David Dobrik Return to YouTube, Instagram After Spring Scandals
David Dobrik is back on YouTube after a spring full of scandals, but for some critics, it is still [...]
David Dobrik is back on YouTube after a spring full of scandals, but for some critics, it is still far too soon. Dobrik and his "Vlog Squad" have been accused of harassment and mistreatment of several former collaborators, including incidents of homophobia and racism. After an apology and a hiatus of about two months, Dobrik is taking his friends on a trip.
Dobrik posted a new video on Tuesday night titled "SURPRISING MY FRIENDS!!" It features him visiting the core members of his "Vlog Squad" to invite them on a trip to Hawaii, which he says they will be vlogging the entire time. The caption reads simply: "I missed this so much. Love ya guys." The four-minute video contained no further discussion about the allegations of rape and sexual harassment against Dobrik's crew, although naturally it came up in the comments.
"His first words are putting his friends down... classic," one viewer observed. Another wrote: "How about you surprise Jeff with a new eye," while a third added: "You're lucky we live in a forgiving society sorta."
The new video includes Jason Nash — the comedian directly accused of sexually harassing former collaborator Seth Francois — and Jeff Wittek — who severely injured his eye in a vlogging stunt last year. It does not include Dominic Zeglaitis, a.k.a. Durte Dom, who is accused of sexually assaulting an underage fan. However, according to a report by Vulture, an Instagram comment may indicate that Zeglaitis will come into the videos later.
Dobrik has addressed the allegations against him and his friends in two previous apology videos on YouTube. He distanced himself from Zeglaitis in the most recent one and told fans that he would be looking for ways to run a safer operation. The new video does not indicate if and how this was achieved.
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"I am sorry that I took Dom's words for what happened," he said at the time. "In those certain situations that I did not believe you — and not only did I not believe you, but I also made a joke about what type of person Dom was. I couldn't wrap my head around a childhood friend of mine doing this to people and actually hurting people, and I am sorry for that."
Meanwhile, Nash has yet to publicly address the incident with Francois, in which Francois was tricked into making out with Nash twice. Francois has not become one of the Vlog Squad's most outspoken critics online. Behind-the-scenes photos from the Hawaii trip on Instagram indicate that more hijinks is on the way, possibly including another injury in the squad. According to Dobrik, there will no be new Vlog Squad videos every Tuesday going forward.