David Dobrik’s Vlog Squad Misconduct Allegations

In late February 2021, Vlog Squad member Joseth “Seth” Francois claimed that he was sexually assaulted in one of David Dobrik’s videos. The Vlog Squad is a group of creators made of youtubers in David Dobrik’s circle. They make videos and vlogs together, mostly revolving around pranks, and use each other’s platforms to boost their collective channel. Essentially, they are a group of friends that share a Youtube channel. The video in question was posted in June of 2017 and portrayed Francois kissing fellow Vlog Squad member Jason Nash. It was titled, “HE THOUGHT HE WAS KISSING HER!! (SUPER CRINGEY).” Francois believed that he was kissing a woman and did not consent to kissing a man. Although the event happened in 2017, Francois told Buzzfeed that he only came out about it now because “[he] honestly didn’t realize how much that situation affected [him] until the beginning of last year when covid happened.” 

After this story reached the news, thirteen sponsors including Chipotle and EA Sports cut their ties with Dobrik. He stepped down from the app he co-founded, Dispo which is a photo app that takes pictures with the vintage effect of a disposable camera. He told the media this decision was made in order “to not distract from the company’s growth.” Additionally, he has lost followers on all social media platforms as well as on his podcast.With all the consequences listed, has David Dobrik learned anything? Well, he has posted a two minute 30 second apology video saying, “I’m sorry to Seth. I missed the mark on that one.” But as we all know, actions speak louder than words, so David Dobrik’s future decisions will dictate if this experience has taught him anything.