00:00Oh Lord, here we go.
00:02Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the most popular YouTubers whose online
00:07empires came crashing down as a result of their own actions.
00:11And if you don't accept the apology, that is 100% okay.
00:17Ravonna
00:18Yovanna Mendoza, popularly known as Ravonna, built a name for herself online as a raw vegan
00:24influencer.
00:25Your body will love it, and it's the best gift that you can give yourself.
00:31Her YouTube channel attracted hundreds of thousands of subscribers through her vegan
00:35diet recipes and detox kits.
00:38Mmm.
00:39Mmm.
00:40Wow.
00:41It's so good, and it's super warming too.
00:45Just love it, and it's perfect for this time of year.
00:49Nonetheless, in 2019, she appeared in another vlogger's video while having a plate of fish
00:55in front of her.
00:56This clip ignited a social media storm, with many fans labeling her as dishonest and spamming
01:01her comment sections with fish emojis.
01:04In response, Ravonna released an apology video in which she clarified that she was forced
01:09to change her diet due to medical reasons.
01:20This apology, however, did little to quell the outrage.
01:23David Dobrik
01:25David Dobrik initially rose to fame on Vine, but later found success on YouTube, amassing
01:30millions of subscribers.
01:39His content typically revolved around daily vlogs where he and his team, known as the
01:43Vlog Squad, executed various stunts and pranks.
01:50In 2021, Dobrik faced controversy following a series of sexual assault allegations.
01:56First, Seth Francois, a former Vlog Squad member, accused Dobrik of coercing him into
02:01kissing another member against his consent.
02:04Then, an anonymous woman claimed that Dom Zeglidis, another Vlog Squad member, had sexually
02:09assaulted her while filming a vlog in 2018.
02:13These allegations led to the loss of multiple sponsorship deals and a temporary demonetization
02:18of Dobrik's YouTube channel.
02:19He has since reduced his video uploads on the platform.
02:29Jeffree Star
02:36Following a brief and unsuccessful foray into music, Jeffree Star ventured into the world
02:41of makeup, where he eventually found success.
02:51Star began promoting his makeup brand on YouTube, often collaborating with fellow YouTuber Shane
02:56Dawson.
02:57In 2020, Star's fame took a hit due to the infamous Dragmageddon scandal involving beauty
03:04creators Toddy Westbrook and James Charles.
03:08Initially supporting Westbrook, Star was later accused of manipulating her and fueling
03:12the entire situation alongside Dawson.
03:15He also faced allegations of racist behavior and sexual assault, reportedly paying hush
03:21money to his accusers.
03:22As a result, Star lost numerous followers and business deals.
03:41In 2020, he moved to Casper, Wyoming and put up his LA mansion for sale, Arab Andy.
03:47YouTube pranks can range from fun and harmless to potentially crossing the line into criminal
03:52territory, like in the case of Jamal Haraz.
03:55Also known on YouTube as Arab Andy, Haraz gained notoriety in 2018 for live-streaming
04:01a fake bomb incident at the University of Washington in Seattle.
04:05Haraz walked into a classroom and played a message on a speaker, falsely claiming that
04:09a bomb had been successfully activated and was set to detonate.
04:14Panic quickly ensued, causing the occupants of the room to run out in panic, while Haraz
04:19made fun of the situation.
04:22He was later arrested by police and charged with making a bomb threat.
04:26Laura Lee After allegations of racism surfaced about
04:29Jeffree Star, a picture emerged showing a group of YouTubers apparently mocking Star.
04:35Among them was makeup artist Laura Lee.
04:37This photo prompted Star's fans to investigate Lee's social media history, where they unearthed
04:43multiple offensive tweets that included fat shaming and the use of racial slurs.
04:47But perhaps the most egregious was a tweet that made light of police brutality against
04:52black people, which was posted a few months after the tragic shooting of Trayvon Martin.
04:57Lee attempted to salvage the situation with a video apology, though many perceived it
05:01to be insincere.
05:02Consequently, many of her sponsors severed ties with her, and she lost hundreds of thousands
05:07of subscribers within days.
05:18Anthony Fantano Popular music critic Anthony Fantano operates
05:25the YouTube channel The Needle Drop, where he reviews music from a wide range of genres.
05:31To earn extra cash, Fantano also ran another YouTube channel called That Is The Plan, uploading
05:37meme reviews and other non-music content.
05:42In 2017, an article by The Fader alleged that Fantano had posted racist memes and associated
05:48with the alt-right movement on his second channel.
05:51Following the release of the article, Fantano saw several of his scheduled US tour dates
05:56cancelled.
05:57He ultimately deleted the That Is The Plan account and posted a video response on his
06:01main channel labeling the Fader article a quote, hit job.
06:04Keep in mind the whole narrative of this article is that I'm up here pulling the strings trying
06:09to figure out ways to get the alt-right to watch me.
06:14The following year, Fader deleted the piece from their site after reportedly reaching
06:18a settlement with Fantano.
06:22Shane Dawson Once regarded as the king of YouTube, Shane
06:26Dawson experienced arguably one of the greatest downfalls ever witnessed on the platform.
06:31Dawson began his YouTube career in 2008 and eventually attracted a legion of fans with
06:35his highly popular docuseries.
06:45However things took a turn for the worse in the summer of 2020 when a series of old videos
06:50resurfaced showing Dawson performing in blackface and using racial slurs.
06:55He also faced backlash for making inappropriate comments about minors and his own cat.
07:03The repercussions were swift and severe.
07:05Dawson lost over a million subscribers, his books were taken off the shelves at Target,
07:10and all three of his channels were indefinitely demonetized by YouTube.
07:29Sam Pepper
07:30British YouTuber Sam Pepper launched his channel in 2010, uploading mostly prank videos,
07:36two of which significantly impacted his career.
07:45The first, titled Fake Hand Ass Pinch Prank, featured Pepper inappropriately touching random
07:50unsuspecting women, prompting heavy backlash.
07:53He initially defended it as a social experiment, but eventually took it down.
08:01Things went worse with the second video, which saw Pepper tricking a man into believing that
08:06his best friend had been shot and killed.
08:08This left many viewers horrified, and ultimately prompted an apology from Pepper in which he
08:13confessed that the video was staged.
08:33Since then, Pepper has largely transitioned to TikTok, where he creates less controversial
08:37content leaving his YouTube days behind.
08:40Nikita Dragun With over 3 million subscribers on YouTube,
08:44Nikita Dragun is one of the most popular beauty creators on the platform.
08:52But her reputation has been marred by a series of controversies dating back to 2017.
08:58The YouTuber first faced criticism for blackfishing after appearing in a Jeffree Star cosmetics
09:03campaign with noticeably darker skin.
09:05Two years later, she was called out for cultural appropriation when she was photographed wearing
09:10box braids.
09:11The backlash against her intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she attended not
09:16one but two house parties that flouted public health guidelines without even wearing a mask.
09:21As a result, her presence on social media has waned, and she has been largely inactive
09:26on YouTube since 2021.
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09:47This is a conversation that I know a lot of people are uncomfortable with, and it's something
09:55that I should have been far more careful with.
09:58YouTuber and makeup artist James Charles joined the platform in 2015 and swiftly rose to fame.
10:04Within a year, he was named CoverGirl's first male ambassador.
10:07His rise continued steadily over the next few years until 2019, when he got involved
10:13in a public feud with fellow beauty influencer Tati Westbrook.
10:16Westbrook questioned Charles' loyalty and accused him of inappropriate behavior with
10:20a heterosexual man.
10:22Forgive my emotions, this is really difficult stuff.
10:27As a result, Charles reportedly lost one million subscribers in a single day.
10:32While he briefly regained public support, more controversy soon followed, including
10:36allegations that he sent inappropriate messages to underage fans.
10:40This marked the tipping point for many.
10:42The incidents led to a loss of business deals and a temporary demonetization of Charles'
10:47YouTube channel.
10:48And this is really, really embarrassing.
10:51What did you make of these YouTube falls from grace?
10:54Let us know in the comments below.
10:55And that mistake doesn't make them a terrible human, it just makes them a human.
11:08But what do I know?
11:10Did you enjoy this video?
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