Known for his sharp humor and edgy content, YouTube sensation iDubbbz claims to have turned a new leaf. Today he posted an unprompted public apology to Tana Mongeau and his audience for his past “harsh” content signals a shift in his creative direction.
I’ve profited off bigoted content.
iDubbbz
iDubbbz, who built a significant portion of his fame on the contentious ‘Content Cop’ series, recognized the harm his past videos caused. Notably, Mongeau, who was targeted in a particularly harsh episode, received a direct apology from him. He says he will be unlisting the videos on YouTube as a result.
Transitioning from his past content, iDubbbz says he’ll now focuses on Creator Clash event, which raised $1 million for charity. Despite this, his previous content continued to raise eyebrows and alienate some of his followers.
He claimed the reflection point was at a con where a Transgender fan shyly asked for a photo. Saying, “You probably don’t like transgender people, but could I have a photo?” iDubbbz says the epiphany was a slow one. He watched the harassment his wife has been receiving saying it was part of a culture he was cultivating.
He further stated, “I was being cruel, hateful, bigoted, and very uncaring of people’s feelings.” Later, he would go on to say, “I was insecure and pathetic.”
iDubbbz committed to donate the ad earnings from his apology video to a charity. While planning to prevent further views of his offensive videos by making them private, he stopped short of erasing them entirely.
While creators have been known to look back on their art and want to change or disown it, like George Lucas with a dazzling new SFX toy, iDubbbz recent revelations shouldn’t detract from viewers seeing his Content Cop series as the social commentary on the time it was created. The videos he regrets were made nearly a decade ago. But, why now?
The backdrop to iDubbbz’s public apology includes recent controversies involving himself, Sam Hyde, and Froggy Fresh. The linkage, if any, between these controversies and his apology is yet to be clarified.