Not humorous at all: In a viral video, David Dobrik makes assistant Natalie Mariduena bleed, dividing the internet. David Dobrik, a controversial YouTube character, has created a buzz after sharing a TikTok video on November 11, of him viciously slapping Natalie Mariduena, an assistant and other vlog squad member.
As the video went viral on social media, many people pointed out that David was once again causing harm to his Vlog Squad. Few claimed her injuries were unintentional and that David was aiming to hit the marker away from her. At the time of posting, the TikTok video had over 1.3 million views.
People are accusing David Dobrik of “hurting” his assistant Natalie Mariduena, which has landed him in hot water once more. More than 10 million people have watched the TikTok video that became popular for the wrong reasons.
David Dobrik Hits His Assistant for a Bet
Many viewers praised Natalie’s positive attitude in the video, despite their concerns about David’s intentions. After losing a bet, the 25-year-old punched Natalie in the face, causing her to bleed near her right eyebrow. Natalie Mariduena, David Dobrik’s former assistant and current Vlog Squad member, speaks out for the first time about the claims leveled against the organization.
The YouTuber’s former assistant turned business partner released a statement on Monday, March 22, claiming she does not condone “any sexual misconduct/abuse.” “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the new charges, and it’s taken me time to digest because of their gravity,” she wrote.
David Slams for Hurting Others
“Like many of you, I’m outraged and offended, and I don’t condone the behavior described in the article or any other form of sexual misbehavior or abuse”. “I want to make it obvious that I acknowledge, hear, and respect those who came out, and I stand by the victims”, Dobrik’s childhood buddy, who has over 4 million Instagram followers becoming an internet star in her own right, stated.
Mariduena’s revelation comes a week after Business Insider published an accusation from a woman who used the name Hannah to speak with the website. The woman said she had a sexual encounter with Vlog Squad member Dominykas Zeglaitis in 2018, which was shot by Dobrik for a now-deleted YouTube video.
Despite having a big fan base of over 18.3 million members, David Dobrik has become one of the most contentious figures on the internet. The internet is concerned about his connection with former Vlog Squad members Dom Zeglaitis and Jeff Wittek’s horrific accident. David Dobrik has become infamous for putting his Vlog Squad in danger on purpose, which has enraged his internet fans.
Zeglaitis, who is no longer a member of the Vlog Squad, refused to respond to the reports to Business Insider. E! News has reached out to him for a response, but he has yet to answer. Dobrik’s attorney Bryan Freedman said in a statement to E! News on March 16 concerning the Business Insider piece, “David will speak directly to his audience.
Anyone who follows him knows that he does not tolerate any type of wrongdoing. Before anything is uploaded on the Vlog, the participants provide their permission. Posts are removed after permission is revoked. Any allegations of impropriety are false and libelous”.
Jeff Wittek, Carly Incontro, and Erin Gilfoy are among the Vlog Squad members who have expressed their sympathy for Hannah. Though he has yet to respond to Hannah’s specific charges, Dobrik confessed in a March 16 video to making “mistakes” in his previous YouTube videos.
“Consent is something that’s really, super important to me, how I’m filming with a buddy or shooting with a stranger – I always make sure that whatever the video I’m putting out has the consent of that person,” Dobrik said in the video. I also recognize that a person’s mind can change and they may decide that they no longer want to be connected with me or appear in the film that I’m producing.
There have also been times when I’ve rewatched videos and realized that they no longer represent me.” Since then, Dobrik has resigned away from the board of Dispo, the firm he founded and for which Natalie acts as creative director, and a number of brands have indicated that they would no longer work with him.