A former member of David Dobrik’s Vlog Squad says he was sexually assaulted during a video shoot
In one of David Dobrik’s videos from Summer 2017, Dobrik, a massive internet movie star with 18 million enthusiasts, informs Seth Francois that he is likely to be kissed by fellow influencer and type Corinna Kopf. But while the videos’s headings «the man THOUGHT HE WAS KISSING HER!! (SUPER CRINGEY)» suggestions, the person into the disguise was actually Jason Nash a a 45-year-old comedian and Dobrik’s right-hand person. The movie was viewed virtually 10 million moments, and a-year eventually, Dobrik removed the identical prank on Francoise involving Nash.
On March 12, Francois, who was simply formerly in Dobrik’s Vlog group inventor crew, known as into H3 podcast, that’s organised by Ethan and Hila Klein, to speak with regards to the training video. They described what went down the first time as sexual assault, and asserted that he was traumatized from enjoy.
An interview rocked the web and led quite a few of Dobrik’s people decide the nuisance in the latest lamp. Actually port url’s Jerky, a meat jerky brand name whoever remedies were spotted into the clip, responded to reveal that were there certainly not backed the vlog, and «do certainly not stand or condone any non-consensual actions such as for instance how it happened through this video.»
In a job interview with Insider, Francois talked about his commitment to share out.
Associates for Nash and Dobrik couldn’t reply to desires for review and also but to distribute any open public account on Francois’ claims.
Seth Francois spoke out after another previous Vlog Squad manhood outlined team as ‘toxic’
Francois advised Insider in interviews on January 15 which he am of two minds before you choose on the way on together with his encounter.
On one side, he states he was hence traumatized that he was not confident he planned to deliver way more awareness of it. The man explained the guy decided his own masculinity is stripped-down from him or her, and that he’s needed to rebuild and redefine on his own again since.
«I’m really education my thoughts to just getting sufficiently strong to simply want fully overcome they,» he explained. «it had not been my favorite error. I didn’t subscribe to it. I did not require that to happen for me. And it achieved. But that is whatever i recently personally have to cope with.»
But Francois in addition sensed required to tell his facts.
The guy lead the Vlog group in 2019, nonetheless it wasn’t through to the summertime of 2020 the man started to reflect on why.
Francois communicated to Insider in May about a video clip this individual published in June where this individual stated they desired to take liability for his own interest in Dobrik’s vlogs, including a number of racist jokes and skits.
Francois claimed he’d applied a time period of representation from the loss of George Floyd plus the dark Lives topic motion, and began to see he’d been actively playing a «token» Black person in many Dobrik’s video clips. This individual said to be capable appear themselves in mirror each morning, and clear themselves regarding the shame for bringing about the pain sensation brought about towards his own people, he previously to say one thing.
Through the years, Francois might on a quest to set it all behind him or her, but this individual nevertheless cannot forget about something different about precisely how he had been managed while in Dobrik’s team.
After another original Vlog team user, Nik «BigNik» Keswani, outlined his or her amount of time in the Vlog team as «harmful» and «like a religion,» Francois thought to come forward openly proclaiming that he hadn’t granted his or her consent for Nash to kiss him or her.
Francois assured Insider this individual begun to your «prank» as anything a lot more insidious about two years in the past, and deducted that it was «scary and odd.»
«I started observing exactly how David and Jason were talking with me and keeping his or her length,» the man stated. «As I established planning on the game as more illegal than a prank, they begin supporting me know that they can be hiding from myself because they are unable to get the globe realize that the big key in the Vlog group may be the sexual use.»