David Dobrik unexpectedly returns to YouTube after harrowing allegations: 'Did [he] forget he was canceled?'

Editor’s Note: This article contains mentions of sexual violence. Please take care while reading, and note the helpful resources at the end of this story.

After issuing a second apology video addressing serious allegations made against him and his content creator collective known as the Vlog Squad, David Dobrik took a two-month hiatus from social media.

In that post, he said he would be taking a serious break. That “serious break” didn’t even last a quarter of a year — according to a June 15 post on his Instagram page, Dobrik is back and will be posting vlogs to his channel every Tuesday.

Both fans and critics were shocked by the announcement.

“I’ve never felt more conflicted in my life,” one Instagram user said.

“David Dobrik can crawl straight back into the hole he came out of,” a Twitter user said.

“Did David Dobrik forget that he was cancelled or,” another user tweeted.

The Viner-turned-YouTuber became famous in the 2010s for his 4-minute-20-second, action-packed vlog format, but had taken a break from those during the COVID-19 pandemic, much to the dismay of his fans. Before the June 15 Instagram and vlog, Dobrik hadn’t shared a single post on any medium since March 23, 2021. His last similar vlog was posted on April 24, 2020.

In a video titled “SURPRISING MY FRIENDS!!,” Dobrik shared a hectic travel montage that featured drinks, boats and ziplines in Hawaii. The video only vaguely mentioned the reason Dobrik stepped away in the first place, and the reference came from his collaborator’s mom, not him.

The video also featured Jeff Wittek, who alleged that Dobrik was directly involved with an excavator stunt that left Wittek horrifically injured in June 2020. He appeared to allude to the incident in the car with Dobrik, but Dobrik laughed it off.

While Dobrik was taking his social media break in April 2021, Wittek revealed the circumstances behind the accident in a series of videos. Dobrik has not publicly responded to the allegations.

The social media break began in the first place in March 2021 after Insider shared an investigation into allegations from a woman who said she was raped while filming a 2018 Vlog Squad video that Dobrik shared on his channel.

The woman claimed was given alcohol by members of the group that got her intoxicated to the point that she blacked out. She alleged that she was involved in group sex that she did not consent to involving Vlod Squad member Dominykas Zeglaitis, who is also known as Durte Dom.

Back in February 2021, former Vlog Squad member Seth Francois said he had been tricked into kissing Dobrik’s close friend and podcast co-host Jason Nash in a Vlog Squad video.

After issuing two apology videos, Dobrik stepped down from the app he co-founded and lost a number of subscribers and sponsors.

It appears that Vlog Squad member Zane Hijazi was injured during the trip that Dobrik and his team filmed for the latest vlog, but there haven’t been any public statements about it, not does it seem that the injuries were severe.

Will Dobrik ever address the controversies he and other Vlog Squad members have faced over the past six months? We’ll see next Tuesday.

If you are interested, read more about the allegations against David Dobrik and the Vlog Squad.

If you or someone you know needs support after experiencing sexual violence, contact the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) at 1-800-656-4673 or chat online with a trained counselor. You can also connect with a Crisis Text Line counselor at no charge by texting the word “HOME” to 741741.

These delicious keto recipes will get you through the summer:

More from In The Know:

Man spends his life savings on California ghost town

This pan is great for small spaces and “can do basically everything”

Five Kindle books In The Know editors can’t put down

Subscribe to our daily newsletter to stay In The Know

The post David Dobrik unexpectedly returns to YouTube 2 months after addressing Vlog Squad allegations appeared first on In The Know.