- 4 months ago
Not every YouTuber success story has a happy ending… 😬
In this video, we’re counting down 10 Successful YouTubers Who Turned Out to Be AWFUL. From influencers caught in scandals to creators who destroyed their own reputations, these are the rise-and-fall stories of YouTubers who went from beloved to hated.
Expect shocking controversies, exposed lies, and career-ending mistakes that shook the YouTube community.
👉 Don’t forget to LIKE 👍, COMMENT 💬, and SUBSCRIBE 🔔 for more YouTube drama, creator scandals, and Top 10 internet breakdowns!
In this video, we’re counting down 10 Successful YouTubers Who Turned Out to Be AWFUL. From influencers caught in scandals to creators who destroyed their own reputations, these are the rise-and-fall stories of YouTubers who went from beloved to hated.
Expect shocking controversies, exposed lies, and career-ending mistakes that shook the YouTube community.
👉 Don’t forget to LIKE 👍, COMMENT 💬, and SUBSCRIBE 🔔 for more YouTube drama, creator scandals, and Top 10 internet breakdowns!
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PeopleTranscript
00:00I am kind of a crazy mom.
00:02Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're exploring the infamous times when beloved and successful YouTubers
00:08eventually saw their hidden, terrible side emerge, as scandals about their real lives were discovered.
00:13This just, it started out as family fun.
00:19Colleen Ballinger. Armed with her character Miranda Sings, Ballinger rapidly rose in popularity on YouTube,
00:25giving her a chance to break into the mainstream entertainment industry.
00:28Miranda, it's so great to have you back here on the show.
00:32I know, stop hitting on me.
00:33However, all of that effort and success took a hit in 2020, when she was accused of inappropriate behavior towards minors.
00:40And so I just wanted to sit down and have an honest conversation with you and address everything at once.
00:45With further accusations in 2023, the final nail in her career coffin was dealt by herself,
00:50when Ballinger released a bizarre, half-apology, half-deflecting video,
00:54where she addressed the scandal by singing with a ukulele about the toxic gossip train.
00:59Your loaded lethal weapon is your fingers on the keys.
01:02You don't need any armor when you can hide behind a screen.
01:04The problems continued mounting for her,
01:06as Ballinger was accused of sending intimate images of another YouTuber behind their back,
01:10and her previous work was accused of racism.
01:13Herman Loyera.
01:14Running the channel Herman Loyera MX, Loyera was a Mexican influencer,
01:19specializing in content about business and inspirational messages to help his viewers through life's problems.
01:24Hablemos de innovación. Hablemos de emprendimiento. Llevemos el mundo al siguiente escalón.
01:29He even took part in the World Congress of Young Leaders for Peace.
01:32So, you can imagine his audience's surprise when Loyera was arrested in 2018.
01:37The young entrepreneur orchestrated a kidnapping plot,
01:40resulting in a group of men grabbing a female lawyer and holding her for ransom for around $103,000 worth of bitcoins.
01:47Luckily, the police managed to rescue the lawyer days later,
01:50and arrested the majority of those involved, while further arrests followed later.
01:54In 2020, as well as the group collectively being fined around $25,730,
01:59Loyera was sentenced to 50 years in jail.
02:01Tenemos dos opciones. Morir o innovar.
02:05Toy Freaks.
02:06Some people will do anything to carve out notoriety on YouTube.
02:10One such person was Gregory Kism, who ran the channel Toy Freaks.
02:14A single father to two young daughters, he would subject them to strange and abusive situations,
02:19pretending they were jokes.
02:21This included tossing a frog into their bath, terrifying them, and showcasing the girls being sick.
02:26As such, psychologists believed this exploitative content could have traumatized his daughters.
02:31Kism's problematic videos were particularly highlighted.
02:34During the Elsagate saga in 2017, where several apparent child-friendly videos contained content not appropriate for kids.
02:41Something had to be done about this.
02:43Regardless, the channel had accumulated over 8.5 million subscribers.
02:48However, with the negative publicity, YouTube took action by terminating Toy Freaks,
02:52as Kism escaped any criminal charges.
02:55Shane Dawson.
02:56At his peak, Dawson was YouTube royalty.
02:59Rising to fame with comedy skits, his content has reached over 4.8 billion views across multiple channels.
03:05So whatever your dominant hand is, is your past and your present.
03:08So for me, that would be my right.
03:09However, Dawson would go too far as his popularity increased.
03:13In 2014, he had to release an apology video after his use of racial slurs and wearing blackface in past videos were brought up.
03:20I'm sorry.
03:21You know, genuinely, this isn't fake.
03:24In 2020, when the same scandal resurfaced, as well as many other controversial statements, Dawson released another apology video.
03:31However, shortly after, he was called out by Jaden Smith for past inappropriate comments about his then-minor sister, Willow.
03:38As a result, YouTube demonetized Dawson's channels and Target removed his books from their stores.
03:43And I promise that whatever I do next, we'll be putting good into the world.
03:48Onision.
03:48Currently sitting just under 2 million subscribers, James Jackson, aka Onision, was one of the earliest stars of the platform, as he created skits and bizarre and quirky songs.
03:59I'm a banana.
04:01I'm a banana.
04:02I'm a banana.
04:04Look at me, man.
04:06However, by 2012, the darker side of Jackson emerged, as he was banned from VidCon for horrific comments he made about his then-partner, and it only got worse from there.
04:16In 2019, after allegations that Jackson had groomed minors emerged, he doxed his accuser on Patreon, resulting in him being banned from the platform.
04:24And I didn't want to talk about this guy because he thrives off this kind of attention.
04:27The scandal brought Chris Hansen from To Catch a Predator fame to attempt to interview Jackson, who refused.
04:33It's ironic that Onision says, I've been stalking him, when in fact, he's the one accused of stalking his young female victims on YouTube and on various social media platforms.
04:44In 2023, if it were somehow possible, Jackson's reputation took another massive hit when he was sued multiple times for grooming and assaulting minors.
04:53Austin Jones.
04:54Many musicians have gotten their start on YouTube before they successfully entered the mainstream industry.
04:59One such person looked to be Jones.
05:01Along with performing his own songs, he covered other artists, including a cappella renditions, which successfully earned him over 40 million views.
05:09Is this more than you bargained for yet?
05:13However, in 2015, Jones released an apology video after allegations emerged that he'd asked underage fans to send him inappropriate videos.
05:21There are a lot of rumors and a lot of lies.
05:25They're just not true.
05:26It got far worse for him in 2017, when the police raided his house to find evidence of criminal content.
05:32In 2019, Jones pleaded guilty to a single count of receiving illegal material, earning him 10 years in jail, and having to register as a sex offender for life.
05:41Several of those victims delivered impact statements in the Chicago courtroom this afternoon.
05:46DaddyO5 While the channel was only around for a short time, DaddyO5 soon became the most infamous case of child exploitation, as it racked up over 710,000 subscribers.
05:56The big question here is why does YouTube let these particular channels happen?
06:02Operated by Michael and Heather Martin, the duo started with light practical joke videos, which got more extreme as they hunted for attention.
06:10The parents would encourage their children to attack or injure their siblings for content, often subjecting them to psychological abuse, too.
06:17The family told me in a written statement that they have healed in the past 18 months, and that they continue producing YouTube videos within the strict boundaries we've set for ourselves.
06:29As controversy of their content began escalating, MommyO5 was created, which was soon renamed to FamilyO5.
06:36In 2017, after the Martins were charged with child neglect, they were sentenced to 5 years of probation, as their channels were terminated.
06:43The Martins tried making comebacks with other channels, but those, too, were removed.
06:48We love our kids, they're the most important thing in the world to us.
06:53Adventures with Purpose
06:54With 3.4 million subscribers and over 437 million views, the channel, Adventures with Purpose, has been doing vital work.
07:03All right, check, check, check. Radio, check, radio, check.
07:06How you doing, Sam? Are you ready for this?
07:09After all, the group of scuba divers has been aiding in searches for missing people, often helping families with closure.
07:14However, in 2022, the group's reputation was severely tarnished over allegations about its founder, Jared Lysik.
07:22A man known for helping police solve cold cases finds himself on the other side of the law.
07:28He was accused of assaulting an underage relative in 1992.
07:31The news resulted in several members of the channel leaving, including videographer Joshua Cantu, who was later sued by AWP for copyright infringement in 2024.
07:40The future of my YouTube channel hinges on the court's decision of this claim.
07:45That same year, after being charged for the assault, Lysik accepted a plea deal that allowed his record to be sealed.
07:52Ian Reilat
07:52After co-founding 7 Awesome Kids, Reilat created an empire on YouTube, setting up several affiliated channels, earning him over 17 million subscribers and billions of views.
08:03The producer who runs this YouTube channel, 7 Supergirls, has struck internet gold.
08:08He would direct over 20 girls, none older than 18, to create daily videos across his network, as he paid them a monthly salary.
08:16However, in 2018, news came out that Reilat had been arrested for assaulting a prospective performer in a Florida hotel.
08:22Reilat, a citizen of the United Kingdom visiting here on a visa, denies the allegations.
08:27A year later, he made a deal with the prosecution that he would plead guilty to one count of child abuse, earning him a vastly reduced 90 days in jail, followed by five years of probation.
08:37As a result of Reilat's plea, YouTube terminated all seven of the channels connected with the 7 Awesome Kids brand.
08:43And he also must pay all court costs and restitution.
08:46Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
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09:02Ruby Frankie
09:03To showcase life with her husband and children, Frankie developed the YouTube vlogging channel, 8 Passengers, which amassed around 2 million subscribers and 1 billion views in his lifetime.
09:13You guys, we are in Florida.
09:18And the kids had no idea.
09:22However, after allegations of abuse emerged, the channel struggled as Frankie split with her husband.
09:28So, she teamed up with Jodi Hildebrand to launch the Connections channel.
09:32Connections is unique. It's an anomaly in the world.
09:35In 2023, neighbors of theirs in Ivan, Utah, were shocked when Frankie's emaciated and injured son escaped Frankie's house to get help.
09:44The police soon arrived, finding a mountain of evidence, resulting in the arrest of the pair for abuse and neglect.
09:50After pleading guilty in 2024, Frankie was sentenced to between 4 and 30 years in jail, which Hildebrand also received.
09:57Unless you've had this level of, like, narcissistic or psychopathic abuse, I can't explain it to you.
10:04Were you a fan of a YouTube channel which then had a massive fall from grace due to controversy?
10:09Let us know below.
10:10I'm committed to continuing my learning until all of my toxic layers are shed.
10:15I'm committed to continuing my learning until all of my toxic layers are shed.
10:16I'm committed to continuing my learning until all of my toxic layers are shed.
10:17I'm committed to continuing my learning until all of my toxic layers are shed.
10:18I'm committed to continuing my learning until all of my toxic layers are shed.
10:19I'm committed to continuing my learning until all of my toxic layers are shed.
10:20I'm committed to continuing my learning until all of my toxic layers are shed.
10:21I'm committed to continuing my learning until all of my toxic layers are shed.
10:22I'm committed to continuing my learning until all of my toxic layers are shed.
10:23I'm committed to continuing my learning until all of my toxic layers are shed.
10:24I'm committed to continuing my learning until all of my toxic layers are shed.
10:25I'm committed to continuing my learning until all of my toxic layers are shed.
10:26I'm committed to continuing my learning until all of my life.
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