What Happened to David Dobrik? All About His Return to YouTube Nearly 4 Years After Vlog Squad Sexual Assault Scandal

Following a 2021 controversy that drove him away from the spotlight, influencer David Dobrik is coming back to YouTube.

The social media mogul first found internet fame on the now-discontinued video platform Vine in 2013, which he joined at 16 years old, per Rolling Stone. Soon after, Dobrik created a YouTube channel, where he built a brand off goofy pranks and viral stunts, from shocking fans when he married his best friend's mom to turning a Vlog Squad member's room into a beach.

Then came TikTok, where Dobrik continued to grow his following, amassing millions of fans who followed his comedic antics alongside his Vlog Squad.

Between his internet success and business endeavors, Dobrik became one of the top-10 highest-earning YouTubers in 2020, per Forbes, where he was said to have been earning $15.5 million. He became known for spreading his wealth by buying many of his Vlog Squad friends expensive cars, including a Tesla for Jason Nash and a Lamborghini for Heath Hussar.

Dobrik’s meteoric rise in the digital world was followed by a slew of controversies that significantly impacted his career. During this period, he appointed his childhood best friend and longtime employee, Natalie Mariduena, as president of his multimillion-dollar company, David Dobrik LLC.

He also stepped away from posting on his YouTube channel and podcast. However, in January 2025, Dobrik surprised the internet when he announced his comeback on Instagram by posting a shocking body transformation, showing off his significant weight loss.

"I couldn’t be more grateful for the people around me that pushed me this year to be a better version of myself," he wrote in the caption.

From the status of his YouTube career to his body transformation, here's everything to know about where David Dobrik is today.

What happened to David Dobrik?

In 2021, Dobrik's reputation began to unravel when several allegations of sexual assault and bullying surfaced around him and members of his Vlog Squad, specifically Dominykas Zeglaitis, a.k.a. Durte Dom.

The allegations began in March 2021, when Business Insider reported that a vlog extra had come forward about being too intoxicated to consent to sex with Zeglaitis on a filming night in 2018. She and her friends — all college students at the time — had been messaging Zeglaitis, who said that he wanted to "hook up" with them, according to direct message transcripts reviewed by the outlet. However, the girls were under the impression none of it would be in the video.

The extra later told Business Insider that Zeglaitis had raped her while she was incapacitated by alcohol that was supplied by the Vlog Squad, despite them being under the legal drinking age. Although the video portrayed it differently — Dobrik filmed her as she entered Zeglaitis' bedroom and later uploaded (then deleted) it as a "threesome" plot — the woman told the outlet that she never consented to sex.

That month, Dobrik posted the first of multiple apology videos on his podcast YouTube page titled "Let's talk," in which he addressed Zeglaitis and stated that they no longer film together.

"I chose to distance myself because I don't align with some of the actions," he said. "I don't stand for any kind of misconduct. I've been really disappointed by some of my friends, and for that reason, I've separated from a lot of them."

As the consent allegations were swirling, former Vlog Squad member Jeff Wittek uploaded a since-deleted YouTube video in April 2021 in which he explained an accident that occurred in June 2020. The Vlog Squad went wakeboarding on a shallow lake, pulled by an excavator operated by Dobrik.

When Wittek took his turn, Dobrik swung him higher before abruptly stopping, causing him to collide with the machine and crash into the water with his foot still tangled in the line. As a result, he broke parts of his face and skull and was required to have surgery, which led to additional backlash online about Dobrik taking his stunts too far.

It didn't stop there — in February 2022, Wittek released another video on his Jeff FM podcast titled "DEAR DAVID..." in which he said that he had "protecting this guy for so long."

“He is a scumbag friend, a fake friend, now that the documentary is over doesn’t give a f---, doesn’t text me, doesn’t check in,” he said. “The other reason, him saying now, flipping the script, saying, ‘Oh, it was f------ Jeff’s idea. He’s crazy.’ Complete b—.”

After months of conflicting accounts of the incident, Wittek filed a $10 million lawsuit against Dobrik in June 2022, alleging "general negligence and intentional tort," according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

Dobrik later responded to the lawsuit, claiming Wittek knowingly assumed the risks involved by participating in the stunt, per TMZ. In June 2024, Wittek shared an update on the Just Trish podcast that the lawsuit was pushed, but he wanted to go to trial.

What other controversies has David Dobrik been involved in?

A year before the scandals involving his fellow collaborators Zeglaitis and Wittek, Dobrik faced criticism for racist remarks after former Vlog Squad member Seth Francois released a YouTube video in June 2020 titled "'Accountability' to all Content Creators."

In the video, Francois shared clips of some offensive moments he experienced while part of the squad, including Dobrik and his friends joking about taking him to a police station, doing Blackface, offering him watermelon and labeling him "their only Black friend."

A few weeks later, Dobrik released a podcast episode in which he apologized for times in which he "missed the mark" and made anyone feel uncomfortable. However, he received backlash for not having directly addressed Francois and for seeming superficial, per Vulture.

Around the time the allegations against Zeglaitis surfaced, Francois also spoke out about his own sexual misconduct experience with the Vlog Squad. Specifically, he shared that Dobrik once told Francois he would be kissed by model and Vlog Squad member Corinna Kopf but was instead kissed by then-45-year-old Nash. Dobrik's "Let's talk" video included a direct apology to Francois, saying, "I missed the mark with that one and I'm really sorry — I truly, truly am."

Additionally, former Vlog Squad member Nick Keswani appeared on the H3 podcast in February 2021 and opened up about how his time with the crew negatively impacted his mental health. Specifically, Keswani lives with a rare form of dwarfism that has caused him to be blind in one eye and alleged that he was often mocked for his height and disabilities.

"For a long time, I felt worthless being in those videos," Keswani said. "I was like, 'Dude, why am I even like here? What's the point of my existence?' Because I was just treated like this punching bag."

In March, Trisha Paytas told Vulture that Dobrik was a driving force behind her breakup with Nash, and said that she had "more PTSD from David and Jason than I do hooking on Santa Monica Boulevard."

What was the aftermath of David Dobrik's controversies?

In the months that followed the initial allegations against Dobrik, his channel began to lose millions of viewers and his businesses began to experience significant fallout, including losing partners and sponsorships.

Additionally, he began stepping away from leadership roles in his own companies. In March 2021, he announced in a statement to The Information that he would no longer sit on the board of Dispo, a photo-sharing app he founded in 2019, as “to not distract from the company’s growth."

According to Vulture, Dobrik also began losing his deals with companies such as Bumble, Chipotle and SeatGeek, the latter having funded several of his car giveaways over the years.

In the days that followed, YouTube temporarily suspended Dobrik and Zeglaitis from monetization following the rape allegation, as the company told Business Insider in a statement that the pair had violated their "Creator Responsibility policy.”

Dobrik took a brief hiatus from his channel in March 2021 in light of the sexual assault scandal facing his Vlog Squad, but returned with weekly videos that June. However, in the middle of 2022, he stopped vlogging altogether.

Is David Dobrik still friends with the Vlog Squad?

Over the years, many of the Vlog Squad members came and went, some ceasing communication with Dobrik and others remaining right by his side.

Following the stunt injury, Wittek appeared on a Patreon livestream in February 2022 and claimed that Dobrik had not checked in on him following his most recent corrective eye surgery.

"Nope, not a text or nothing," he said. "Not surprised, you know? It is what it is. But I'm done being fake friends with that motherf—."

During the "DEAR DAVID..." podcast episode that month, Wittek revealed he no longer speaks to Dobrik, saying, "It feels good to cut bad people out of your life and it took a while to see it."

Meanwhile, some of his crew remain closer than ever. Mariduena, his former assistant, has been president of David Dobrik LLC since October 2022. She shared her excitement on Instagram following the announcement, writing, "I’m ready and excited to take on this next chapter with my favorite business partner and forever friend."

She added, "The past five years together have been some of my favorite and the rest will be no different!"

Dobrik also maintains a tight-knit bond with Ilya Fedorovich, who he said played a big part in the fitness transformation he unveiled in January 2025.

"I owe everything to all my friends and especially Ilya who has literally changed my life," Dobrik wrote on Instagram.

As for some of the other Vlog Squad members — Nash, Toddy Smith, Heath Hussar, Nick Antonyan (a.k.a. Jonah), Zane Hijazi, Scotty Sire, Kopf, Mariah Amato and Jac Anderson — they've all been pictured on Dobrik's social media throughout the last two years, including celebrating his 27th birthday in July 2023 and attending Coachella together in April 2024.

Where is David Dobrik now?

Although Dobrik seemingly stepped away from his vlogging and podcast success, he continued to remain active on platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok, and made lucrative business moves. In November 2022, he launched Los Angeles restaurant Doughbrik's Pizza.

In honor of the establishment's anniversary in November 2023, he wrote on Instagram that he "couldn’t be more proud of our restaurant and happy that you all enjoy eating and hanging there as much as i do."

Dobrik surprised the internet in January 2025 when he not only posted a body transformation photo, but also announced his return to vlogging after a nearly 3-year hiatus.

"new year, new me, new vlog," he wrote.

His first video back was titled "SURPRISING FRIENDS WITH BODY TRANSFORMATION!!" and showcased his body before and after his year-long fitness journey. It also featured a trip around the world with his fellow Vlog Squad members and the surprise of gifting new Teslas to his Doughbrik's employees as a thank you for keeping the business afloat during his travels.

Nash joined the announcements and wrote on Instagram that he was "so happy and excited" to announce the return of his and Dobrik's podcast, Views.

"Thank you to everyone for your patience and all the well wishes," he wrote. "We are back!"

In the podcast episode, titled "David Returns to Vlogging," Dobrik apologized for his hiatus before the two joked that it ended over a lost microphone and "cord issues."

He joked that he "wasn't in a place to conversate with Jason" but, more seriously, said that he felt "really energized now."

"You're different now," Nash added.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

Read the original article on People