TanaCon to Oreo toothpaste: All the biggest YouTuber scandals you definitely forgot about

From faked deaths and kidnappings to a cruel Oreo toothpaste prank resulting in a prison sentence, many disgraced YouTube celebrities have found themselves at the heart of controversy, public outrage and even criminal charges over the years.

The history of YouTubers being cancelled as a consequence of their actions is lengthy during the 19 years of the platform’s existence – let’s recap some of the biggest YouTuber scandals that you definitely forgot about.

Sam Pepper faked a kidnapping and murder

@insanelychillpod

The most messed up prank in youtube history… #youtube #prank #insanelychill #tmgstudios

♬ original sound – Insanely Chill

Many allegations against former Big Brother star Sam Pepper have surfaced over the years. In 2014, Sam Pepper was investigated by police after allegedly committing a sexual offence against a woman, in which he used a fake hand to pinch her inappropriately. Sam’s co-star, Mazzi Maz, told BBC that Sam had “gone too far”.

Sam Pepper also came under fire when he uploaded a video to YouTube in which he faked a kidnapping, and staged the false “murder” of Colby Brock by a masked man.

Despite angering his viewers, Sam Pepper posted a Tweet following the video’s upload, defending the “prank”.

Ruby Franke abuse allegations

@serialouslypodcast

Replying to @Trish Ruby Franke stares and refuses to speak in her police interview. #rubyfranke #rubyfrankearrested #8passengersruby #8passengers #rubyfrankeupdate #rubyfrankeinterview #truecrimeupdates

♬ original sound – serialously

Disgraced mother of six and former vlogger, Ruby Franke, of the family vlog channel 8 Passengers is without a doubt one of the biggest YouTuber scandals in history.

In December 2023, Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse. Franke later wept in court and apologised for the mistreatment of her children as she learned her fate: At least four years in prison for child abuse.

ImJayStation faked the death of his girlfriend

via YouTube

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YouTuber Jason Ethier, known on the platform as ImJayStation, became famous for his reputation as an online “prankster”. However, one of his pranks claiming his girlfriend had been killed prompted backlash from his viewers.

Initially, ImJayStation claimed “Alexia was OK with the videos we made to promote Dream Team channel and helped me produce them”. However, he later admitted that the hoax was originally his idea, saying: “I didn’t intend to put them [Marano’s family] through any emotional stress. I didn’t mean to get them involved in anything…I expected all of this to stay on YouTube, and it didn’t.”.

ImJayStation apologised for faking his girlfriend’s death to amass more views, and subsequently took a “break” from the video-sharing platform. YouTube eventually demonetised his channel.

Shane Dawson allegations and scandals

via YouTube

Over the years, various allegations have surfaced about American YouTuber Shane Dawson, with accusations ranging from blackface jokes to problematic skits and even making inappropriate gestures in the direction of a poster of then-11-year-old Willow Smith.

The YouTuber apologised for the blackface and posted a video in 2021 confessing that he was “embarrassed by a lot of stuff”. However, he then went on to say: “I feel like people are going to hate me no matter what, and I kind of just have to accept it…I think part of me was upset because I made so much growth, and now I’m being cancelled over things in the past, and that’s not me anymore…it made me realise that I can’t focus on what other people think of me…I learned a lot. I’m so happy it happened.”.

Shane’s alleged “cat scandal” also shocked the internet, and he later issued a lengthy apology on Twitter for after fans thought he had engaged in an incident of disturbing sexual behaviour involving his cat.

Logan Paul and the ‘suicide forest’

via YouTube

In 2018, American YouTuber Logan Paul found himself at the centre of a scandal of collective disgust and outrage that emerged from a now deleted video that he posted at the end of 2017.

The video involved Logan and his friends venturing into the allegedly “haunted” Aokigahara Forest at the foot of Mount Fuji, tragically referred to as “suicide forest”. They found a man’s body in the forest and started to crack jokes, despite their shock.

Logan responded to the rightful outrage with an apology video entitled “So Sorry”, in which he admitted that he had made “a severe and continuous lapse in judgement”. Logan went on to say how he anticipated that his apology would not be accepted by viewers after this became of the biggest YouTuber scandals of all time.

ReSet’s cruel Oreo toothpaste prank on a homeless man

via YouTube

In 2017, Chinese-Spanish YouTuber ReSet pulled a cruel Oreo toothpaste prank on a homeless man that eventually resulted in a 15 month prison sentence and a fine of 20,000 euros, equivalent to $22,300, in compensation to the victim.

In the now deleted video, the then-19-year-old filmed himself replacing the cream inside Oreo biscuits with toothpaste, before handing one to a homeless man, who vomited after attempting to eat the biscuit. “This will help clean his teeth – I don’t think he has cleaned them since he became poor,” the YouTuber remarked in the video in what came to become one of the biggest YouTuber scandals.

ReSet later apologised for the cruel prank in another video: “I was immature, this is what happens, I do not know why I offered it to him.”.

Tana Mongeau’s TanaCon

via YouTube

Tana Mongeau’s “TanaCon” scandal all began when she uploaded a video entitled “Why I Won’t Be Attending VidCon 2018: A Rant” to the platform in April 2018, complaining about how the annual YouTube convention kicked her out of the event.

Tana instead held hew own VidCon event named TanaCon, but the event went downhill for a number of organisational reasons.

In response to the backlash as a consequence of the disastrous event, Tana issued an hour long video apology to the 15,000 attendees of the event, saying: “Where I went wrong was going into this with spite and going into this with ego. And doing this in two months. I should’ve done it with people who I trusted.”

She then announced that she was going to use the monetisation gained from the apology video to attempt to reimburse attendees for their flights to the events.

Elle Darby and her Tweets from 2011

via YouTube

YouTube influencer and lifestyle blogger Elle Darby faced outrage and backlash in 2022 after Tweets deemed as racist, homophobic and fat-shaming posted in 2011 resurfaced on the internet.

The mother of two had uploaded the Tweets as a teenager, which included comments such as “I just hate Polish people and Indians really”, and the use of racial slurs. With over half a million subscribers, Elle Darby’s resurfaced Tweets became one of the biggest YouTuber scandals.

In her apology video posted to YouTube, entitled “i’m sorry.”, Elle apologised for the offensive Tweets that she posted, expressing remorse and shame, and saying that the resurfaced tweets are “so far from the person” that she is today.

David Dobrik allegations and scandals

via YouTube

After building a successful YouTube channel, it was a series of allegations and scandals that eventually wreaked havoc on David’s YouTube career.

Over the years, various colleagues and friends spoke out against David, accusing him and his Vlog Squad friends of bullying and sexual misconduct. These allegations included Dobrik tricking ex-Vlog Squad member, Seth Francois, into kissing Jason Nash while blindfolded in 2017, with Francois later saying, in 2021: “I was touched by someone I did not consent to.”

In the wake of all of these allegations, David uploaded a video to YouTube entitled “03/22/21”, in which he apologised for various allegations of sexual assault committed by the Vlog Squad.

David later vanished from the platform, and hasn’t posted a video for over two years since we saw one of the biggest YouTuber scandals from him.

Gabbie Hanna liking a Tweet by a ‘rape apologist’

via YouTube

Throughout her YouTube career, Gabbie Hanna was questioned after accusing Trisha Paytas of having herpes. 

But it was when fans claimed she had remained friends with her friend’s ex-boyfriend, Curtis Lepore, that surfaced as one of Gabbie’s biggest YouTuber scandals. Curtis Lepore had admitted to “sexually assaulting” Jessi Smiles in 2019, after they broke up in 2014. However, in 2021, Gabbie came under fire for defending Curtis and liking a Tweet that he had posted claiming that “there are two sides to every story” in reference to the breakup and the wave of allegations that came from it.

Despite Gabbie claiming to not support Curtis, fans claimed her Twitter activity spoke otherwise. In response to the outrage of fans, who branded Gabbie a “rape apologist”, Gabbie told Buzzfeed: “Who didn’t I apologise to. I gave Jessi Smiles an apology…It feels like I’m always dishing out apologies and I’ve never once received one, and that to me feels a little chaotic.”.

Jenna Marbles and her racist and sexist videos

via YouTube

Whilst not one of the biggest YouTuber scandals of all time, online celebrity Jenna Marbles came under fire in 2020, when racist and sexist videos that she posted in 2011 on the video sharing platform resurfaced.

In these videos, Jenna used racist language, performed an impersonation of rapper Nicki Minaj, and used derogatory language towards women who she believed to be sexually promiscuous.

In a now deleted 11 minute long YouTube video, Jenna apologised for the racist and sexist content of her early videos, branding it “shameful”.

Jeffree Star scandals and drama with James Charles

via YouTube

Jeffree Star, one of the highest paid YouTube stars and the founder of Jeffree Star Cosmetics, found himself at the centre of allegations from friends and associates that have accused him of racist outbursts, physical violence and sexual abuse.

In response to the allegations made against him, Jeffree uploaded a YouTube video entitled “RACISM”, in which he expressed remorse for saying “some really disgusting, vile, nasty and embarrassing things” and admitting “I don’t know who that person was”.

Jeffree also posted a video entitled “Doing What’s Right”, in which he apologises to fellow YouTuber James Charles for calling him a “danger to society” and a “predator” in a series of now deleted Tweets.

James Charles allegations and scandals

via YouTube

YouTube star James Charles has been at the centre multiple allegations and scandals over the years, but perhaps the disgraced content creator is most infamous for a scandal in early 2021, which involved allegations made by underage boys that James pressured them into sharing sexually explicit photos with him.

In February 2021, a 16-year-old boy spoke out against James, claiming that the YouTuber had groomed him online and encouraged him to share sexual photos. James denied comments that he was a “groomer”, claiming that he was unaware of the young boy’s age.

Then, in March 2021, three more young males came forward with allegations against James. A 17-year-old boy alleged that James had flirted with him despite James knowing that he was underage.

In a later video, James apologised, saying “I owe a massive apology to anybody I have hurt or anybody I made uncomfortable with my actions.”.

James later uploaded a video to YouTube in July 2021 entitled “An Open Conversation”, in which he apologised and said: “At the end of the day, as the adult and the person with the platform, it was 1,000 per cent my responsibility to be doing my due diligence and checking into the people that I was speaking to, and I failed to do that.”. In the same video, he apologised to his family for “disappointing” them.

Colleen Ballinger scandals and ukulele ‘apology’

via YouTube

You probably haven’t forgotten about this one, since it only happened in summer last year. But the ongoing scandal involving OG YouTube star Colleen Ballinger is a big one nonetheless.

Since 2020, there have been many allegations made against Colleen, ranging from accusations of racist skits and queerbaiting to inappropriate live comedy involving minors.

In response to these allegations, Colleen uploaded a video to her vlog channel entitled “hi”, in which she accused those speaking out against her of boarding a “Toxic Gossip Train” and spreading “lies and rumours made up for clout”, while accompanying herself on a ukulele.

Five months later, Colleen returned to the Internet with a video entitled “fall vlog”, where she claimed to be embarrassed for her “immature” and “inappropriate” comedy: There have been moments where I was immature and inappropriate with some of my comedy, and there were times when I did not put enough thought into some of my fan interactions,” Colleen says in her fall vlog. “And because of that, people got hurt, and I am so sorry.”

For more like this look back at all the biggest YouTuber scandals and all the latest news, drops, quizzes and memes, like The Tab on Facebook. 

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Featured image via YouTube