- 2 weeks ago
From controversial pranks to dangerous conspiracies, these content creators just couldn't stay away! Join us as we explore the infamous YouTubers who attempted comebacks after being banned from the platform. Our countdown includes controversial figures who faced termination for everything from copyright infringement to harmful behavior, yet still tried to find their way back into the spotlight.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Perhaps I was one of the earliest bans in this entire cultural war, supposedly for being a dangerous person and having all these crazy opinions.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're exploring the most infamous times YouTube channels were banned from the platform,
00:12then made attempts at a return that didn't work out well.
00:15After the arrest of both Frankie and Hildebrandt, many wondered if there were missed warning signs.
00:21Super Jojo, nursery rhymes and kids songs.
00:24In 2019, Super Jojo was born on YouTube.
00:26However, while the channel tried to tap into the lucrative children's market,
00:30it came into conflict with one of the platform's biggest names, Cocomelon.
00:39They claimed that Super Jojo was breaching copyright by essentially recreating Cocomelon's animation with their characters.
00:46Due to various copyright infringement claims, Super Jojo, which had 22 million subscribers, was deleted from YouTube in 2021.
00:53The channel was reinstated just over a month later, yet the damage wasn't done.
00:57In 2023,
00:59Cocomelon's parent company issued a lawsuit against Super Jojo's, which had to pay $23.4 million.
01:07They tried wiping their account and starting again.
01:09However, Super Jojo was terminated in 2024 due to continued infringement.
01:14Sam Pepper
01:19Unlike with other channels, Pepper did some self-banning.
01:22Today, I'm filming a crazy prank.
01:24I met these two Viners a couple of weeks ago, and I've arranged to meet them to talk about filming a video with them.
01:29After facing assault allegations in 2014 over his practical joke videos, he stepped it up in 2015.
01:36Pepper uploaded a video which implied he'd kidnapped Sam Goldbach and Colby Brock,
01:40before pretending to execute the latter in front of Goldbach.
01:43It later emerged that the victims were in on the video.
01:46There's some of our good friends that don't even believe that they're like,
01:51no, you can't lie to me.
01:52Like, that wasn't acting.
01:53You actually got traumatized.
01:55Regardless, viewers were horrified, creating petitions calling for YouTube to ban Pepper.
02:00Pepper did it himself by removing everything on the channel in 2016.
02:03A year later, he made a comeback by moving away from practical joke videos.
02:07He eventually focused on a TikTok account, as his YouTube career stalled.
02:11So, gangster, look how low it is to the floor.
02:14Leafy is here.
02:15Starting with a focus on gameplay, Calvin Vale moved on to controversial content by 2016,
02:20with videos that mocked and harassed other YouTubers.
02:23Hey, what's up guys? Welcome to a brand new video.
02:25I hope your guys' day has been going great.
02:27Before the platform reacted, Vale took a hiatus from YouTube.
02:31When he returned, he continued where he left off as he targeted other influencers, including Pokimane.
02:36As a result, in 2020, YouTube terminated Vale's main channel.
02:40So, as you all know, my channel, LeafyIsHere, was banned a few months ago.
02:44With that, he moved to his second channel to escape the ban, only to have that one removed too.
02:49Vale has attempted multiple times to create new channels, one of which claimed he worked for Redbloom.
02:54That hasn't panned out, as Vale was issued additional terminations for trying to circumvent the bans.
02:59So, what from here, dude?
03:00I'm JayStation.
03:01Having already created another YouTube channel after his arrest for trespassing resulted in the original's demonetization,
03:07Jason Ethier got lucky.
03:09We're gonna say our last goodbyes to Alexia.
03:12That changed in 2020, when he claimed that his girlfriend, Alexa Murano, had died.
03:17Ethier then released a series of unnerving videos, including a crossover with an already controversial series,
03:23about attempting to contact the dead with a Ouija board.
03:26It soon emerged that this was a publicity stunt.
03:28Alexia was never dead, at all.
03:35Let me tell you guys exactly what happened with all these my girlfriend's dead videos.
03:41Because right now, it's gonna be a very truthful story.
03:43Later, Murano accused Ethier of abusing her.
03:46This resulted in YouTube demonetizing Ethier's second channel.
03:50He then created a reaction videos channel to try to continue making cash.
03:53In 2021, YouTube terminated both channels.
03:56Ethier didn't take it well, as he threatened the platform on social media with a lawsuit.
04:00If something good happens in my life, it's always, like, taken away from me.
04:06Keemstar.
04:07Daniel Keem is very familiar with getting banned on YouTube.
04:10A number of his channels have been terminated due to toxic behavior and commentary.
04:27Yet he still created Drama Alert to focus on conflicts between influencers.
04:31After several attempts to get the channel off the ground failed, reportedly due to YouTube
04:35banning it because of previous terminations, Keem thought he found a loophole.
04:39This is so frustrating to watch and listen to!
04:42Drama Alert was technically not owned by him, and was instead run by his manager, Ryan Thompson,
04:47aka iPlayprodigy.
04:49That didn't stop petitions from being made to have Keem banned from the platform for his
04:53controversial content.
04:54He eventually announced his retirement for Drama Alert, which hasn't uploaded since 2023.
04:59I'm your host, Killer Keemstar, and I quit.
05:04That's right.
05:05Yesterday, I announced my retirement.
05:08Etika.
05:08Specializing in gaming content, especially when it came to Nintendo, Desmond Amofa properly
05:13started his YouTube channel in 2012.
05:15But there were so many articles talking about how little Smash Bros. players made, and how
05:20wrong it was, because we dominate so much of viewership when it comes to, like, tournaments
05:24and stuff.
05:25By 2018, he began to concern fans as his EW Network channel was terminated over him uploading
05:30adult content.
05:31After getting mental health treatment, Amofa created another channel, Etika FRFX, only
05:36to upload mature content there in 2019.
05:39Are we trying to hit her up in the DMs, or are we trying to hit that hotline bling?
05:43Following more treatment and additional issues, Amofa returned to his original TR1 Iceman channel
05:48to discuss his mental health struggles while walking around New York City.
05:52Just a few days later, he was found deceased in the East River.
05:5529-year-old was reported missing a week ago after posting a video that left fans and authorities
06:00fearing for his safety.
06:01Alex Jones.
06:02Armed with several channels, including the Alex Jones channel and Infowars, Alex Jones
06:07quickly caused controversy with his far-right politics and conspiracy theories.
06:11You know, for me, the success of Infowars is not a power trip.
06:16It's the opposite.
06:17It got significantly worse in 2018.
06:19He accused several survivors of shootings of being crisis actors, who faked their involvement
06:24in events like the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
06:27He is now feeling the heat himself.
06:30YouTube, Facebook, and Apple all announcing they're removing his content from their platforms.
06:36After a series of strikes against him for hate speech, Jones' accounts on many social media
06:41platforms were terminated.
06:43He was also sued by the Sandy Hook families over his outrageous claims, resulting in him
06:47being ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion altogether.
06:51In 2025, with YouTube set to offer second chances to terminated accounts, Jones created a new channel.
06:56It was banned hours later.
06:58My secret power is I do what's right, justice be done by the heavens' fault.
07:05Andrew Tate.
07:06As one of the figureheads of the toxic manosphere, Andrew Tate ran channels on YouTube and other
07:11platforms since 2018.
07:12I think the concern is for the level of influence I have and the reach I have.
07:15As he gained traction with his misogynistic and problematic views, there were calls to scrub
07:19him from social media platforms.
07:21In 2022, YouTube deleted Tate's channels.
07:24The kickboxer has gained notoriety online for his misogynistic and offensive comments
07:29towards women.
07:30The decision has been hailed by a number of campaign groups, which claim Mr. Tate poses
07:35a genuine threat to young people.
07:37Several months later, he was arrested on charges of assault and human trafficking.
07:42In 2024, YouTube began deleting and terminating accounts that published videos promoting Tate's
07:47views or businesses.
07:49However, in 2025, he published a video on social media that happily announced that his ban
07:54on YouTube had been rescinded, following the company's plan to offer second chances.
07:58So I look forward to coming back to YouTube.
07:59I don't say anything too extreme.
08:01I don't say anything too political.
08:02It wasn't long before his channel was terminated once again.
08:05DaddyO5.
08:06Practical joke channels are a slippery slope.
08:08After Michael Martin created his channel in 2015, the videos starring his family became
08:12more extreme.
08:13What's up, Team D-O5?
08:17Okay, so the kids just got back home.
08:20I didn't record this morning, but I'm recording now and the kids just got home.
08:23He encouraged his children to behave deplorably towards their siblings, leading to backlash
08:27that prompted him to pivot content to wife Heather's channel, MommyO5.
08:31It was later renamed FamilyO5.
08:33In 2017, the couple received five years of probation for child neglect.
08:37But that hasn't stopped them from staying in the business of producing online prank
08:41videos for YouTube with the three kids that they still have custody of.
08:45Despite that, they continued releasing problematic content on YouTube, resulting in both channels
08:50being terminated in 2018.
08:52Martin then changed the Martin boys, which is seemingly run by some of their kids, to the
08:56Martin family.
08:57Thus, he continued releasing content until that was terminated for breaching guidelines once
09:02again.
09:02The family is now in counseling, but the children say they miss making the videos.
09:06Well, you'd be like, Dad, when are we making the next video?
09:09You know, when are we going to make the next video?
09:11It was just something that I really look forward to.
09:14Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
09:18about our latest videos.
09:19You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
09:23If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
09:29Ruby Frankie
09:30With six children and a husband, Ruby Frankie created the 8 Passengers vlogging channel
09:35about family life in 2015.
09:37Ruby Frankie
09:38Ironically, she'd been a high-flying Mormon momfluencer, attracting 2.5 million followers
09:44on her YouTube channel, 8 Passengers.
09:48Ruby's personal brand built around tough love.
09:50By 2020, allegations that the kids were being neglected began to surface.
09:54In 2022, after separating from her husband, Frankie deleted 8 Passengers.
09:59She then teamed up with Jodi Hildebrandt to create the Connections channel, where the
10:03duo specialized in parenting classes.
10:05However, in 2023, one of Frankie's sons escaped from her Utah home and sought help
10:10from neighbors.
10:11The police find laptops, tablets, cell phones.
10:14They find ropes.
10:15They find duct tape.
10:16They find handcuffs.
10:18Jodi and Ruby were arrested.
10:19When the authorities arrived, they saw more of the children being abused by the duo.
10:23YouTube then terminated channels connected to Frankie.
10:26After pleading guilty to several counts, Frankie and Hildebrandt were sentenced to 4 to 60 years
10:31in prison.
10:32Jodi Hildebrandt and Ruby Frankie are now waiting to be transported to prison, where the Utah
10:36Board of Pardons and Parole will ultimately decide their fate.
10:40So when I look at this case, you're probably looking in that 8 to 10-year range for both of
10:46them.
10:47Do any of these channels we mentioned not deserve to be banned?
10:49Let us know below.
10:56Let us know below.
10:57Let us know below.
10:58Let us know below.
10:59Let us know below.
11:00Let us know below.
11:01Let us know below.
11:02Let us know below.
11:03Let us know below.
11:04Let us know below.
11:05Let us know below.
11:06Let us know below.
11:07Let us know below.
11:08Let us know below.
11:09Let us know below.
11:10Let us know below.
11:11Let us know below.
11:12Let us know below.
11:13Let us know below.
11:14Let us know below.
11:15Let us know below.
11:16Let us know below.
11:17Let us know below.
11:18Let us know below.
11:19Let us know below.
11:20Let us know below.
11:21Let us know below.
11:22Let us know below.
11:23Let us know below.