David Dobrik lost more than a dozen advertisers and 300,000 YouTube subscribers in the past week after a rape charge was laid against a former member of his crew.
Business Insider found that 11 brands, including HelloFresh, EA Sports, Dollar Shave Club and Facebook, say they no longer work with him. PopCrave reports that Chipotle, who recently named a burrito after Dobrik, abandoned him. And TubeFilter reports that SeatGeek – formerly one of Dobrik’s biggest advertisers, which sponsored a number of videos in which he gives away cars to friends and family – also has no plans to work with him.
Advertisers flee Dobrik channel following a report in Business Insider described an accusation of rape against Dom Zeglaitis, better known as Durte Dom. Zeglaitis, a former member of Dobrik’s Vlog group, is accused of raping a woman during the filming of a video for Dobrik’s YouTube channel in 2018. Portions of the encounter were posted on YouTube and later on request of the woman decreased. Dobrik said in a video posted early this morning that he would stop recording Zeglaitis in 2019.
The report follows another allegation of sexual assault by a former member of the Vlog group. BuzzFeed reported in February that Joseth “Seth” Francois said he was tricked into kissing someone in 2017 as part of a ‘stroll’ video for Dobrik’s channel.
Like many great YouTubers whose popularity blossomed in the mid to late 2010s, Dobrik’s channel grew in part thanks to edgy videos that often involved blissful plotlines and immature sloppiness. As these creators got a bigger stage, the videos and other behaviors were scrutinized in the past.
Last June, several YouTubers addressed old racist videos as fans claimed responsibility during the climax of the Black Lives Matter protests. YouTube has suspended ads on Shane Dawson’s channel due to old racist videos, Target has stopped carrying his book, and makeup company Morphe has abandoned its products. Jenna Marbles stepped down from YouTube as part of an apology over previous racist videos. And Dobrik also apologized for filming racist videos.
Dobrik is increasingly having consequences as a result of these latest reports. In addition to fleeing advertisers from his channel, he has separated from the new hot camera app Dispo, which he co-founded, and is no longer co-owner of the Angel City Football Club, a co-owned U.S. women’s soccer team. is known by a number of celebrities.
There are still 18 million people subscribed to Dobrik’s YouTube channel alone, so it’s not like his audience is gone. But sponsorship is a big part of the way top YouTubers make money, because it isolates them from the uncertainties of YouTube’s built-in advertising system. YouTube does not appear to have acted against Dobrik’s channel. The edge issued for comment.
In his video this morning, Dobrik said he will be taking a short break from YouTube so he can add ‘infrastructure’ to support his channel. This includes hiring an HR person so that people can ‘communicate discomfort in a way that is comfortable for them’.