They may have risen to fame at the hands of millions of subscribers, but for these content
creators, the very platform that gave them a voice would become a proverbial prison for
their sins. Here are the YouTubers whose careers bombed faster than you can say "hit the bell."
ProJared
Jared Knabenbauer, also known as YouTube gamer ProJared, lost thousands of subscribers in
2019 after his wife, cosplayer Heidi O'Ferrall, accused him of infidelity. According to O'Ferrall,
Jared had an affair with fellow YouTube gamer, Holly Conrad. Claiming her husband had been
involved with Conrad for months, O'Ferrall tweeted:
"I have proof. Explicit conversations and photographs of their relationship…He was
promising me that he was committed to our relationship at the time, and promising her
he was breaking up with me."
"Thanks Holly."
Jared hit a million subs in 2018, but after his wife trashed him on Twitter, the gamer
lost over 100,000 subscribers in a single day. Prompted by O'Ferrall's claims, The Verge
reported some fans came forward alleging he'd solicited explicit photos from them. Jared
admitted that he'd exchanged photos with consenting adults on occasion, and apologized.
"I'm not super sure what to do with this channel. It's just me again. I no longer have a team
with me."
He's since been dropped from his agency and many in the gaming community have distanced
themselves from anything ProJared.
Sonia Sae
Is it cruel to keep a pet fox on a vegan diet? That's the question that the BBC asked when
the media caught wind of Sonia Sae, a vegan YouTuber who owns a fennec fox named Jumanji.
"They create all a lie, and they just start sharing this lie and it like goes viral."
The creator drew the wrath of the internet when she shared a picture of a thin-looking
Jumanji on Instagram. One outraged Twitter user said that the fox looked quote "extremely
malnourished," while other YouTubers encouraged their subscribers to report Sae to PETA. Yet,
Sae stood firm, claiming that Jumanji's apparent weight loss was due to hair loss, claiming
via Facebook,
"In all pictures he weighs around the same...which is a normal weight for a fennec fox."
But that wasn't enough to convince everyone that Jumanji's diet was a healthy one. According
to The Independent, fennec foxes are quote, "mostly carnivorous animals." Although it's
tough to gauge the full impact the scandal had on Sae's career, as of late 2019, she's
stalled out at less than 8,000 subscribers.
"Due to all that I had to end up making my accounts private because I was receiving a
lot of harassment and a lot of death threats, and it's not cool."
James Charles
Makeup vlogger James Charles lost subscribers in record numbers in 2019 after a drama that
engulfed a number of YouTube creators. It all began when Charles promoted a wellness
brand that his friend and mentor, Tati Westbrook, considers a direct rival to her own business.
"I also wanna give a quick shoutout to Sugar Bear Hair. So if you guys wanna check them
out, you can swipe up."
Westbrook cut ties with Charles, and the hashtag "James Charles Is Cancelled" began trending
worldwide on Twitter. He shed a whopping two million subscribers in three days. Charles
said in a since-deleted video,
"I'm so disappointed in myself that I ruined a relationship that did mean so much to me."
Admitting that he may not have fully acknowledged her influence on his career, he said it was
Tati who believed in him before anyone else did, and who offered him undying support as
he grew into a brand. Charles added,
"What sucks the most is that I know there is nothing I can say or do to ever earn that
friendship or trust back."
Laura Lee
The whole Charles versus Westbrook thing took some unexpected twists and turns before it
finally got smoothed over, but it was relatively easy to follow when compared to the drama
that blew up the year before. Often referred to as "dramageddon," it all kicked off when
Gabriel Zamora posted a picture of himself and makeup vloggers Manny MUA, Nikita Dragun,
and Laura Lee giving the finger shortly after the release of Shane Dawson's doc serious,
The Secret World of Jeffree Star.
"Jesus take the wheel."
What was suspected to be a callout aimed at Star's alleged past racism, was later confirmed
as exactly that, by Zamora, per BuzzFeed News. But perhaps the biggest loser in the whole
scandal was Laura Lee. All of the creators that went against Jeffree Star suffered career
blows, but the majority of them just about managed to stay afloat, either via damage
control apology videos or by throwing their accomplices under the bus. But Star's fans
unearthed some seriously offensive tweets from Lee's past in which she insulted both
African and Asian people with racial slurs, according to Cosmopolitan.
Her deplorable tweets were more than enough to get her canceled, but she wound up driving
the final nail through her own coffin with a widely mocked apology. She shed a whopping
240,000 subscribers in a single week after she attempted to explain herself in a video
that the majority of people weren't exactly buying.
"It's so sorry. I'm so sorry you guys."
One Twitter user wrote of the dramatic performance,
"She couldn't even produce fake tears so she had to resort to an awful acting job."
"It hurts me so bad to disappoint you who have supported me for so many years"
Ouch.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your
favorite celebs are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so
you don't miss a single one.