David Dobrik has posted another apology video, and longtime friend Natalie has also broken
her silence.
Let’s get into what they both said.
Fans who have been keeping up with the Vlog Squad over the past couple months know that
there have been multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against various members of the
group.
A few weeks ago, we covered former Vlog Squad member Seth Francois’ accusation that David
pressured him into filming a non-consensual video where he was tricked into kissing Jason
Nash.
And then just last week, Insider published a revealing article where a woman claimed
that she was allegedly raped by one of the group’s members, Durte Dom, while filming
a Vlog Squad sketch in 2018.
We covered these allegations in another Clevver video that I’ll link above for you in case
you want to catch up on all of this.
Shortly after this news came out, David broke his silence about all of this in a video called
“Let’s Talk” where he explained that he’s distanced himself from some of his
friends, including some of the ones the subject of these allegations, like Dom.
David’s first apology video didn’t go down very well with a lot of fans.
He has since posted another apology, which we’ll get to in a minute.
First, David’s longtime friend and assistant Natalie spoke out on all of the allegations.
Fans know that Natalie and David have known each other since childhood and have worked
together for years now.
Many people have even suspected that the two dated in the past, though David and Natalie
have denied those rumors.
David has referred to Natalie as his “sister,” but now she’s speaking out against David’s
Vlog Squad amid these troubling allegations.
In a statement on Twitter and Instagram, Natalie wrote quote, “I've spent a lot of time thinking
about the recent allegations and because of the severity, it's taken me time to process.
Like many of you, I'm upset and angry and do not condone the behavior detailed in the
article or any sexual misconduct/abuse for that matter.”
Natalie continued on and took the side of the victim writing quote, "I want to make
it clear that I acknowledge, hear and support those who came forward and I stand by the
victims."
And since Natalie posted her statement, David actually uploaded another apology video where
he said he took accountability for his last video not being a sufficient enough way to
address this situation.
David explained that for the past few days he’s been surrounded by people who have
been giving him advice on how to handle this situation, but when everyone finally left,
at 1:45 AM he just decided to sit down and talk to his fans directly.
“I’ve never done this correctly or I’ve never done this respectfully and my last video
is a testament to that I don’t want to defend that video.”
David went on and said he fully believes the woman who spoke out in the Insider article
who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by Dom.
He also apologized for creating an environment that enabled this kind of behavior and he
apologized for putting up the video in the first place, even though he later removed
it.
“I want to apologize to her and her friends for ever putting them in an environment that
I enabled that made them feel like their safety and values were compromised I am so sorry.”
David continued and explained that in making videos that had shock value, he didn’t realize
he was creating a quote “unfair power dynamic” and in hindsight he understands that he was
quote, “completely wrong” and wishes he was “more responsible and aware at the time.”
David also dove into the specific allegations regarding Dom and the woman who spoke out
against him and took responsibility for not knowing what was going on between them during
one of his shoots.
“I didn't know what was going on in that room, and I should have been.
I should have been making sure everybody involved was taken care of and wasn't uncomfortable."
David expressed how disappointed he is in himself that people felt like they had to
stay silent for the sake of his video and apologized again to everyone for taking Dom’s
word in these situations in the past.
At one point David got emotional when discussing how he wishes he reached out to the people
involved in these allegations sooner and apologized to them for enabling this sort of behavior.
“And that breaks my heart knowing that I was doing all this stuff and I was making
all this content while there was people who were still really hurt by what I made.”
David concluded by apologizing to everyone he’s let down including his family and his
friends, and announced he would be taking a break from social media for a bit.
He said he wants to get infrastructure in place like a Human Resources department so
people have a place to go to voice concerns and not feel like they are ever being silenced.
And during this time off David said he’s available to talk to anyone who he’s hurt
in the past and wants to have these conversations and understand because he quote, “still
has a lot of learning to do.”
Since David posted his video, he began trending on Twitter and more brands like Hello Fresh,
Franks Red Hot, General Mills, and Seat Geek have announced they are no longer working
with him.
Fans have been mixed on whether they think David’s apology was sincere and genuine
or if it had something to do with him losing sponsors and followers.
We will keep you guys posted if David speaks out again or if we hear from Dom himself.
For now, if you want more on this situation, click right over here for another Clevver
News video.
Also, let us know down in the comments below what you think of David’s new apology video
and Natalie’s statement.
I’m your host Sussan Mourad, bye guys!