David Dobrik is done staying silent and back to his regularly scheduled programming.
The shamed YouTuber made the big (re)debut to his 18.3 million subscribers on Tuesday, June 15.
He published his first legitimate vlog in over a year. Dobrik took time off from vlogging during the pandemic, and then multiple scandals and controversies involving him came to light.
There has been a plethora of former ‘Vlog Squad’ members who have been physically injured during Dobrik’s prank vlogs, tricked into kissing members of the same sex without consent, and accusations of sexual assault during the making of a vlog.
Dobrik has issued several apologies over the year, but fans and brands alike weren’t too keen on them.
But as promised, the ‘Vlog Squad’ leader is back and it’s almost like nothing ever happened.
Funny how that happens.
He kicked off his return with a video titled, “Surprising My Friends,” and in 24 hours the video amassed over three million views.
In true over-the-top Dobrik style, he surprised his friends with a trip to Hawaii. The vlog starts out with him surprising his long-time friend Jason Nash and his mom, Lorraine Nash.
Fun fact, Dobrik and Lorraine were married for a short time, but later divorced.
Lorraine screams in excitement and switches gears instantly saying, “I’ve been worried about you. I’m on Xanax because of you.”
Dobrik then surprised a handful of friends, including Jeff Wittek.
His appearance in the vlog is shocking to a lot of fans, because Jeff was one the many people who spoke out about Dobrik’s behavior.
He nearly died during a prank involving a cranefor Dobrik’s YouTube channel.
I guess a free trip to Hawaii makes up for the near-death experience, physical and mental trauma and eye damage, Jeff?
After the crew lands in Hawaii, they roll up to what appears to be a mansion and are greeted with leis and champagne.
A friend asks, “Are we vlogging?” to which he replies, “We are vlogging.”
Clearly there is more to come from this surprise trip to Hawaii.
Fans reacted with a mix of emotions. While a lot of people, like 3.2 million, tuned in, some were happy and some were very confused.
One fan wrote, “I’m glad you’re back. Let’s avoid controversy this time. If it’s sketchy, probably shouldn’t do it. Keep Jeff alive, check ID’s.”
Another person commented on his YouTube video with, “Y’all seriously forgiving him just like that? Y’all are sad individuals David a sick person so if anyone else get sa or hurt again that’s on you guys.”
While this fan poked fun at Dobrik’s controversies and broken brand deals writing, “I guess David looked at his bank account and went ‘huh, there used to be more… Time to start vlogging again!’”
Looks like the internet is split on how to feel, but David is officially back and moving forward.