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From algorithmic nightmares to creator catastrophes... Join us as we count down the most shocking YouTube controversies that rocked the internet in 2025! Our list includes MrBeast's AI thumbnail fiasco, secret platform editing, dangerous stunts, arrests, and algorithmic purges that left creators reeling. Which scandal shocked you the most?
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00:00Today, a 24-year-old YouTuber from Tucson was arrested after trying to meet the reclusive tribe.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most shocking and infamous
00:12YouTube scandals to happen in 2025. We'll be exploring controversies directly affecting the
00:19platform and those against the channels it hosts. Some believe the decisions are made entirely by
00:25AI. Number 10, Ned Fulmer's Podcast Comeback. As one-fourth of the Try Guys, Fulmer depicted
00:33himself as the wife guy who was obsessed with his wife, Ariel. This is the kitchen's progress so far.
00:40You see, there's a little bit of work that still needs to be done. We've got countertop, countertop,
00:45and the range is going to go right here. However, in 2022, it was discovered he wasn't that dedicated,
00:52as evidence emerged that he'd been having an affair with the channel's producer.
00:57Due to the scandal of an employer having an inappropriate relationship with a worker,
01:01Fulmer was forced to leave the Try Guys. Things will change here. What we hope is that within this,
01:07there's also the opportunity for positive growth and better videos ahead. But it's going to be hard.
01:13For the most part, he avoided social media. Yet that all changed in 2025 when he returned with the
01:19podcast, Rock Bottom with Ned Fulmer, which has a YouTube channel. The first guest on it was Ariel,
01:26who admitted she doesn't forgive him. Shortly before the episode dropped, the couple also
01:31announced they'd separated. People ask me, like, do you forgive Ned for what he did? And
01:41I mean, the answer is no. Absolutely not. Number nine, YouTube's AI editing. Just mentioning the
01:50term AI can make people feel uncomfortable. Do you see it or is it just me? Last night,
01:55Rick called me and he sent me those two videos and he said, look at this. What do you see?
02:00Yet when YouTube channels realized the platform was secretly using the tool on their videos in 2025,
02:06outrage soon followed. The company released an AI upscaling initiative on YouTube shorts with the
02:12goal of increasing the video's quality and unblurring clips. It's got all the weird elements
02:17and artifacts of an AI upscaled video. It looks so smeary and high contrast. However, they didn't
02:23inform people or ask their permission to implement this tool on their videos, making this an ethical
02:28dilemma about content being manipulated. As creators became confused about why they looked different in
02:34the same video across various platforms, the channel Rhett Scholl released an expose on the AI being
02:40used. But I do not use artificial intelligence to create content for me. And I do not use it as a way to
02:49replace my own creativity or my own thought process. For me, that's the line. Understandably, this led to
02:56more backlash towards the platform. The company responded that they'd make the feature opt out.
03:02Number 8. The Young Philly Allegations
03:05After creating his YouTube channel in 2013, Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos quickly emerged in the UK's
03:12mainstream media by hosting or appearing in TV shows, including those by the BBC.
03:18So, you stand there, don't look at what I'm gonna pick out.
03:21At the same time, he began a career as a rapper.
03:23One check, two check, three check, four check, five. Just got a next one true. Remember the days that I was so broke?
03:29In 2024, during a tour of Australia, Barrientos was arrested for an alleged assault in Perth.
03:35After declaring himself not guilty of the charges, the trial is set to go ahead in 2026.
03:41How have you been spending your time in WA?
03:42However, to make it worse for Barrientos, in 2025, two weeks after stating he wasn't guilty of the Australian charges,
03:50he was also accused of assaulting someone else in Magaluf, Spain, after he performed there the year before.
03:57Number 7. The Arrest of Mr. Crafty Pants
04:00With around half a million subscribers on YouTube and over 250,000 followers on Facebook,
04:07Michael David Booth's Mr. Crafty Pants brand was a popular place for craft enthusiasts to flock to.
04:12How's it going, everybody?
04:14However, all of that changed during 2025.
04:18In August, the authorities were alerted to an account on the message service Kik, sharing explicit images.
04:24The investigation led them to an account allegedly tied to Booth.
04:27The police discovered evidence of him not only possessing various materials,
04:32but also repeatedly sharing them, too.
04:34In October, Booth was charged with the crime, for which he pleaded not guilty.
04:39Now, due to the allegations, there's no internet or social media due to the danger involved with that.
04:45Regardless, YouTube quickly terminated his channel for violating the platform's creator responsibility policy.
04:52It's sickening, it's disgusting, and I'm glad that he got caught for it.
04:56Number 6. Jack Doherty's arrest
04:59Making a social media presence via YouTube and Kik for primarily doing stunts and practical jokes,
05:05Doherty found his reputation damaged in 2024 after he crashed his car during a live stream.
05:11All I have left in my McLaren is this little McLaren pouch.
05:14Yet, it got significantly worse for him in 2025.
05:20While recording a video in Miami, Florida, and blocking a road to do so, the police arrived.
05:26However, according to the officers, Doherty refused to move, leading to the creator being forcefully taken away.
05:33Yet, due to continuing to ignore the cops' requests, they searched him and his vehicle,
05:38discovering controlled substances, resulting in Doherty being charged.
05:42Now he faces drug and resisting arrest charges.
05:46The creator later claimed he was arrested for crossing the road.
05:49After posting bail, Doherty's set to go to court to face the charges.
05:53Again, Doherty has more than 28 million followers across all his social media accounts,
05:57mostly because of his prank videos.
05:59Number 5. The North Sentinel Island Stunt
06:02Located in the Andaman Islands, North Sentinel Island is a protected area of India,
06:08where an indigenous tribe is protected against outside interference.
06:12To protect the tribe of about 150, traveling within three miles of the island is banned.
06:18The area made the news in 2018 when John Allen Chow, a Christian missionary,
06:23went there and was killed by the inhabitants.
06:26In 2025, after conducting research and attempting to travel there a year before,
06:31U.S. YouTuber, Mikhailo Viktorovich Pelikov, successfully sailed to the island to record
06:37content and offer gifts of Diet Coke cans and coconuts to the tribe.
06:42After failing to meet anyone inhabiting North Sentinel, Pelikov was swiftly arrested upon his return.
06:48A senior police officer explaining there was a violation of Indian laws
06:52and meeting the tribe could actually endanger their survival and his.
06:57This incident caused human rights group Survival International
07:00to criticize Pelikov and other influencers
07:03for potentially endangering themselves or the tribe with similar stunts.
07:07Absolutely, do not go.
07:08Nobody should be going to North Sentinel Island.
07:10The people have made it absolutely clear.
07:12It is their right under international law to remain uncontacted,
07:16to protect their land and to keep people away.
07:19Number 4. Sam Pepper's Diwali Disaster
07:22After rising to fame in the UK by appearing on Big Brother,
07:26Pepper transitioned into YouTube.
07:27Hello guys, today I'm filming a crazy prank.
07:30However, he soon found himself embroiled in multiple scandals.
07:34In recent years, Pepper has mostly kept away from controversy,
07:38yet that changed in 2025.
07:41With a focus on travel content,
07:43Pepper was live streaming from India via his Kik account during a Diwali event.
07:47However, he released fireworks at another group
07:50before happily celebrating his success at striking someone.
07:53Yet shortly later, Pepper was informed by an individual
07:59that the firework had damaged a person's eye.
08:02The creator later claimed the victim was hit above the eye and received stitches.
08:06Due to the outrage and calls to have his accounts terminated,
08:10Pepper was banned from Kik.
08:11Great guys, make sure you subscribe for more friends.
08:13Thanks guys.
08:15Number 3. The Roblox Schlepp Controversy
08:18With a focus on the game platform Roblox,
08:21Schlepp created a YouTube channel
08:22that featured him conducting sting operations to expose predators,
08:26which resulted in several arrests.
08:28Hi! Hello!
08:30Oh, bro is like weighing his options right now.
08:32Yet in 2025,
08:34he went public with the news he'd received a cease and desist
08:37from the Roblox Corporation for his vigilantism.
08:40The company followed this by banning Schlepp's accounts on their platform.
08:44This opened a can of worms for them as people,
08:46including Chris Hansen from To Catch a Predator,
08:49openly supported the YouTubers' work
08:51and accused Roblox of putting their fans at risk.
08:54I mean, if I were the CEO of Roblox,
08:56I would make you an ambassador for security.
08:59This led to the state of Louisiana issuing a lawsuit against the company
09:02for its apparent lack of safety measures,
09:04with other U.S. states filing their own cases soon after.
09:08Games like this are not helping.
09:10They are the problem.
09:12Number 2. Mr. Beast's AI Thumbnails
09:152025 has been a tough year for Jimmy Donaldson's YouTube brand, Mr. Beast,
09:21when it comes to controversies.
09:22Oh boy. Oh no.
09:24Does it feel real now that you're in it?
09:26One of the biggest involved the creator announcing
09:28that his ViewStats analytic tool would implement a generative AI feature
09:32that constructs YouTube thumbnails,
09:34after feeding it creations made by channels.
09:37YouTubers and artists were livid, calling it theft.
09:40With the whole promo boiling down to,
09:42hey, if you pay me $80 a month, you can steal any thumbnail you'd like.
09:46Yeah, that one was never going to go over too well.
09:49The backlash was so severe that not only did Donaldson delete the announcement,
09:53but he also changed the feature to allow people to search for thumbnail artists instead.
09:58Another scandal involved the release of the video,
10:00Would You Risk Dying for $500,000?
10:02This content, which showcased the stunt performer contestant grabbing cash during fire-related danger,
10:09was heavily criticized for being exploitative, causing Donaldson to defend it publicly.
10:13We have a full rescue team on standby with firefighters,
10:16EMTs, and divers equipped with an ambulance and fire truck.
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10:36Number 1. The Great Purge
10:38In 2020, a former YouTube moderator filed a lawsuit against the company
10:42for making her exceed the contracted number of daily hours of restricted content.
10:47YouTube is being sued by a former content moderator
10:54after developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
11:00While the suit was settled in 2022,
11:02the announcement of the case coincided with the platform's increasing use of AI moderation.
11:07In 2025, this led to YouTube being criticized on social media by many channels
11:13for terminating their accounts.
11:15This is why platforms won't save you.
11:17YouTube's job isn't to protect creators, it's to protect itself.
11:21Seemingly targeting technology tutorial channels,
11:24the AI was classifying them as, quote,
11:26dangerous or marking them for copyright infringement.
11:29Creators say that moved content had been online for years without any issue.
11:34The channels claimed humans weren't reading their appeals,
11:36as they were dismissed within minutes.
11:39This caused Oleksandr to come forward.
11:42He detailed that he successfully sued YouTube in 2024
11:45for demonetizing his channel and was still waiting for its reinstatement a year later.
11:51What YouTube scandal of 2025 shocked you the most?
11:55Let us know in the comments.
11:56I don't know.
12:03You are sure you are.
12:03I don't think that you have any practitioners can do their questions.
12:04Let us know in the comments.
12:04Let us know.
12:05Let us know in the commentsations.
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