Numerous companies have severed ties with YouTube influencer David Dobrik after a member of his content creator group known as the Vlog Squad was accused of sexual assault.
Business Insider reported last week that Dobrik filmed a woman entering a room with Vlog Squad member Dom Zeglitis in 2018. The woman claimed she was incapacitated by alcohol, was forced to participate in a threesome without her concent and was raped by Zeglaitis. Another woman present corroborated the story to the outlet.
Since then, a litany of companies, including DoorDash, HelloFresh, EA Sports, and Dollar Shave Club, have cut ties with Dobrik and the Vlog Squad. Ticketing company SeatGeek told Insider it was “reviewing” the relationship with Dobrik and his channel.
Dobrik announced on Sunday that he would be stepping down from the board of Dispo, the photo-sharing app he helped create, in order “to not distract from the company’s growth.” according to a statement provided to The Information.
The venture capital firm Spark Capital, which led Dispo’s $20 million financing in February, tweeted late Sunday that it was moving to “sever all ties” with Dispo.
“We have stepped down from our position on the board, and we are in the process of making arrangements to ensure we do not profit from our recent investment in Dispo,” Spark Capital said in the tweet.
Dobrik’s film clip of the seemingly harrowing moment involving the accuser was uploaded to his YouTube channel, where he has more than 18 million subscribers. It was removed after the woman asked Zeglaitis to take it down.
After the Insider report, Dobrik released a video responding to the allegation on the smaller of his two YouTube accounts.
“Consent is something that’s super, super important to me,” he told fans. He added that he seeks approval from everyone who appears in his videos and will take down videos if the people in them object.
“There’s also been moments where I’ve looked back on videos, and I realize that these don’t represent me anymore, and they’re hurtful to other people, and I don’t want them up because I’ve grown as a content creator and as a person and I don’t agree with some of the videos I’ve posted,” he said. He apologized to fans “if I’ve let you down.”
Dobrik didn’t immediately answer HuffPost’s request for further comment.