YouTube apologies often become infamous when they come off as insincere, poorly executed, or just plain awkward. Here are some of the most notorious and controversial YouTube apology videos:
1. **Logan Paul**: After posting a video showing a dead body in Japan's Aokigahara Forest, Logan Paul's apology video was criticized for being more about his own image than showing genuine remorse. The backlash was massive, leading to significant damage to his career.
2. **Laura Lee**: Beauty influencer Laura Lee's apology video following the resurfacing of her old racist tweets was widely mocked. Her tears and perceived lack of sincerity led to a loss of subscribers and endorsements.
3. **PewDiePie**: After making anti-Semitic jokes and using racial slurs in his videos, PewDiePie's apologies were met with mixed reactions. Some felt he wasn't taking full responsibility, while others defended him, saying the apologies were sincere.
4. **DaddyOFive**: Following accusations of child abuse due to their "prank" videos, the parents behind the DaddyOFive channel issued an apology that many felt lacked genuine remorse. The couple eventually lost custody of two of their children.
5. **Jeffree Star**: Jeffree Star's numerous apologies for past racist behavior and drama with other influencers have often been seen as performative. His repeated involvement in controversies has led many to question the sincerity of his apologies.
6. **Tana Mongeau**: Tana's apology for her disastrous TanaCon event, which left many fans disappointed and some in dangerous situations, was seen as insufficient. Her attempt to explain and apologize didn't fully address the issues or take full responsibility.
7. **James Charles**: After the feud with Tati Westbrook, James Charles' initial apology video was criticized for being vague and not addressing the key issues. However, he later released a more comprehensive response that helped to mend his reputation.
8. **Gabby Hanna**: Gabby Hanna has been involved in several controversies, and her apology videos often spark more backlash. Critics argue that her apologies tend to focus more on defending herself rather than acknowledging her mistakes.
9. **Shane Dawson**: Shane Dawson's apology for his past offensive content, including racist jokes and inappropriate behavior, was seen by many as too little, too late. His attempts to explain his actions didn't resonate well, leading to significant backlash.
Each of these apology videos has become a part of YouTube history, often serving as examples of what not to do when addressing controversies and scandals.
1. **Logan Paul**: After posting a video showing a dead body in Japan's Aokigahara Forest, Logan Paul's apology video was criticized for being more about his own image than showing genuine remorse. The backlash was massive, leading to significant damage to his career.
2. **Laura Lee**: Beauty influencer Laura Lee's apology video following the resurfacing of her old racist tweets was widely mocked. Her tears and perceived lack of sincerity led to a loss of subscribers and endorsements.
3. **PewDiePie**: After making anti-Semitic jokes and using racial slurs in his videos, PewDiePie's apologies were met with mixed reactions. Some felt he wasn't taking full responsibility, while others defended him, saying the apologies were sincere.
4. **DaddyOFive**: Following accusations of child abuse due to their "prank" videos, the parents behind the DaddyOFive channel issued an apology that many felt lacked genuine remorse. The couple eventually lost custody of two of their children.
5. **Jeffree Star**: Jeffree Star's numerous apologies for past racist behavior and drama with other influencers have often been seen as performative. His repeated involvement in controversies has led many to question the sincerity of his apologies.
6. **Tana Mongeau**: Tana's apology for her disastrous TanaCon event, which left many fans disappointed and some in dangerous situations, was seen as insufficient. Her attempt to explain and apologize didn't fully address the issues or take full responsibility.
7. **James Charles**: After the feud with Tati Westbrook, James Charles' initial apology video was criticized for being vague and not addressing the key issues. However, he later released a more comprehensive response that helped to mend his reputation.
8. **Gabby Hanna**: Gabby Hanna has been involved in several controversies, and her apology videos often spark more backlash. Critics argue that her apologies tend to focus more on defending herself rather than acknowledging her mistakes.
9. **Shane Dawson**: Shane Dawson's apology for his past offensive content, including racist jokes and inappropriate behavior, was seen by many as too little, too late. His attempts to explain his actions didn't resonate well, leading to significant backlash.
Each of these apology videos has become a part of YouTube history, often serving as examples of what not to do when addressing controversies and scandals.
Category
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MusicTranscript
00:00My team has strongly advised me to not say what I want to say.
00:04I recently realized that they never said that I couldn't sing.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 infamous YouTube
00:13apologies.
00:14Like how can you not forgive her after this?
00:16For this list, we'll be looking at some of the most notorious and controversial videos
00:21made by YouTubers after huge scandals.
00:24Which YouTube apology made you cringe the most?
00:27Let us know in the comments.
00:30Hey, Mojoholics.
00:32For a chance to win cash prizes, play our live daily trivia challenges every day at
00:373pm and 8pm Eastern, only at watchmojo.com slash play.
00:45Now let's get one thing clear off the bat.
00:47This isn't necessarily a bad apology video.
00:50It isn't 10 hours long, PewDiePie doesn't deflect blame, fake cry, or sigh, and he owns
00:56his monumental F up.
00:58This is probably one of the few good apology videos out there, but it's still infamous.
01:02It was something that I said in the heat of the moment.
01:06I said the worst word I could possibly think of, and it just sort of slipped out.
01:11Judging solely by the mainstream traction that the 2017 video and the inciting incident
01:18received, it's actually one of the most famous apology videos on YouTube.
01:22And it's not that I think I can say or do whatever I want and get away with it.
01:27That's not it at all.
01:29I'm just an idiot.
01:30Heck, this apology video made headlines in outlets like Business Insider and Variety.
01:35That's a pretty big deal, considering most YouTube drama is relegated to, well, YouTube.
01:40We even got the heated gaming moment meme out of this ordeal.
01:47The Fine Brothers are the founders of Fine Brothers Entertainment, which is well known
01:51for its React series.
01:52In turn, they attempted to trademark the term React.
01:55We are excited to announce React World, which is a first-of-its-kind program that allows
01:59people and companies to license all our popular shows online.
02:02Unfortunately, reaction videos are performed the world over, and many people were pissed
02:06at the brothers for having the gall to trademark such a widely used term.
02:10First and foremost, we're sorry for confusing people by using terminology like our React
02:15format.
02:15We were never trying to say that every video or someone reacts to something else is something
02:19we would try to control.
02:20They initially tried, rather unsuccessfully, to quell the anger with a condescending explanation
02:25of their business acumen before issuing a full-blown apology and said they were rescinding
02:30their trademark attempt.
02:32But the damage was already done.
02:34They lost a ton of subscribers, people around the internet reacted negatively to the video,
02:38and sarcastically asked if they could react to things again.
02:42And those were the nice things that were said.
02:50And React World is meant to be an extension of that.
02:56As negatively received as the Fine Bros' apology was, at least it didn't cause more
03:01controversy and dig its subjects into even deeper holes.
03:05That cannot be said for RiceGum.
03:12In early 2019, RiceGum was slammed for promoting a scam website called Mystery Brand.
03:18When called out on it, he pulled the hole while other people were doing it to excuse.
03:37It was not a good look for him, but it got even worse.
03:40To make amends, RiceGum attempted to buy everyone off with Amazon gift cards that were expired.
03:48Needless to say, people were pissed, and RiceGum's failed apology became a YouTube legend.
04:08Having your own personalized fitness plan can be a great way to adopt a healthy new
04:12lifestyle.
04:13Unfortunately, the clients of Brittney Dawn, real name Brittney Davis,
04:18did not have that experience.
04:27Not only was she lying about the plans, she was even ghosting her customers.
04:32Unfortunately, her apology to them seemed anything but sincere.
04:36She redded off her Notes app, and even said that she was sorry if people felt she had scammed them.
04:43This statement was understandably criticized,
04:56and she was dragged for her apparent insincerity.
05:02Apparently, she wasn't happy with this reaction, because she released another video,
05:07this time accusing her critics and scorned fans of being haters.
05:14This response, paired with the scam, formed an even bigger rift between her and her followers.
05:37If there's one thing people online take seriously, it's the mistreatment of animals.
05:42So when Brooke Houts unintentionally uploaded a video of her physically abusing her Doberman,
05:47both her fans and casual viewers alike were furious.
05:51Houts tried to apologize via a statement on Twitter,
05:55but people there didn't appreciate how she tried to blame her dog for her behavior.
05:59Houts also uploaded a video, but much like her text attempt, it was panned.
06:04Viewers felt like she was being vague on purpose to avoid accountability,
06:13and that she doubled down on her own innocence.
06:25Both responses and her channel have been deleted, but her scorned reputation lives on.
06:3115. Keemstar
06:33Keemstar has certainly seen his fair share of controversy throughout the years.
06:37One of the biggest and most infamous blunders came in January 2016,
06:42when the DramaAlert creator accused 62-year-old Twitch streamer,
06:46R.S. GloryAndGold, of being a sexual criminal.
06:50This is an incredibly serious accusation, especially when it results in death threats.
07:01Wouldn't you know it, the accused man was completely innocent.
07:09Keemstar took to YouTube to apologize, and it did not go over well.
07:17The video received over 152,000 dislikes compared to just 50,000 likes,
07:23and many commenters stated that they were getting sick of Keemstar's attitude,
07:27relentless controversy, and inauthentic apologies.
07:35Silly YouTube drama is one thing, but accusing an innocent man of being a predator crossed a line.
07:4214. Micah Stauffer
07:44The Stauffer family had taken in a young boy from China,
07:48but ended up reversing their decision after complications from his autism arose.
07:53The backlash they received to this video was twofold. Not only were they criticized for their
07:58choice, but they were also accused of exploiting him for content and money for their YouTube channel.
08:03Numerous medical professionals have felt that he needed a different fit in his medical needs.
08:09He needed more.
08:10From the all-white outfits to their supposedly fake tears, it was clear that they were more
08:15focused on preserving their image than apologizing for hurting their former son.
08:20Micah Stauffer later released a statement on her Instagram account,
08:23but the tone almost made it seem like she was apologizing to an
08:27ex rather than a child she had taken into her home.
08:3413. DaddyOFive
08:37There are some things you simply can't brush away as being fake.
08:41We're really sorry that we have to disappoint you and say that. I mean...
08:47I'm sorry if we let you down.
08:48DaddyOFive, a once-popular family channel,
08:51received criticism after people noticed that the parents seemed to be abusive for content.
08:56They would get excited when they would get a lot of views and it was more for shock value.
09:03Mike and Heather attempted to justify their actions by seeing the videos were exaggerated,
09:08but people saw right through them.
09:10It's their ideas.
09:11We've said it's their ideas. I put in the video description for entertainment purposes only.
09:17I categorized the videos as entertainment or comedies.
09:21After the negative response to their explanation, alongside even more media attention,
09:26they changed their tune.
09:28We realized that we have made some terrible parenting decisions
09:33and we just want to make things right.
09:36They went from casual outfits and dim lighting to a professional studio,
09:40and what sounded like a pre-written response.
09:43They also admitted to having made bad parenting choices,
09:47which was a far cry from their original stance.
09:50We put things on the internet that should not be there. We did things that we should not do.
09:55However, it wasn't enough to make up for the awful things they had posted,
09:58and they were deplatformed by YouTube.
10:0212. iDubbbzTV
10:04After having enough of those experiences and being like,
10:07these are the people that I'm attracting. These are the people I'm entertaining.
10:11I need to re-evaluate things.
10:14While this apology was necessary and important,
10:17it's undeniable that it caused a ripple across the web.
10:20Ian of iDubbbzTV made a statement acknowledging his part in fostering a toxic online fan base,
10:27where he vowed to separate himself from his previous image.
10:30I have made some cruel, hurtful content, and I need to acknowledge that, and I'm really sorry.
10:38The response was mixed. While he was praised by some for not deflecting blame,
10:43he was criticized by past fans, and even other creators, who felt that he was weak for apologizing.
10:49Other fans felt that his response had come out too late,
10:53and expressed that they had wanted him to say this for years.
10:56I don't feel like a lot of this content represents me as a person, at least not anymore.
11:02The video started a debate about the difference between jokes and harmful behavior.
11:06Regardless of the reaction, it's proof that YouTubers can apologize and truly mean it.
11:12I'm also sorry to all the Black viewers and minority groups who had to put up with that
11:17video and put up with, you know, the phrases.
11:2011. TmarTn
11:22In 2016, it was revealed that Trevor Martin, also known as TmarTn,
11:26was the owner of a gambling website that he was continuously promoting.
11:30What followed was perhaps the worst apology video of all time.
11:34This video wins apology video bingo, playing more like an SNL parody than a legitimate effort.
11:40It starts with the whole,
11:41I'll talk to my cute dog and hope the audience sympathizes bit, and goes on from there.
11:45I truly, honestly hope that you guys give me an opportunity to earn your trust back.
11:51Please also know that I am committed to making sure that my YouTube channel,
11:55as well as all of my other businesses, are in compliance with the law.
11:59We've got the exaggerated here we go sigh,
12:01a huge mansion and conveniently framed truck that flaunts his wealth,
12:05and an insincere apology that places the blame on the viewers instead of himself.
12:10Yeah, why didn't we know about this, guys?
12:12I'm sorry to each and every one of you who felt like that was not made clear enough to you.
12:1710. David Dobrik
12:19For a few years, vlogger David Dobrik was on top of the world.
12:23All of that changed across 2020 and 2021 when he was accused of abusing his position of power
12:29and covering up his friend's alleged crimes.
12:32Dobrik tried to get around the allegations by addressing them on his podcast channel,
12:37a choice that immediately backfired.
12:40I would just want to make videos where everybody in it,
12:43you know, whether you're participating or watching,
12:45is enjoying and having a good time.
12:48And I missed the mark with that one, and I'm really sorry.
12:51He was slammed for his disingenuous response,
12:54which prompted him to release another video on his main channel.
12:57This one was more apologetic,
12:59and he insisted that he was unaware of the unbalanced power dynamic.
13:03Even though I got the consent to post that video, I should have never posted it.
13:07His responses garnered so much publicity that they were even parodied on Saturday Night Live.
13:13I want y'all to know, I am sorry.
13:16Just know that I am learning and growing as we speak.
13:19Peace.
13:20While he was able to recoup some of his audience,
13:22he hasn't recovered the image he once had.
13:25It was completely wrong, and I wish I was more responsible,
13:28and I wish I was more aware at the time.
13:29Number nine, Jaclyn Hill.
13:32The YouTube beauty community is a volatile and confrontational one,
13:36and many notable beauty vloggers have apologized to the fan bases throughout the years.
13:40Nice, smooth glitter, and the component itself is very weighted.
13:44In the summer of 2019, it was Jaclyn Hill's turn.
13:47Hill received condemnation for her poor quality lipstick,
13:50and she took to YouTube to defend her brand.
13:53My lipsticks are not moldy.
13:55They are not hazardous.
13:55They are not contaminated.
13:56They are not unsafe for you in any way, shape, or form.
13:59Unfortunately, many fans believed that she was far too aggressive and defensive in her approach.
14:04Hill admitted in a later apology on Instagram that she was too confrontational,
14:09saying that she needed to calm down and breathe.
14:11Sometimes you can feel like a little bit of that texture and that grittiness,
14:14and that is so not okay, and I want to make that right for you.
14:17And again, I'm going to reiterate it over and over and over
14:20to contacthelpatjaclyncosmetics.com.
14:23We totally get wanting to defend a product,
14:25but acting in a standoffish manner is not the way to go about it.
14:28All right, please contact me if you're having an issue.
14:31Reach out.
14:32Like, I want to fix it for you.
14:33Number eight, Sienna Mae.
14:36We're not sure what Sienna Mae Gomez was thinking with this.
14:39After being accused of sexually assaulting fellow TikTok star Jack Wright,
14:43Mae first went for the classic route of denying everything.
14:47The most hurtful thing is that what she did to me, she said it was untrue. That hurt a lot.
14:53More allegations came forward, including from Wright himself,
14:57with attempts by Sienna Mae to address them that were mocked for their perceived
15:01lack of authenticity.
15:03This included a statement seemingly written by a manager and a blog post,
15:07but it was the video of her doing an interpretive dance that earned her this spot.
15:11Her fans were befuddled by the response,
15:14and she was dragged online for trying to clear her name in this fashion.
15:17While she apologized for her videos in a Medium article,
15:21this one in particular lives on as being one of the most infamous apologies on the platform.
15:32Number seven, Jeffree Star.
15:34Dramageddon, or the event wherein Tati Westbrook took down James Charles,
15:39was suddenly flipped on its head when she released another video
15:42exposing Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson for facilitating the drama.
15:47Star decided to make a video addressing the claims by sitting on his almost
15:51ridiculously expensive couch and essentially chastising the audience for playing into the drama.
15:57I've spent a lot of time realizing why I do certain things and why I do the things that I do,
16:04and today there are no excuses.
16:06He insinuated that he and Westbrook still hadn't resolved things,
16:10and without getting into specifics, admitted to toxic behavior on his part.
16:15He even brought the Black Lives Matter movement into it,
16:18saying that people should be more focused on that than on his drama.
16:22Black trans women are being murdered every day and the news is silent.
16:27This coming from the same person who apologized in 2017 for his racist remarks was laughable to
16:32viewers and his explanation was panned.
16:35I am just one tiny little person on this earth trying to make a better life
16:39for me and my family and I am nowhere near perfect.
16:43Number six, Laura Lee.
16:45At this point, Laura Lee's apology video is part of YouTube history.
16:49When one thinks YouTube apology video,
16:51one undoubtedly thinks of Laura Lee with her face in her hand.
16:54Six years ago, I decided to retweet
17:00things that were so vile and hurtful.
17:04After numerous racist tweets from 2012 were brought to light,
17:08Lee apologized to her fans through a horribly insincere and embarrassing video in 2018.
17:13I did, and I am so sorry. There's no excuse.
17:19There's nothing I can say that's an excuse. I'm just sorry.
17:23I did that six years ago.
17:25Not only was the video monetized,
17:27but it was filled with fake crying and some of the worst acting we've ever seen.
17:31Lee later apologized for the insincere apology and removed the original video from her channel.
17:36I'm taking it off my channel because it does not represent the human being that I am today.
17:41But it was too late for that.
17:43The video is history and will forever remain in the museum of the internet.
17:48Number five, Tana Mongeau.
17:50Mongeau's apologies have only become more infamous over the years,
17:54such as her controversial apology for her racist past in 2020.
17:58Had a person of color done one-tenth of the antics I had done in my career,
18:02they would not have gotten to act with such privilege in the ways that I did.
18:06Before that though, in 2018, Tana Mongeau organized her own convention called TanaCon.
18:12Ghazalyn Damosco was in the lobby when she says she saw a stampede
18:16push through the front doors and trample fans and furniture.
18:19It was a complete disaster,
18:21as many thirsty and hungry people were left out in the hot sun due to the venue's limited capacity.
18:26Mongeau then uploaded the Godfather of Apology videos as it spanned over an hour in length.
18:32I'm an idiot and I trusted a 20-year-old idiot
18:35who illusioned to me that it would be the best TanaCon in the world.
18:39Not only was the runtime absolutely ridiculous,
18:42but Mongeau kept placing the blame on other people.
18:45I was under the impression by the company that put on the event,
18:48Good Times and Michael, that people would be shuffling in and out.
18:51It was enough to earn the video over 39,000 dislikes before YouTube removed
18:56the numbers from being public, and TanaCon quickly faded into internet infamy.
19:024. Shane Dawson
19:04Shane Dawson is no stranger to apology videos,
19:08with one dating back as early as 2014 and since then has put one out every couple of years.
19:14In the bottom of my heart, I'm kind of like, uh, maybe I,
19:17maybe I have done something too offensive. Maybe I did go too far.
19:20No, because my audience isn't offended, so I'm fine.
19:23In those original videos, he was able to deflect blame or bring sympathy to himself.
19:28I think there's a lot of people who know I'm not a racist person,
19:31but that I was just ignorant and stupid.
19:34However, after getting extreme amounts of criticism in 2020 for his past content,
19:40it was clear that a standard acknowledgement of the behavior wasn't going to be enough.
19:44Many of the affected groups felt they couldn't forgive him
19:48due to the severity and consistency of his content.
19:51I am so sorry to anybody that saw that and that also saw that people were
19:57lifting me up and were saying, you're so funny, Shane.
20:00Others felt that he wanted to experience some of the grace Jenna Marbles received
20:04after her unprompted apology video, which made it come across as inauthentic.
20:10Overall, many felt like his apology was too little, too late.
20:13I saw Jenna Marbles' video and it really inspired me and felt like a sign from the universe.
20:19Number three, James Charles.
20:22Usually the beauty YouTuber drama stays within the beauty community.
20:26Not so with James Charles and Tati Westbrook.
20:29This is me having someone that I mentored, someone that I cared for, really not care for me.
20:37Their little tiff in the spring of 2019 spilled into the mainstream,
20:41and things got even more interesting when Westbrook uploaded a sprawling
20:4545-minute epic aimed at Charles.
20:47I wish that I could say this is the last time that I would make a mistake, but it won't be.
20:52In response, an atypically frumpled and natural Charles uploaded a brief
20:57eight-minute apology, and it did not go well.
21:00The video, simply titled Tati, had over 3.2 million dislikes in 2020,
21:06making for about an 81% dislike percentage.
21:09Tati really was one of the people to sit me down and tell me how it looked from the outside.
21:15Before it was deleted, it also became the 13th most disliked video in YouTube history.
21:21We're going to assume that people did not accept the apology.
21:24Number two, Colleen Ballinger.
21:27This is probably the most bizarre way to address grooming allegations.
21:31A lot of people are saying some things about me that aren't quite true.
21:35Doesn't matter if it's true though, just as long as it's entertaining.
21:38After more screenshots resurfaced showing Colleen Ballinger's
21:42alleged inappropriate friendship with her young fans,
21:45she decided to respond in the most puzzling way possible,
21:48by playing the ukulele and singing about her innocence,
21:52and how people just want to be entertained by drama.
21:55The toxic gossip train, chugging down the tracks of misinformation.
22:02If she hadn't been the one accused of these horrible things,
22:05then it would be almost a perfect satire of YouTube apologies.
22:09The fact that she had pretty much done a complete 180 from her original explanation in 2020,
22:14made it even more perplexing.
22:16I hope you all can see that the person who I am today is so
22:19far from that ignorant person I was over a decade ago.
22:22The song ironically ended up fanning the flames for the drama,
22:26as it went viral and was covered by everyone,
22:28from prominent YouTubers to actual media outlets.
22:32The gravity of the allegations are so serious that it does not
22:39warrant pulling out a little ukulele and playing a little tune with it.
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23:01Number 1. Logan Paul
23:03The Paul brothers are quite controversial,
23:06and they aren't exactly known for their stellar apologies.
23:14For example, there's Jake's Dear YouTube I'm Sorry video,
23:18which currently has over 135,000 dislikes.
23:27But nothing beats Logan's apology.
23:30Following the infamous dead body fiasco, Logan uploaded the now infamous So Sorry video.
23:42And to his credit, he has not taken it down, unlike many of the others on this list.
23:47But it is painfully brief. Maybe a little too brief,
23:51as some people thought the situation warranted more than a simple sorry about that.
24:00Others claimed to see through his I-did-it-to-raise-awareness spiel.
24:09Whatever your opinion, it's clear that Paul messed up big time,
24:12and he'll likely never live this down.
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