dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

David Dobrik's popularity plummeted after a Vlog Squad rape allegation. Now he's one of the most disliked influencers.

An explosive scandal that rocked the YouTube world has left David Dobrik's reputation in tatters, a new Insider poll shows. Dobrik's favorability ranking fell by 25% after an Insider investigation surfaced allegations from a woman who said a former member of the Vlog Squad, the influencer crew led by Dobrik, raped her while filming a video for Dobrik's channel.

Before the scandal, Dobrik placed no. 13 among the top most-liked influencers in an Insider poll of 1,040 respondents. His name was recognized by 14% of those surveyed with 49% having a favorable opinion of him. Just over one month after Insider published those results, the investigation into rape allegations against former Vlog Squad member Dom Zeglaitis, AKA Durte Dom, was published.

In Insider's second influencer survey, Dobrik's notoriety rose 4 percentage points to being recognized by 18% of those surveyed. But his favorability took a steep dive. 46% of people who knew Dobrik said they had an unfavorable opinion of him compared to just 22% in the first survey. His favorability plummeted by 25 percentage points, taking him from among the most beloved YouTubers to the most hated.

Dobrik's most recent favorability ranking landed him among his more-disliked peers, including Jake and Logan Paul, who are both well-known for their scandals.

Insider's investigation featured an anonymous accuser granted the pseudonym Hannah. She told Insider that she and a group of her college-aged friends went to an apartment used by the Vlog Squad for videos on Dobrik's channel one night in November 2018, where they were offered alcohol by the YouTubers. Hannah said she became too intoxicated to consent to sex and was raped by Zeglaitis in his bedroom while Dobrik filmed outside the door.

The footage from that night was later uploaded in a vlog about Hannah and her friends having a "threesome" with Zeglaitis. The video was taken down at Hannah's request after it was viewed more than 5 million times.

Following the article's publication, YouTube temporarily demonetized Dobrik and Zeglaitis. Brands like Chipotle, EA Sports, and Dollar Shave Club issued statements distancing themselves from Dobrik, who they had previously sponsored. He also stepped down from his app Dispo and put out two apology videos.

Dobrik has yet to return to posting on his social media channels since his second apology video was uploaded to his main channel with more than 18 million subscribers. Another woman who accused Zeglaitis of sexual assault, YouTuber Ally Hardesty, said Dobrik has since apologized to her.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/david-dobriks-popularity-plummeted-vlog-160723252.html