YouTube star David Dobrik has apologised for his involvement in a controversy concerning sexual assault allegations against one of his former collaborators known as Durte Dom.
After many thought his initial statement last week was insufficiently thorough and insincere, Dobrik posted a second video Monday night (March 22) addressing misconduct allegations leveled against Durte Dom, a former member of Dobrik’s Vlog Squad production ensemble whose real name is Dominykas Zeglaitis.
Earlier this month, a woman accused Zeglaitis via Insider of raping her during the filming of a video for Dobrik’s YouTube channel in 2018. The video, which has since been deleted, was shot by Dobrik and saw the woman and Zeglaitis enter the latter’s bedroom together.
Under the pseudonym Hannah, the woman told Insider she was too incapacitated to consent to sexual activity with Zeglaitis. (the LA Times has not independently corroborated Hannah’s allegation.)
“I’ve put myself in a lot of situations where I’ve needed to apologise for my past actions, and I’ve never done this correctly, and I’ve never done this respectfully, and my last video is a testament to that,” Dobrik began his latest remarks.
“I’m going to be using words that may trigger some survivors, and that’s just so I don’t explain anything vaguely ... I fully believe the woman who came out against Dom and said she was sexually assaulted and raped by him.”
Representatives for Zeglaitis have not responded to The Times’ request for comment, and Zeglaitis has been inactive on YouTube and social media since the Insider investigation surfaced.
According to Insider, Zeglaitis recruited Hannah and friends to appear in a Vlog Squad production starring Zeglaitis as a sex addict. Dobrik shot the video at Zeglaitis’ apartment, where the Vlog Squad offered everyone alcohol. At the time, Zeglaitis was 23 and Hannah was 20.
After amassing 5 million views on YouTube, the video was later removed by Dobrik at Hannah’s request.
“Even though I got consent to post that video, I should have never posted it, and what I understand now ... is that she (gave me permission to post the video) because she felt like she had to, not because she wanted to, ” Dobrik continued.
“That’s f— up, and I’m sorry ... I want to apologise to her and her friends for ever putting them in an environment, that I enabled, that made them feel like their safety and values were compromised.”
Dobrik also said “other girls” had raised concerns about Zeglaitis both privately and publicly, and he noted the unequal “power dynamic” among Dobrik, his collaborators and others featured in his videos.
His follow-up message came shortly after several brands – including DoorDash, Dollar Shave Club and EA Sports –cut ties with him. Additionally, the content creator recently stepped down as a board member of his photography app, Dispo, after one of its top investors pulled its support.
“I’m sorry that I took Dom’s word for what happened in those ... situations, and I didn’t believe you,” Dobrik said Monday. “I platformed Dom. And ... I platformed the subject of sexual assault in a negative way, where I made jokes about it and I reinforced that kind of behavior, and I’m so sorry.” – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
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