow content creators. YouTubers with reaction videos were slammed with copyright strikes or requests for compensation, and the Fine Brothers suffered a loss of around 675,000 subscribers. On February 1st, 2016, Rafi and Benny Fine halted the React World program and decided to face the music, but its going to be hard to ever forget this bad business move.
PewDiePies Racism Scandals
2017 was NOT PewDiePies year. In February, the Wall Street Journal pegged nine of his videos as including anti-Semitic content and Nazi imagery. PewDiePie apologized, while also claiming that the media had taken his jokes and statements out of context. Nonetheless, he was fired from Disneys Maker Studios for going too far. The following September, Pewds uttered the n-word during a live stream of PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds, and had to apologize again, calling himself an idiot. Then in December 2018, he was called out for promoting E;R, an anti-Semitic, homophobic, and sexist video essayist. Pewds said he wasnt aware of E;Rs controversial content, but many found it irresponsible that he hadnt looked further into the channel.
Logan Paul in Aokigahara
In the history of YouTube scandals, the time Logan Paul filmed someone who took their own life deserves a whole chapter. The video saw Paul and friends traveling into Japans infamous Aokigahara forest, a location that is said to house the ghosts of the dead. The group eventually came upon a corpse hanging from a tree. They filmed the body, their reactions, and then shockingly uploaded the whole thing to YouTube. The backlash was swift, with even well-known celebrities chiming in. Sophie Turner called him an idiot, and Aaron Paul said he should rot in hell. The scandal and Logans other antics eventually led to YouTube temporarily suspending advertising on his channels.
What other YouTube scandal that shook your world did we miss from our list? Let us know in the comments!
https://youtu.be/txFMNbJ90xw - news segment on backlash to Houtss dog video
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were exploring our picks for the most shocking controversies that damaged the reputation of YouTube, the company, and those that involved the various channels across that platform.
Dillion Burch the Disney World Danger
Committing mass atrocities isnt a concept for comedy but a very real fear many have. Yet in 2018, Burch decided this situation was hilarious. While at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, the YouTuber got intoxicated and then went around telling guests someone was wandering around with a firearm. Burch reportedly did this to record the peoples reaction as he told them he was joking. However, his practical joke caused the resort to lockdown as the fake story was investigated. The police later found Burch hiding in a bush. Due to his reckless behavior, he was sentenced to 3 days in jail and banned from Disney World.
Dear Fat People
Usually, when a comedian makes a joke, theres a set-up, a punch-line, and laughter from the audience. However, Nicole Arbours 2015 video Dear Fat People missed all these attributes. She spent 6 minutes monologuing to the camera with fatphobic jabs poorly disguised as jokes. Understandably, there was a lot of backlash as fellow YouTubers and viewers heavily criticized her. The controversy even caused Arbour to miss out on film roles, too. However, despite that, the Canadian influencer has little remorse. Instead, she made various other Dear videos, each taking shots at another demographic. Arbour also claimed she did the infamous video to gain notoriety, but its not like this scandal springboarded her career.
Ruby Franke
In 2015, Franke opened the family vlogging channel 8 Passengers. But by 2020, allegations of mistreating her children began to slowly circulate, resulting in the channels decline. After splitting with her husband, Kevin, in 2022, Franke started working with counselor Jodi Hildebrandt on the channel ConneXions. In 2023, shock spread through YouTube when Frankes emaciated and injured son escaped from their house and asked neighbors for help. Police soon investigated and found evidence of abuse. After agreeing to a plea deal, Franke was sentenced to between 4 to 30 years in jail. Hildebrandt, taking a similar deal, also received 4 to 30 years. However, this was soon followed by a lawsuit from a former client and another from Kevin.
ImJayStation Fakes Girlfriend's Death
When looking to boost interest in a channel, YouTubers will typically think of new content ideas or rebranding. However, Jason Ethier, AKA ImJayStation, went in a far more sinister direction. In 2020, he uploaded a video of him tearfully explaining that his partner and fellow YouTuber, Alexia Marano, had passed away after an intoxicated driver struck her. Ethier then released further videos, such as trying to contact her spirit with a Ouija board. However, it soon emerged that the police had no record of a fatal crash in the area and that Marano was alive. Ethier eventually admitted he did this to boost subscribers and that his partner was involved in the ploy. However, Marano then broke up with him and accused him of abuse.
Onision
In the early days of YouTubes popularity, James Jackson, AKA Onision, was one of the platforms biggest names with his sketch videos. However, in 2012, another side to him began to emerge as he made controversial statements about an ex-partner. In 2019, Jackson allegedly doxxed someone, resulting in his Patreon being banned. Soon after, he was then accused of abuse by ex-partner Shiloh Hoganson, followed by accusations hed been grooming fans. This led Chris Hansen of To Catch a Predator fame to target Jackson by arriving at his home to interview him. However, Jackson refused. He then issued petitions against Hansen and YouTuber Daniel Sulzbach, AKA Repzion. However, due to another Chris Hansen being served accidentally, it was dismissed.
BetterHelp
If their commercials arent popping up during videos, BetterHelp was sponsoring specific YouTubers. With a company all about helping those struggling with mental health issues by connecting them to therapists, it seemed like a good message. But not everyone agreed. In 2018, YouTube stars such as PewDiePie criticized BetterHelps practices, accusing the company of faking reviews, deceptive pricing, and Terms of Service that stated it didnt guarantee therapists credentials. Yikes. PewDiePie also highlighted that when viewers signed up via a link, the YouTuber would get paid, essentially meaning theyre profiting from their fanbases struggles. BetterHelp higher-ups rejected the accusations. However, the company found itself in another controversy in 2023 when it shared consumers' health data with third parties.
ReSet & the Inedible Oreo
First specializing in gaming content, Kanghua Ren, AKA ReSet, began incorporating challenge and practical joke videos. However, in 2017, Ren took a pack of Oreos, removed the cream, and replaced it with toothpaste. Then, he went through the streets of Barcelona, Spain, giving the deceptive treats to people. Ren then met a homeless man and gave him some doctored Oreos, causing the man to vomit. He later tried to bribe the man and his family into not pressing charges. In 2019, Ren was sentenced to 15 months in jail, which he was unlikely to serve due to being a non-violent, first-time offender. Ren was also banned from uploading on YouTube for 5 years and had to pay the victim 20,000, around $22,400.
Ava Tyson's Alleged Messages
As a childhood friend of James MrBeast Donaldson, Tyson has been involved with the channel since the early days. In 2023, during an interview with Anthony Padilla, she announced she was a transwoman. However, in 2024, Tyson was then accused of grooming a minor. While she defended herself, claiming it was edgy jokes, Tyson stepped away from the MrBeast channel. The victim originally supported Tysons version of events but later stated they realized it was inappropriate. Donaldson followed the scandal by hiring a law firm to investigate the accusations. After 3 months, the company concluded the allegations were baseless. Following this, the alleged victim called the allegations against Tyson completely false.
The Ukulele Apology
With her character Miranda Sings, Colleen Ballinger took YouTube by storm with her skits, leading to mainstream success with films and TV shows. However, behind the scenes, things were very far darker. After admitting to sending underwear to an underage fan in 2020, it got worse in 2023 when screenshots of a group chat she was involved in went public. Ballinger seemingly asked many inappropriate questions to minors, including those that evolved around intimate acts. As the scandal grew, causing racist and insensitive past videos to resurface, Ballinger did something no one expectedshe released a YouTube apology video while singing as she played the ukulele. It was strange and caused a lot of backlash and mockery that she hasnt recovered from since.
Jeff Wittek's Horror Injuries
Typically, when a group of influencers team up for content, everyone benefits in some way. However, for Wittek and David Dobriks Vlog Squad, it ended horribly. In 2020, Wittek was severely injured by a stunt, resulting in suffering many terrible injuries. In 2021, he released a series of videos titled Don't Try This at Home, which detailed what happened and the aftermath. As the squad was filming stunts in a lake in Utah, one part involved Wittek holding onto a rope as Dobrik swung the excavator it was attached to. However, Dobrik was more aggressive with the movements. He then stopped suddenly, causing Wittek to collide with the vehicle. In 2022, Wittek issued a $10 million lawsuit against Dobrik for causing his injuries.
Hosseinzadeh v. Klein
You may know these parties better as YouTube personalities Bold Guy and h3h3Productions. For those unfamiliar with the works of Ethan and Hila Klein, their two channels h3h3 and Ethan and Hila boast comedy skits, reaction videos, and YouTube criticism. When they reacted to a video uploaded by MattHossZone, the channels owner, Matthew Hosseinzadeh, didnt take too kindly to the slamming or their use of his content. His lawyer demanded the video to be taken down, never spoken of again, and wanted $4,000 in compensation. The lawsuit continued, causing big names like Philip DeFranco and the Fine Brothers to band together to help fund h3h3s defense in the name of fair use.
YouTube Heroes & Subscriber Bug
2016 will go down as a write-off for just about everybody especially YouTube. Throughout the year, many YouTubers saw a hefty dip in their subscribers and were understandably a bit miffed. In response to the outcry, YouTube kind of admitted they didnt know what was happening, later saying it was a bug. To add fuel to the rage fire, YouTube then came out with YouTube Heroes in September 2016, a program that would allow users to flag videos, report users, and assist in closed captioning. Basically, they wanted people to work for YouTube for free. In a sad twist of irony, the community backlash was so brutal that YouTube disabled the Comments section on the video. Talk about a downvote...
Marina Joyce Fake Kidnapping
In July 2016, this young beauty vlogger came under serious scrutiny. In a video about date outfits, Marina Joyce seemed to be behaving strangely. Her fans immediately noticed she wasnt her normal energetic self, and some even thought they could see bruises on her body. Many took these as signs Joyce was in danger, with some even speculating she was kidnapped by ISIS. The hashtag #savemarinajoyce quickly spread online, with fears escalating to the point that authorities visited her home. In reality, the video was just an awkward advertisement, and her bruises a result of a tumble in the woods prior to shooting the video. Whether this was a stunt Joyce pulled, the real deal, or just a lot of jumping to conclusions, its still quite something.
The Beauty Racism Scandal
What do they say about glass houses and throwing stones again? These beauty gurus could have used a refresher! In summer 2018, the beauty community was rocked by a racism scandal reported in Vox and The Washington Post. It all started with a fallout between makeup artist Jeffree Star and other beauty mavens. In a tweet, Gabby Zamora accused Star of being racist, but it backfired when followers dug up offensive social media posts from Zamora, as well as Nikita Dragun, Manny MUA, and Laura Lee - who once advised black people to pull up their pants when running from police . . . The scandal led to Lees infamous and widely ridiculed apology video.
Toby Turners Allegations
Famous for his literal trailers and humorous music videos, Toby Turner, aka Tobuscus, came under fire in Spring 2016 for accusations from ex-girlfriend and YouTube personality AprilEfff. Soon after, another of Turners ex-girlfriends Amelia Talon came forward saying that Turner had pressured her into using drugs and had also physically hurt her. Jaclyn Glenn, another ex, did speak out in support of Turner, though she also claimed that she often felt pressured, but not forced, to do things during their relationship. In November, she posted again saying that Turner was incessantly messaging her and that she just wanted the whole ordeal to stop.
The Ace Family
On the surface, the Ace Family youtube channel portrays a luxurious and fulfilling family life that any normal person could only dream of. But search the internet using the patriarchs name Austin McBroom and the word scandal, and you wont know where to start with this channel. For one, Austin has been accused of cheating on his wife, assaulting other women and has faced lawsuits related to unpaid bills, namely the foreclosure of their 13 million dollar mansion. Hes also come under severe criticism for his problematic behavior relating to his own children, in particular when he brought his daughter to an adult toy store and posted a video about it to Snapchat. The family has been accused of scamming their audience with various membership programs, and of faking ticket sales to their own events, to inflate the appearance of success. All in all, its a little baffling that they are still allowed to exist on the platform.
Elsagate
Spanning multiple channels, Elsagate changed how YouTube monitors content. The foundations were laid in 2014, when Quebec City-based channel Webs and Tiaras began uploading videos featuring people dressed up as Elsa and Spider-Man in unexpected and disturbing situations. At first glance, the videos seemed family-friendly, and designed to draw in younger viewers. But then things get . . . weird. And inappropriate. Then there was the channel Toy Freaks, run by a single father who liked to scare his daughters and show them spitting up food. The media was slow to react, but in 2017 a slew of articles prompted YouTube to delete thousands of videos and announce new guidelines.
Eugenia Cooney
Beauty YouTuber Eugenia Cooney has been controversial ever since her first video, due to her extremely thin appearance. In 2016, a change.org petition called for YouTube to temporarily ban her account, claiming she has a negative influence on young girls - some of whom say they want to be Eugenia Cooney skinny. Eugenia subsequently stated that she doesnt endorse being underweight, and YouTube refused to ban her account. This in turn sparked heated discussions around the extent of control and influence that people can or should have over others bodies. To this day her videos receive a significant portion of dislikes.
Nicole Arbour & Matthew Santoro
YouTuber Nicole Arbour is best known for her infamous Dear Fat People video, in which she harshly criticized obese people. She made more than a few enemies with her comments, all the while gaining a lot of publicity. However, she came into the news AGAIN for another YouTube-related fiasco. Matthew Santoro, whos best known for his factual list videos, posted a video revealing that he had an emotionally and physically abusive relationship. In a video from January 2016 titled My Abuse Story, he talked about the relationship and the ensuing trauma. It wasnt confirmed that he was referring to Arbour until she posted calling him a little bitch, and stated he was using her for attention. Real classy.
LeafyIsHere
For a while there, LeafyIsHere managed to make a career out of just ridiculing people on YouTube. Guess were all good at something? In 2016, he decided to turn his mean streak onto autistic YouTuber TommyNC2010, making fun of his appearance and behavior. In a tearful response, TommyNC2010 claimed that Leafys toxic fans were sending him death threats. An iDubbbz Content Cop video soon followed, criticizing Leafys repetitive and low quality content, after which Leafys subscriber count began to plummet. He stopped uploading content in December 2017, and YouTube isnt exactly worse off for it!
DramaAlert & the RuneScape Predator
No one can stir up the drama quite like Keemstar of the controversial DramaAlert channel. However, sometimes he and the channel jump the gun, and in this case, someone got hurt. DramaAlert found a news story about a gamer named John Phillips using RuneScape to lure young women, and singled out Twitch streamer Tony as the culprit except he wasnt the guy. Tony soon received death threats and hateful messages, reducing him to tears. YouTuber Scarce entered the scene and called out Keemstars lack of fact checking, stating that the actual predator was still in prison, and that Tony was an innocent man. Keemstar issued an apology video and offered the man money in damages, but many thought sorry wasnt nearly enough.
The Channel Awesome Management Controversy
Theres only so much that people will take. In March 2018, former Channel Awesome employees alleged mistreatment by the companys upper management. They accused the Walker brothers of being incompetent and failing to communicate with producers, and alleged that the company fosters an incredibly sexist working environment. A few months later, a document titled Not So Awesome was released via Google Drive, detailing numerous further complaints. Channel Awesome brushed off the accusations, calling its former employees disgruntled and vindictive - making the situation much, much worse. When the dust settled, only four producers remained, where once there were 40.
CSGO Lotto: TmarTn & TheSyndicateProject
In 2013, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive became more customizable for users, giving them the option of skins. Soon, sites popped up giving users no matter how old they were the chance to trade and gamble these coveted items on Counter-Strike games on Steam. YouTuber HonorTheCall started noticing that Trevor Martin, known as TmarTn, and Tom Cassell of TheSyndicateProject both won a LOT of money on CSGOLotto.com, which was used to win the in-game items. He then uncovered that Martin and Cassell were CSGO Lottos President and Vice President respectively, which they hadnt mentioned. What started as a mother suing the games developer for allowing her young son to gamble soon resulted in a class-action lawsuit against Martin and Cassell, who had broken the Federal Trade Commission rules.
The Myka Stauffer Family Scandal
Family themed YouTube channels always seem ripe for controversy. DaddyOFive is one example, having had their channel terminated for causing mental damage to their own children. But the Myka Stauffer scandal involving her adopted son is one that is even more twisted and bizarre. In 2017, with some help from a GoFundMe, the Stauffers adopted a young boy from China, whom they knew had autism. For several years, audiences got to know their son Huxley and how he was readjusting to his new life and family. Then suddenly, he disappeared from the channels uploads, and the news came out shortly after that he had been rehomed to a new family that supposedly was more able to suit his special needs. While some of their audience may have been sympathetic to the situation, the overall response on social media was one of shock and disgust, with many accusing the Stauffers of exploiting the young child for content.
Sam Peppers Killing Best Friend Prank
Former Big Brother housemate Sam Pepper is now most known for prank videos. In 2014, one of his videos featured him touching women without their consent, but a year later, he went to a whole new level. The video depicts Pepper in disguise, kidnapping online personalities Sam Golbach and Colby Brock, then forcing Golbach to watch Brock get shot. Pepper was shocked by the horrified response, and Golbach expressed the videos point was about living life to the full. When petitions called for Pepper to be banned from YouTube, he responded with a GoFundMe page, promising to delete his YouTube account if pledges hit $1.5 million. By February 2016, Pepper began privatizing his videos and purging his Twitter account before re-emerging as a vlogger.
Shane Dawson & His . . . Jokes
Shane Dawson just keeps piling it on. In 2012, Dawson thought it would be hilarious to perform in blackface at VidCon. It . . . wasnt, and he apologized. In the meantime though, hed joked - if thats the word - about Googling inappropriate topics relating to kids. He offered a quote unquote justification for this behavior. It all resurfaced in 2018, when he was lambasted on Twitter. That same year, he copped criticism for his documentary on Jake Paul, in which he asked a marriage and family counselor if Jake Paul was a sociopath. Oh, and then in March 2019, someone dug up a clip of him talking about doing disgusting things to a cat.
TanaCon
If Tana Mongeau will be remembered for anything, it will be the utter dumpster fire that was Tanacon. When VidCon refused to brand Tana a featured creator, she created the self-named TanaCon in retaliation, hosting it at the Anaheim Marriott Suites on the same day as VidCon. The event was sold well over capacity, leaving fans stuck outside in the sun for hours. And when they got inside, the convention was little more than a hotel hallway with nothing to do. The gift bags given to VIPs consisted of wristbands and TanaCondoms. Frustrated attendees compared it to Fyre Festival, and security shut the whole thing down after just a few hours.
The Fine Brothers React World
Best known for their reaction videos, the Fine Brothers announced plans in 2016 to license their format to creators and trademark the term react. Many saw this as a move to capitalize on what is a very common format, and the Fine Brothers were met with heavy criticism from both viewers and fellow content creators. YouTubers with reaction videos were slammed with copyright strikes or requests for compensation, and the Fine Brothers suffered a loss of around 675,000 subscribers. On February 1st, 2016, Rafi and Benny Fine halted the React World program and decided to face the music, but its going to be hard to ever forget this bad business move.
PewDiePies Racism Scandals
2017 was NOT PewDiePies year. In February, the Wall Street Journal pegged nine of his videos as including anti-Semitic content and Nazi imagery. PewDiePie apologized, while also claiming that the media had taken his jokes and statements out of context. Nonetheless, he was fired from Disneys Maker Studios for going too far. The following September, Pewds uttered the n-word during a live stream of PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds, and had to apologize again, calling himself an idiot. Then in December 2018, he was called out for promoting E;R, an anti-Semitic, homophobic, and sexist video essayist. Pewds said he wasnt aware of E;Rs controversial content, but many found it irresponsible that he hadnt looked further into the channel.
Logan Paul in Aokigahara
In the history of YouTube scandals, the time Logan Paul filmed someone who took their own life deserves a whole chapter. The video saw Paul and friends traveling into Japans infamous Aokigahara forest, a location that is said to house the ghosts of the dead. The group eventually came upon a corpse hanging from a tree. They filmed the body, their reactions, and then shockingly uploaded the whole thing to YouTube. The backlash was swift, with even well-known celebrities chiming in. Sophie Turner called him an idiot, and Aaron Paul said he should rot in hell. The scandal and Logans other antics eventually led to YouTube temporarily suspending advertising on his channels.
What other YouTube scandal that shook your world did we miss from our list? Let us know in the comments!
Inside Edition (1989-)
8th August 2019https://youtu.be/txFMNbJ90xw - news segment on backlash to Houtss dog video
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