Top 20 Infamous YouTube Apologies

Now, let’s get one thing clear off the bat: this isn’t necessarily a bad apology video. It isn’t ten hours long, PewDiePie doesn’t deflect blame, fake cry or sigh, and he owns his monumental f-up. In fact, this is probably one of the few good apology videos out there. But it’s still infamous. Judging solely by the mainstream traction that the 2017 video and the inciting incident received, it’s actually one of the most famous apology videos on YouTube. Heck, this apology video made headlines in outlets like Business Insider and Variety! That’s a pretty big deal, considering most YouTube drama is relegated to… well, YouTube. We even got the Heated Gaming Moment meme out of this ordeal...

The Fine Bros are the founders of Fine Brothers Entertainment, which is well known for its “React” series. In turn, they attempted to trademark the term “react.” Unfortunately, reaction videos are performed the world over, and many people were pissed at the brothers for having the gall to trademark such a widely used term. They initially tried (rather unsuccessfully) to quell the anger with a condescending explanation of their business acumen before issuing a full-blown apology and said they were rescinding their trademark attempt. But the damage was already done. They lost tons of subscribers, people around the internet reacted negatively to the video, and sarcastically asked if they could react to things again. And those were the nice things that were said.

As negatively received as the Fine Bros apology was, at least it didn’t cause more controversy and dig its subjects into even deeper holes. That cannot be said for RiceGum. In early 2019, RiceGum was slammed for promoting a scam website called MysteryBrand. When called out on it, he pulled the whole “Well, other people were doing it too!” excuse. It wasn’t a good look for him, but it got even worse. To make amends, RiceGum attempted to buy everyone off with Amazon gift cards… that were expired. Needless to say, people were pissed, and RiceGum’s failed “apology” became YouTube legend.

Having your own personalized fitness plan can be a great way to adopt a healthy new lifestyle. Unfortunately, the clients of Brittany Dawn - real name Brittany Davis - did not have that experience. Not only was she lying about the plans, she was even ghosting her customers. Unfortunately, her apology to them seemed anything but sincere. She read it off her notes app, and even said that she was sorry if people “felt” she had scammed them. This statement was understandably criticized, and she was dragged for her apparent insincerity. Apparently, she wasn’t happy with this reaction, because she released another video– this time accusing her critics and scorned fans of being haters. This response paired with the scam formed an even bigger rift between her and her followers.

If there’s one thing people online take seriously, it’s the mistreatment of animals. So when Brooke Houts unintentionally uploaded a video of her physically abusing her Doberman, both her fans and casual viewers alike were furious. Houts tried to apologize via a statement on Twitter, but people there didn’t appreciate how she tried to blame her dog for her behavior. Houts also uploaded a video, but much like her text attempt, it was panned. Viewers felt like she was being vague on purpose to avoid accountability, and that she doubled down on her own innocence. Both responses and her channel have been deleted, but her scorned reputation lives on.

Keemstar has certainly seen his fair share of controversy throughout the years. One of the biggest and most infamous blunders came in January 2016 when the DramaAlert creator accused 62-year-old Twitch streamer rsgloryandgold of being a sexual criminal. This is an incredibly serious accusation, especially when it results in death threats. And wouldn’t you know it, the accused man was completely innocent! Keemstar took to YouTube to apologize, and it did not go over well. The video received over 152,000 dislikes compared to just 50,000 likes, and many commenters stated that they were getting sick of Keemstar’s attitude, relentless controversy, and inauthentic apologies. Silly YouTube drama is one thing, but accusing an innocent man of being a predator crossed a line.

The Stauffer family had taken in a young boy from China, but ended up reversing their decision after complications from his autism arose. The backlash they received to this video was twofold– not only were they criticized for their choice, but they were also accused of exploiting him for content and money for their YouTube channel. From the all white outfits to their supposedly fake tears, it was clear that they were more focused on preserving their image than apologizing for hurting their former son. Myka Stauffer later released a statement on her Instagram account, but the tone almost made it seem like she was apologizing to an ex, rather than a child she had taken into her home.

There are some things you simply can’t brush away as being fake. DaddyOFive– a once popular family channel– received criticism after people noticed that the parents seemed to be abusive for content. Mike and Heather attempted to justify their actions by saying the videos were exaggerated, but people saw right through them. After the negative response to their explanation– alongside even more media attention– they changed their tune. They went from casual outfits and dim lighting to a professional studio and what sounded like a pre-written response. They also admitted to having made bad parenting choices, which was a far cry from their original stance. However, it wasn’t enough to make up for the awful things they had posted, and they were deplatformed by YouTube.

While this apology was necessary and important, it’s undeniable that it caused a ripple across the web. Ian of iDubbbzTV made a statement acknowledging his part in fostering a toxic online fanbase, where he vowed to separate himself from his previous image. The response was mixed – while he was praised by some for not deflecting blame, he was criticized by past fans – and even other creators– who felt that he was weak for apologizing. Other fans felt that his response had come out too late, and expressed that they had wanted him to say this for years. The video started a debate about the difference between jokes and harmful behavior. Regardless of the reaction, it’s proof that YouTubers can apologize and truly mean it.

In 2016, it was revealed that Trevor Martin (AKA TmarTn) was the owner of a gambling website that he was continuously promoting. What followed was perhaps the worst apology video of all time. This video wins “apology video” bingo, playing more like an “SNL” parody than a legitimate effort. It starts with the whole “I’ll talk to my cute dog and hope the audience sympathizes” bit and goes from there. We’ve got the exaggerated “here we go” sigh, a huge mansion and conveniently-framed truck that flaunts his wealth, and an insincere apology that places the blame on the viewers instead of himself. Yeah, why didn’t we know about this, guys!? Gosh!

For a few years, vlogger David Dobrik was on top of the world. All of that changed across 2020 and 2021, when he was accused of abusing his position of power and covering up his friends' alleged crimes. Dobrik tried to get around the allegations by addressing them on his podcast channel– a choice that immediately backfired. He was slammed for his disingenuous response, which prompted him to release another video on his main channel. This one was more apologetic, and he insisted that he was unaware of the unbalanced power dynamic. His responses garnered so much publicity that they were even parodied on “Saturday Night Live”. While he was able to recoup some of his audience, he hasn’t recovered the image he once had.

The YouTube beauty community is a volatile and confrontational one, and many notable beauty vloggers have apologized to the fan bases throughout the years. In the summer of 2019, it was Jaclyn Hill’s turn. Hill received condemnation for her poor quality lipstick, and she took to YouTube to defend her brand. Unfortunately, many fans believed that she was far too aggressive and defensive in her approach. Hill admitted in a later apology on Instagram that she was too confrontational, saying that she needed to “calm down” and “breathe.” We totally get wanting to defend a product. But acting in a stand-offish manner is not the way to go about it.

We’re not sure what Sienna Mae Gomez was thinking with this. After being accused of sexually assaulting fellow TikTok star Jack Wright, Mae first went for the classic route of denying everything. More allegations came forward, including from Wright himself, with attempts by Sienna Mae to address them that were mocked for their perceived lack of authenticity. This included a statement seemingly written by a manager, and a blog post. But it was the video of her doing an interpretive dance that earned her this spot. Her fans were befuddled by the response, and she was dragged online for trying to clear her name in this fashion. While she apologized for her videos in a Medium article, this one in particular lives on as being one of the most infamous apologies on the platform.

“Dramaggeddon”-- or the event wherein Tati Westbrook “took down” James Charles– was suddenly flipped on its head when she released another video exposing Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson for facilitating the drama. Star decided to make a video addressing the claims by sitting on his almost ridiculously expensive couch and essentially chastising the audience for playing into the drama. He insinuated that he and Westbrook still hadn’t resolved things, and without getting into specifics, admitted to toxic behavior on his part. He even brought the Black Lives Matter movement into it, saying that people should be more focused on that than on his drama. This coming from the same person who apologized in 2017 for his racist remarks was laughable to viewers, and his explanation was panned.

At this point, Laura Lee’s apology video is a part of YouTube history. When one thinks “YouTube apology video,” one undoubtedly thinks of Laura Lee with her face in her hand. After numerous racist tweets from 2012 were brought to light, Lee “apologized” to her fans through a horribly insincere and embarrassing video in 2018. Not only was the video monetized, but it was filled with fake crying and some of the worst acting we’ve ever seen. Lee later apologized for the insincere apology and removed the original video from her channel. But it was too late for that. The video is history and will forever remain in the museum of the internet.

Mongeau’s apologies have only become more infamous over the years– such as her controversial apology for her racist past in 2020. Before that though, in 2018, Tana Mongeau organized her own convention called TanaCon. It was a complete disaster, as many thirsty and hungry people were left out in the hot sun due to the venue’s limited capacity. Mongeau then uploaded “The Godfather” of apology videos, as it spanned over an hour in length! Not only was the runtime absolutely ridiculous, but Mongeau kept placing the blame on other people. It was enough to earn the video over 39,000 dislikes before YouTube removed the numbers from being public, and TanaCon quickly faded into internet infamy.

Shane Dawson is no stranger to apology videos–with one dating back as early as 2014, and since then has put one out every couple of years. In those original videos, he was able to deflect blame or bring sympathy to himself. However, after getting extreme amounts of criticism in 2020 for his past content, it was clear that a standard acknowledgment of the behavior wasn’t going to be enough. Many of the affected groups felt they couldn’t forgive him due to the severity and consistency of his content. Others felt that he wanted to experience some of the grace Jenna Marbles’ received after her unprompted apology, which made it come across as inauthentic. Overall, many felt like his apology was too little, too late.

Usually the beauty YouTuber drama stays within the beauty community. Not so with James Charles and Tati Westbrook. Their little tiff in the spring of 2019 spilled into the mainstream, and things got even more interesting when Westbrook uploaded a sprawling 45-minute epic aimed at Charles. In response, an atypically frumpled and natural Charles uploaded a brief eight-minute apology. And it did not go well. The video, simply titled “tati,” had over 3.2 million dislikes in 2020, making for about a 81% dislike percentage. Before it was deleted, it also became the thirteenth most disliked video in YouTube history. We’re going to assume that people did not accept the apology...

This is probably the most bizarre way to address grooming allegations. After more screenshots resurfaced showing Colleen Ballinger’s alleged inappropriate friendships with her young fans, she decided to respond in the most puzzling way possible– by playing the ukulele and singing about her innocence, and how people just wanted to be entertained by drama. If she hadn’t been the one accused of these horrible things, then it would almost be a perfect satire of YouTube apologies. The fact that she had pretty much done a complete 180 from her original explanation in 2020 made it even more perplexing. The song ironically ended up fanning the flames for the drama, as it went viral and was covered by everyone, from prominent YouTubers to actual media outlets.

The Paul brothers are quite controversial, and they aren’t exactly known for their stellar apologies. For example, there’s Jake’s “Dear YouTube, I’m Sorry” video. But nothing beats Logan’s apology. Following the infamous dead body fiasco, Logan uploaded the now-famous “So Sorry” video. And to his credit, he hasn’t taken it down (unlike many of the others on this list). But it is painfully brief. Maybe a little too brief, as some people thought the situation warranted more than a simple “sorry about that.” Others claimed to see through his “I did it to raise awareness” spiel. Whatever your opinion, it’s clear that Paul messed up big time and he’ll likely never live this down.