David Dobrik breaks silence over Vlog Squad controversies: “I’m sorry”

David Dobrik has broken his silence in light of multiple controversies surrounding former Vlog Squad members, apologizing and expressing regret in a March 16 video.Following weeks of accusations from and against former Vlog Squad members, Dobrik took to his ‘VIEWS’ channel on YouTube to issue a broad apology. Stories from former collaborators began to surface in early February, with many Vlog Squad members detailed their experiences creating content with Dobrik. Some explained how they were made to feel “worthless,” while others were allegedly left “traumatized.”From racially insensitive content to more recent accusations of sexual assault among crew members, Dobrik addressed it all in his March 16 apology.

“I love being able to make people happy for a living. That’s all that I want to do,” the social media celebrity outlined. “That being said, consent is something that’s super important to me. Whether I’m shooting with a friend or a stranger, I always make sure I have the approval from that person. “There’ve been moments where I’ve looked back on videos and I’ve realized these don’t represent me anymore. They’re hurtful to other people.” With hundreds of videos uploaded across a number of platforms throughout his career, Dobrik acknowledged that some have “missed the mark.”

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Some of these videos have been brought into question lately, leading to subsequent review bombing on his new app. For these particular uploads, he no longer “wants them up. “I’ve grown as a person and I don’t agree with some of the videos I’ve posted,” he said.

Former Vlog Squad member Seth Francois recently detailed a ‘traumatizing’ experience he had while creating content with the crew. During a particular shoot, he “was touched by someone [he] did not consent to.” Dobrik singled out this instance in his apology video. “With the Seth situation, I’m sorry to Seth” he said. “I’m really sorry, I truly, truly am.”

• Read More: David Dobrik responds to sexual assault claims

Following up on a more recent controversy involving sexual assault allegations, Dobrik also explained how he has stopped working with Dominykas Zeglaitis, otherwise known as ‘Durte Dom.’“With people in my life that I don’t film with anymore, like Dom, I chose to distance myself. I don’t align with some of the actions, I don’t stand for any misconduct. I’ve been really disappointed by some of my friends. For that reason, I’ve separated from a lot of them.”“I’m sorry if I’ve let you down, things like that won’t happen again,” he stressed. “I’ve learned from my mistakes and I also believe actions speak louder than words. I’ll prove to you that the mistakes I made before won’t be happening again.”