David Dobrik – To Cancel or Not to Cancel
It feels like nowadays, we can’t go one day without talking about cancel culture. There’s always a “_____ canceled for doing ______” headline in those Daily Mail Snapchat stories we all read (but act like we don’t), and with it a group of people championing said cancelation – along, of course, with a group who doesn’t think the person deserves to be canceled.
There are people like R. Kelly, who’s practically definitely guilty, and was accused of some things pretty much everyone can agree are Very Bad and Morally Wrong. He was easy to cancel – “Ignition”, yes, was a loss (the song just doesn’t hit the same anymore) but apart from diehard R. Kelly fans, who aren’t really in Gen Z, R. Kelly was not a painful loss.
And then there are the people we all thought could do no wrong. There have been some painful losses due to being canceled, such as Ellen and Shane Dawson. Learning about how people you love and look up to aren’t the exemplary citizens they portrayed themselves as can be really hard. Even people such as Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, a person we all learned about in elementary school, did some fucked up things (who cares how long ago it was, raping and impregnating a fourteen-year-old slave is just not okay). We all want to believe our role models are worthy of the fame and attention and money they have gained, but a lot of times, they aren’t. This has been especially true with YouTube star David Dobrik.
David Dobrik first became famous on Vine and started vlogging in 2015. His four minutes and 20 second videos (yes, each vlog is 4:20) starring his friends, the “Vlog Squad”, have been immensely popular with teenage and college student audiences. Who doesn’t love watching hilarious and talented people do just about anything for the camera? The vlogs definitely evolved, from Heath sitting by the pool smoking cigarettes and cracking jokes, to what they became before the pandemic, huge stunts and celebrity cameos. David started giving away cars to his friends and eventually fans too, which also got him a lot of attention. David was so committed to the bit, he even legally married his friend’s mom. She is literally listed under “spouse” when you look David Dobrik up on Google. A lot of people really love David Dobrik and his friends, as his videos made a lot of people feel like they were a part of his fun group of friends who love and care about each other.
Things for David took a turn when sexual assault allegations against his friend, Durte Dom, came out. A vlog of his, since deleted, showed David inviting a girl and her friends into his apartment, and eventually he and his friends were cracking jokes about a threesome outside of Durte Dom’s closed door, where the alleged assault was taking place. The woman who came out about being assaulted is a girl named Hannah, who was a sophomore in college at the time. According to the allegations, and the evidence to back it up, David and his friends gave these girls alcohol (all were under 21) and encouraged a sexual encounter to take place. David was very intent on getting sexual and boundary-pushing content and he projected that onto Hannah, who was only twenty at the time and starstruck by the presence of some of her favorite internet creators. How was she supposed to say no to the alcohol offered when one of her favorite celebrities was the one trying to get her to drink? Hannah was too intoxicated to give consent to Durte Dom and her trauma was posted on the internet for millions to see. Trisha Paytas, famous in her own right and a former vlog squad member (she dated Jason Nash, David’s friend), also came out in support of Hannah and the allegations, backing them up with first-hand experience.
When David came out with a new video titled “Let’s Talk”, many were ready for an apology and an explanation that would make the pain hurt less. However, David didn’t address any issues directly and failed to make a video that eased anyone’s concerns. He even turned off the like-dislike ratio and the comments. Some of his friends, such as Josh Peck, are distancing themselves from him, while others are releasing their own apologies, such as Todd Smith. Many of his sponsors, the companies whose money paid for the Teslas and other cars he gave away, have dropped him as well. Before this scandal, David was at the top of his game, looking out at a world of success. Now, the future is uncertain.
David can’t take back the hurt he caused Hannah. Hopefully, if we’re all believing in the good of people, he didn’t realize what he was doing was wrong. Maybe he’s even learned from it. Maybe he hasn’t. It begs the question, though: do we cancel him? Do we stop watching the vlogs, following him on social media, and supporting his content? Do we stop supporting his friends, too?
The answer is too complicated to give a yes or no. Maybe? It depends on what you, the viewer and fan, is comfortable with. In your opinion, maybe what he did isn’t that bad (except it is really bad and that should absolutely not be your opinion), or maybe the apology he gave was enough. Hopefully, David redeems himself, personally apologizes to those he has hurt, and does better in the future. Much more likely is that this is the end of David Dobrik as we’ve always known him. He may not come back from this – especially because many of his fans were so dedicated and passionate that they will not be able to recover from their trust in him being broken so horribly. Others may be upset with him but go back to watching the vlogs in a matter of months. Who knows? Cancel culture is fickle, and absolutely anything could happen in the next few days and weeks. So the answer to the question posed in the title of this article, to cancel or not to cancel, is: whatever feels comfortable to you. Pinky swear, you’re not a bad person if you go back and watch the old vlogs, and you’re not better than anyone else if you cut David’s content out of your life. Just use your best judgement, educate yourself, and make a decision.