DAMASCUS, MARYLAND — A Maryland couple accused of abusing their children to rack up YouTube hits has lost custody of two of their kids.
Dad Mike and stepmom Heather Martin are the creators of a channel called DaddyOFive, which features videos of the parents pranking their kids.
Well, at least it did until the Martins took down all their prank videos and issued a tearful apology for a recent upload that many viewers felt went too far.
The DaddyOFive channel has more than 760,000 subscribers.
Some of its most popular uploads include dad Martin smashing 9-year-old son Cody’s Xbox with a hammer, and convincing the kid he was adopted.
An “Invisible Ink Prank” video posted on April 12 saw Cody reduced to floods of tears when his parents bawled him out for supposedly spilling ink on the carpet.
The controversial upload prompted an online backlash and a petition calling for Child Protective Services to get involved.
More than 19,000 people signed the appeal and on Monday biological mother Rose Hall announced on YouTube that she had been granted custody of Cody and his 12-year-old sister Emma.
The tearful Martins apologized and admitted they’d made some terrible parenting decisions in an interview with Good Morning America. But they said in their defense their kids were just really good actors.
Police in Baltimore earlier confirmed they were investigating whether the Martins had committed any crimes, ABC News reported.
Dad Mike and stepmom Heather Martin are the creators of a channel called DaddyOFive, which features videos of the parents pranking their kids.
Well, at least it did until the Martins took down all their prank videos and issued a tearful apology for a recent upload that many viewers felt went too far.
The DaddyOFive channel has more than 760,000 subscribers.
Some of its most popular uploads include dad Martin smashing 9-year-old son Cody’s Xbox with a hammer, and convincing the kid he was adopted.
An “Invisible Ink Prank” video posted on April 12 saw Cody reduced to floods of tears when his parents bawled him out for supposedly spilling ink on the carpet.
The controversial upload prompted an online backlash and a petition calling for Child Protective Services to get involved.
More than 19,000 people signed the appeal and on Monday biological mother Rose Hall announced on YouTube that she had been granted custody of Cody and his 12-year-old sister Emma.
The tearful Martins apologized and admitted they’d made some terrible parenting decisions in an interview with Good Morning America. But they said in their defense their kids were just really good actors.
Police in Baltimore earlier confirmed they were investigating whether the Martins had committed any crimes, ABC News reported.
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