Shane Dawson
The creator, who has more than 30 million subscribers across his three popular channels, released an apology video for several offensive remarks including wearing blackface, using the N-Word and perpetuating stereotypes of minorities.
“Blackface was something that I did a lot. … And there’s no excuse for it. There’s literally no excuse. I made a video six years ago talking about it, and I gave excuses, and it was wrong. But I didn’t do the work. I didn’t actually look into the history of it and why it’s so wrong and why people were so upset,” he said in a video titled “Taking Accountability,” shared on June 26. “I’m so sorry that I was just so thoughtless about the things I was posting for so many years. I don’t know. I just wasn’t thinking. I thought, ‘Oh, I’m in a weird category where I can say whatever I want.’ And I did. And now it’s the biggest regret in my life,” he concluded. “I don’t have hate in my heart for anyone, but it doesn’t make up for the fact that I made jokes about everyone.”
Dawson also acknowledged his past inappropriate jokes about pedophilia in the 20-minute video. In one resurfaced clip, Dawson pretended to get caught masturbating to an image of Willow Smith, who was 11 years old at the time.
“I would never talk about a child in any way that was inappropriate. That is disgusting,” he said in the apology video. “That is gross. It is not something I would ever do. It’s something I did for shock value or because I thought it was funny.”
Willow’s mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, and brother, Jaden Smith, later called him out via Twitter.
“To Shane Dawson … I’m done with the excuses,” Jada wrote.
Jaden added, “SHANE DAWSON I AM DISGUSTED BY YOU. YOU SEXUALIZING AN 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHO HAPPENS TO BE MY SISTER!!!!!! IS THE FURTHEST THING FROM FUNNY AND NOT OKAY IN THE SLIGHTEST BIT.”
YouTube has subsequently suspended monetization across Dawson’s channels.
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