Updated 10th March, 2021.
One week after Nik “Big Nik” Keswani compared David Dobrik’s Vlog Squad to a cult, former members Seth Francois and Trisha Paytas are speaking out against the “toxic” YouTube collective as well.
In an interview on the H3 After Dark podcast with Ethan and Hila Klein, Seth revealed that David allegedly forced him to kiss 47-year-old Jason Nash against his will, all in the name of content. Seth claims this incident was the final straw, pushing him to leave the Vlog Squad and permanently relocate to Atlanta.
Seth explained how to make-out prank transpired, saying, “It was a video where David set up with, uh, with Jason Nash and Corinna [Kopf] and said that I was supposed to do a make-out scene with Corinna and he was going to have her in an old man mask and then switched her out with Jason Nash. After Jason pulled off his mask, I realised that I was just touched by someone I did not consent to.”
The 26-year-old influencer called the experience “legitimately traumatising.”
“I decided to move to Atlanta because when I was in LA, after dealing with that video with Jason, millions of people are misconstruing about my own sexuality and how I feel about participating in something that he didn’t have my consent for,” he said.
This is not the first time that Seth has spoken out against David Dobrik and his time in the Vlog Squad. On June 2nd, 2020, the creator posted a video titled ‘”Accountability” to all Creators,’ in which he apologised for being involved in the Vlog Squad’s past problematic content— much of which hinged on Seth as the token Black friend. Other Vlog Squad clips Seth shared in the apology video include depictions of blackface and harmful Black stereotypes. He explained the importance of taking accountability and was hopeful that David Dobrik and the Vlog Squad would do the same.
Seth’s video came amidst the 2020 BLM movement when several white internet personalities were being “cancelled” for racist behaviour.
After the interview went live on the H3 After Dark podcast, Ethan’s Frenemies co-host Trisha Paytas took to YouTube to share her support for Seth. Trisha was previously involved in the Vlog Squad while dating Jason Nash.
“I was really triggered by what [Seth] said because I’ve been dealing with this for, now, two years from David fans and just other people who love to deem me as crazy,” she said. Trisha has been vocal about David’s mistreatment of Vlog Squad members for years.
Trisha went on to say that Seth’s interview validated her feelings about what she experienced being part of the Vlog Squad.
Shortly after her video, a clip resurfaced of Trisha confronting David and Jason about the make-out prank with Seth. In the clip, Trisha can be heard saying Jason threatens to break up with her any time she challenges their content, while David gaslights her saying, “You being mad about the Seth make-out thing is crazy.”
While the allegations had not been addressed by anyone in the Vlog Squad for a number of weeks, Scotty Sire has now spoken out against Seth Francois by way of sharing a text message thread, inclusive of a voice note.
The thread in question alleges that Seth asked to participate in the kissing prank, with voiceover of the video by Scotty explaining “This is a text from Seth from about two years ago. He goes, ‘Yo bro, I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m down for another kissing sketch.'” The voiceover continues to explain that Seth didn’t mind what the concept was “as long as you clout me up.”
Scotty then continues to speak to camera, posing the question of whether Seth “forgot about that or whether he hoped that David would never find it,” before saying that the four hours of video outside of the content that was used for the Vlog allegedly includes Seth consenting to the “bit”. Scotty goes on to accuse Seth of sharing revenge porn of Erin Gilfoy, before linking the issue of consent between the two circumstances — which was the main focus of Seth’s interview on the H3 After Dark podcast interview.
Trisha Paytas has also since weighed in (again), posting a video explaining that Scotty was not involved in the prank and has no right to invalidate Seth’s experiences with David and Jason, claiming “[Scotty] has no idea what it is like to go through a traumatic event…” Trisha added that “there are people [undertaking] serious investigations into the Vlog Squad.”
In a follow up video posted by Trisha, the creator slammed David for using Scotty “as a mouthpiece” and says that we can expect more people to come out against the Vlog Squad, one of which seems to be Ethan Klein, host of the H3 After Dark podcast, on which Seth made his original allegations against David Dobrik and the Vlog Squad.
Ethan has come forward in support of Seth, tweeting “it’s sad that [David] sent his most liked friend out to victim shame and then threaten Seth…Disposable isn’t just the name of his app, it’s also how he feels about his friends.”
After receiving a flood of backlash for defending David and victim-blaming, Scotty posted an apology to Twitter on March 8th. “First of all I would like to apologize to anyone who feels as though I disrespected or invalidated their story,” he starts. “That was never my intention and I mean that so sincerely.”
He went on to say that he “let emotion get the better of me” and that he chose his “approach and many of my words poorly.”
He claims he expected his video to receive criticism, but did not expect to “hurt so many people” and has decided to remove the video.
David Dobrik has still not addressed allegations at the time of publication.
Could this be the beginning of the end for the Vlog Squad?