onlyjayus, jayus, tiktok, petition, vanellope von addams

‘Jayus has made a strong effort to find me’: OnlyJayus petition founder speaks out

The petition is nearly on 350,000 signatures


The petition seeking to remove OnlyJayus from TikTok has rocketed to nearly 350,000 signatures in a matter of days, and its creator Vanellope Von Addams is on a personal mission to keep the momentum going.

Speaking to The Tab about why she decided to start the petition in the first place, Vanellope told us that it was Jayus’ first apology video that rang alarm bells.

“I started to notice their behavior when the initial apology video was posted back in February of 2021,” Vanellope told The Tab. “I didn’t start to really see Jayus’s true colors until they were exposed by Aunt Karen. When Jayus ghosted Aunt Karen and failed to hold up on their promises to ‘lift black voices’, that was my a-ha moment that Jayus wasn’t sorry.”

In February, OnlyJayus apologised after screenshots of old messages resurfaced showing them using racist language. They said that they “said disgusting things to people” and are ashamed of their use of “racist rhetoric and derogatory language to hate others”.

Many in the TikTok community, including popular commentary TikToker Aunt Karen, called Jayus out for their actions, and Vanellope has grown close to Aunt Karen since. “I have come to know Aunt Karen as a great friend,” Vanellope said. “I am blessed to know her and my other friend Milo as well. The idea of the petition was formed by all three of us, so they absolutely deserve a lot of the credit, as well.

“We all met one night through a Discord server and ever since then, we have been really close. I would not be able to speak to you today or have the strength to do any of this without either of them.”

Although Vanellope started the petition to have Jayus removed from TikTok, she believes that it’s down to the affected communities to decide whether OnlyJayus deserves redemption: “I personally do not feel that it is my decision to make. Jayus needs to seek forgiveness from the black community, the trans community, and the disabled community.

“I feel that anyone with that kind of following needs to learn how to take responsibility for their own actions instead of acting like they are too big to apologize. Jayus would be nothing without their platform and it can easily be taken away by the people who gave it to them.”

When asked for further identifying details of who Vanellope is, she declined on the grounds that OnlyJayus has already been trying to identify her: “I’m really not comfortable sending anything since Jayus has made a strong effort to try and find me.”

In the February apology video, Jayus apologised for the language they used and reflected upon how they’ve changed since then. “I am so sorry to everyone, but especially to those in the black community.

“Only you guys can forgive me for this. There is no excuse and there are no justifications for what I said and you guys deserve better. I forgot how hateful and how angry of a person I used to be.”

Jayus was contacted for comment but did not immediately respond.

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