What happened to David Dobrik? YouTuber makes viral comeback after 3-year hiatus

Despite being one of the most popular creators on YouTube, David Dobrik took a hiatus from his main channel for nearly three years – but he shocked fans with a comeback in early 2025, along with a viral body transformation.

David Dobrik is one of the biggest YouTubers of all time, with a whopping 17.4 million subscribers on the video-sharing site.

Although he boasts a massive fanbase on YouTube, the Slovakia-born internet star didn’t post any content to his main channel from March 2022 to January 2025, leaving subscribers curious as to why he hadn’t shared any updates for so long.

So, why did David Dobrik stop posting, and what is he up to now? Here’s everything we know.

Why did David Dobrik stop posting YouTube videos?

From March 2022 to January 2025, the 28-year-old shifted focus from posting to his YouTube channel to pursue other endeavors, including running his pizza shop and traveling around the world.

Dobrik launched his LA-based pizza business ‘Doughbrik’s,’ on November 12, 2022. The YouTuber claimed he had been taste-testing pizza for “months” before the opening, and this was likely one of the main reasons he stepped back from making videos at the time.

Even though David hadn’t been updating his YouTube channel, he was still somewhat active on his Instagram and Snapchat accounts, where he often uploaded short vlogs about his life.

Ahead of his return in 2025, his most recent Instagram post had been published on April 12, 2024, which was a video tour of the house he was staying in during Coachella, in collaboration with Guess Jeans.

Before this, he posted another brand deal with Celcius energy drinks one month earlier, in which he showed how much his friend Vardan had grown up. However, his 10.1 million followers were not fans of these posts, as they went on to say that he “fell off.”

However, it turns out that he was also spending his time traveling the globe and undergoing a rigorous workout journey with the aim of doing a grand reveal for his fervent fans.

David Dobrik returns to YouTube after 3-year-hiatus

On January 6, 2025, Dobrik posted a video to his TikTok profile teasing his next YouTube video in response to a fan begging him for a new vlog.

The next day, on January 7, he made good on his promise, uploading a 14-minute video following him as he and his friends traveled to see the Seven Wonders of the world.

In the video, he also gave away Teslas to employees of his Doughbrik’s pizza shop, as well as linked up with MrBeast to show off his new beach bod after using his time away from YouTube to get himself in shape.

His physical transformation quickly went viral across social media, leaving viewers shocked and some even speculating that he’d been Photoshopped.

Vlog Squad controversy explained

The YouTuber’s absence came after an incident that took place in 2020, where Dobrik’s friend and fellow YouTuber, Jeff Wittek, was injured while swinging from a crane that Dobrik was operating in a lake as part of a stunt in one of his vlogs.

The accident nearly took out Wittek’s left eye, causing him to undergo several surgeries to attempt to save his vision.

It also did lasting damage to the two YouTubers’ friendship, with Wittek filing a lawsuit against The Vlog Squad leader in June 2022 alleging $10 million in damages, as well as publicly denouncing their friendship and labeling him a “scumbag.”

The Doughbrik’s owner also had to handle public sexual assault allegations against former Vlog Squad member Dominykas ‘Durte Dom’ Zeglaitis.

After the allegations surfaced, all of Dobrik’s YouTube channels were demonetized by the platform, and he lost multiple sponsorships. However, after stepping back from the website, he made a successful return in mid-2021 that saw him launch back into the spotlight for a short time before going dark again.

Is David Dobrik still making money?

With his YouTube videos demonetized, many people are curious about Dobrik’s current earnings and how he generates income. The answer is that he’s still making money through influencer marketing, merchandise sales, Snapchat deals, and investments in tech startups.

David is not the only YouTuber that has disappeared from the internet only to make a viral comeback years later. Fellow content creator CoryxKenshin similarly disappeared for a year and a half, making his grand return in December 2024 after taking time away from YouTube to make his very own manga series.