YouTube Is Full of Scandals: Uncover the Internet’s Biggest Controversies From the Platform

Alan and Alex Stokes Charged With Faking Bank Robberies

Twin YouTubers Alan and Alex Stokes staged two fake bank robberies as pranks in October 2019. A since-deleted clip titled “BANK ROBBER PRANK! (gone wrong)” showed the siblings in black outfits and ski masks with duffel bags filled with cash. They hailed an Uber after pretending they had just robbed a bank, though the driver was unaware of the joke. When a bystander witnessed what was going on, they contacted law enforcement.

Apparently, the brothers pulled the prank twice in one day. The first time, they were let go with a warning and once they tried it again at the UC Irvine campus, they were issued a summons and then charged with one felony count of false imprisonment effected by violence, menace, fraud or deceit and one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting an emergency.

“These were not pranks,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “These are crimes that could have resulted in someone getting seriously injured or even killed.”

According to the District Attorney’s Office, the siblings face a maximum sentence of four years in state prison if convicted. They have entered a plea of not guilty, and the case is still pending.

In September 2020, the brothers’ legal team released a statement: “Our clients have no criminal record. They have never been arrested in their lives. They have had a highly successful YouTube channel for the past three years. None of the prior creative videos they have posted on their YouTube channel (which total in excess of 124 videos) have ever been challenged or taken down for inappropriate content. The twins have 4.9 million YouTube subscribers. We strongly believe when the evidence is presented in this case it will show that our clients are not guilty of any crimes.”

The statement continued, “Alex and Alan Stokes were never arrested or even cited for these charges. They have not been required to post bail in this case and remain free from custody. There are no restrictions that have been placed upon their ability to continue to produce creative and high-quality content on their YouTube channel.”

‘Bye Sister’

Though the “Bye Sister” video has since been deleted from YouTube, it still left its mark on the platform. It all started when James Charles posted a sponsored Instagram Story promoting Sugar Bear Hair vitamins in April 2019. The wellness brand was a direct competitor of BFF Tati Westbrook‘s own vitamin brand — so naturally, it sparked some bad blood between the beauty gurus.

After posting her own Instagram Story about feeling “betrayed” and “hurt” over the post, Tati debuted the “Bye Sister” video. In the lengthy clip, she slammed James and his decision to work with Sugar Bear Hair, calling him “unsupportive.” She also claimed he would sexually harass straight men in an effort to get them to question their sexuality. James responded with his own video called “No More Lies,” and denied Tati’s claims.

“Tati made a video telling stories about me, publicly humiliating me, and now I have serious allegations against me detrimental to my career,” he said. “This whole thing has been really difficult for me because throughout the past three weeks, literally all I’ve wanted was communication from these people. I tried really, really hard to get that and I didn’t … So I declined the meetings because I feel like this was started publicly, addressed publicly, so I felt like it was only fair for me to address publicly as well before meeting behind the scenes.”

Nearly a year after the initial feud, Tati apologized and revealed that, in December 2019, she and James met up and set aside their differences.

Jenna Marbles Quits YouTube

The longtime vlogger revealed she was “moving on” from her channel for the foreseeable future in June 2020. The decision came as a result of fans asking her to atone for past racist skits in her videos, including one where she seemed to wear blackface.

‘Dear Fat People’

In 2015, comedian Nicole Arbour made a now-notorious video titled “Dear Fat People,” where she made demeaning and downright rude comments about overweight individuals. She even told an anecdote about pushing someone’s fat back into their seat during a flight because it invaded her space. “Fat shaming. Who came up with that? That’s f—king brilliant. Yes. Shame people who have bad habits until they f—king stop,” she said in the clip.

After reportedly losing out on job opportunities amid the intense backlash to the video, she told Time she felt her video was satirical and that it is “really important that we make fun of everybody.”

“I think [what] brings us together and unites us as people is that we can poke fun at all of us,” she told the outlet.

Trisha Paytas Accuses Ex-Boyfriend Jason Nash of Fat-Shaming

Though the couple had several splits during their dating tenure, their June 2018 breakup led Trisha Paytas to call out ex Jason Nash. She claimed their breakup stemmed after he called her fat. In a response video, Jason accused his ex of “twisting” the story. Eventually they got back together and officially called it quits in February 2019.

Olivia Jade Quits YouTube … Then Returns

Olivia Jade, had a massive YouTube following before her parents — Full House legend Lori Loughlin‘s daughter fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli — were indicted on federal charges, along with several other parents and celebrities, for their alleged participation in the nationwide college admissions scandal in October 2019.

The influencer left the platform as a result of the negative press — and even lost a partnership she had in the works with Sephora. Olivia returned to YouTube with two videos in December 2019 admits her parents’ legal issues. they pleaded guilty to fraud, among other charges, in May 2020. Loughlin was sentenced to a two-month prison sentence, which she served from October 2020 until December 2020. Giannulli was sentenced to five months, he reported to prison in November 2020 and is set to be released in April 2021.

In January 2021, Olivia announced a second comeback to her channel.

Tana Mongeau and Jake Paul Get Married

After supposedly dating for “clout” from April to June 2019, Tana and Jake tied the knot at the Graffiti Mansion in Las Vegas on July of that same year in front of scores of other vloggers. Just before they had their first kiss, an unknown jokester poured champagne all over the bride and groom — which was the catalyst of a massive brawl between Jake, the instigator and the officiant of the ceremony. Things didn’t last between them, in fact, the couple announced their split in January 2020.

In December 2020, she revealed that they weren’t legally married.

Shane Dawson Takes ‘Accountability’

In June 2020, Shane Dawson addressed the history of racist comments and blackface seeded throughout his decade-long YouTube career in a video called “Taking Accountability.”

“This video is coming from a place of just wanting to own up to my s—t, wanting to own up to everything I’ve done on the internet that has hurt people, that has added to the problem, that has not been handled well. I should have been punished for things,” he said. The conspiracy theorist also noted finally being able to own up to his actions is “worth losing everything” to him.

The FBI Raids Jake Paul’s House

News broke that Jake‘s California home was being searched by the FBI in August 2020. A video showed law enforcement agents carrying guns off the property and securing them inside a police vehicle outside the home.

“The FBI is executing a federal search warrant at a residence in Calabasas in connection with an ongoing investigation. The affidavit in support of the search warrant has been sealed by a judge and I am, therefore, prohibited from commenting as to the nature of the investigation. No arrests are planned,” an FBI representative said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times at the time.

Following the incident, Jake uploaded a since-deleted YouTube video and slammed “absurd” speculation about the nature of the raid. He clarified that it was related to a video from June 2020 in which Jake was alleged of looting an Arizona mall. “It’s an investigation,” the internet star said about the raid. “There are rumors about it having to do with so many other things that have nothing to do with me or my character and the s–t that people are making up is absolutely absurd.”