Vlog Squad under fire after sexual assult allegations

Thumbnail of video titled “03/22/21”

Image courtesy of David Dobrik’s Youtube channel

Thumbnail of video titled “03/22/21”

   Trigger Warning: this story contains mentions of sexual assault

 

   In quarantine, social media was a must. Viral influencers are their own category of celebrity, and the public eye is honed in on them more than ever as all of their lives are broadcasted online. Like James Charles, David Dobrik and his “Vlog Squad” have gone under fire for similar sexual assault and rape claims.

   On March 16, 2021, Business Insider published an article about a woman who claimed she was raped by one of the Vlog Squad members in 2018. She was featured in one of Dobrik’s videos titled “SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE PLAYED WITH FIRE!!” in which the group films a video talking about sexual topics. The woman claims the man who raped her was Dom Zeglaitis, a Vlog Squad member known as Durte Dom. In response to this allegation, he denies that the encounter was non-consensual.

   Another influencer, Trisha Paytas, was featured in the same Business Insider article accusing Zeglaitis of sexual assault. The quotes included by Paytas claimed that Dobrik asked Jason Nash, another member of the Vlog Squad, to purchase alcohol for underage women.

   Paytas continues to be a significant part of the accusations tearing Dobrik and his group down. She is featured in a Vulture article where she states, “I have more PTSD from David and Jason than I do hooking on Santa Monica Boulevard.” 

   Furthermore, she claims that her relationship with Nash was severed by Dobrik, stating, “Jason was like, ‘I gotta break up with you because of David.’ That’s when I spiraled.”

   Since the Business Insider article and further criticism from the internet, Dobrik lost 100,000 subscribers as of March 17. Sponsors of Dobrik and the Vlog Squad are also relinquishing their resources and associations with them such as SeatGeek and Dollar Shave Club (DSC). Dobrik’s podcast, Views, is no longer sponsored by Dollar Shave Club. 

   The company stated, “The actions and comments made by David Dobrik as well as some members of his team are very serious and do not align with DSC values. Sexual assault and hateful language of any kind is unacceptable in any environment. We’ve made the decision to end our relationship and cancel all planned activity.”

   EA Sports has also opted to distance itself from Dobrik. EA Sports issued the statement, “We haven’t worked with David since April 2020 and can confirm we are not currently working with him nor do we have any plans to in the future. We expect any influencer or celebrity talent we work with to conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with EA’s values and policies.”

   According to an Insider article, more companies such as HelloFresh, DoorDash, General Mills, HBO Max, Facebook, and Audible have cut ties with Dobrik.