Buzz
YouTube has always been a hub for both creativity and controversy. Over the years, some of the most outrageous events on the platform have sparked global outrage. From Logan Paul's infamous stunt in Japan to PewDiePie's clash with the Wall Street Journal, YouTube influencers have been at the center of numerous scandals. However, some of these incidents stand out as more bizarre and random, adding an unexpected twist to the usual internet chaos. From unexpected backlashes and shocking plot twists to surprising emotional outbursts and mysterious developments, these are 10 of the most peculiar YouTube scandals that took the world by storm:
10. Lonelygirl15
Back in June 2006, a seemingly ordinary 16-year-old girl named Bree Avery, known by her online alias Lonelygirl15, began uploading videos to YouTube. In these videos, she sat in front of her webcam, speaking directly to her audience in a casual and relatable manner. Nothing particularly unusual about it, especially for 2006, but Bree’s genuine charm quickly made her one of the first viral YouTube stars. Her down-to-earth personality resonated with viewers, and she rapidly gained a large following as she shared her life with the world. She became an internet sensation, particularly during the early days of online video culture.
Imagine the shock when, just months later, it was revealed that Lonelygirl15 was not a real person at all.
The tale of Lonelygirl15 is often referred to as the first major YouTube scandal. It was later revealed that Bree Avery, the star of the viral videos, was actually a fictional persona portrayed by 19-year-old actress Jessica Rose. Each video she uploaded was carefully scripted and directed by three filmmakers from California to resemble an authentic video diary. In an unexpected twist for the time, mainstream media, including the New York Times, took the story seriously, launching investigations to uncover the creators behind the facade. Despite the scandal, the web series continued and even sparked several spin-offs until its conclusion in 2008.
9. Kristian Harloff & The Collider Live Outburst
Kristian Harloff is a prominent YouTube personality known for his involvement in various online communities. He co-founded Schmoes Know, was a key part of the Collider Live daily show, and played a significant role in the widely popular Collider Movie Talk for many years. A passionate Star Wars fan, Kristian became a fixture in the community with his weekly show 'Jedi Council,' where he discussed the latest news surrounding the franchise with a range of co-hosts. However, Kristian also developed a reputation for having a short temper, especially when faced with criticism. His volatile nature was displayed in a major outburst during a live broadcast of one of his shows.
In 2019, Kristian Harloff found himself upset when he wasn’t invited to an exclusive visit to the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge theme park. To make matters worse, he learned that another Collider reporter would be attending instead of him. This sparked a dramatic on-air meltdown, during which Harloff declared that he would no longer cover anything related to Galaxy's Edge on his shows. In a heated rant on his Jedi Council program, he angrily stated, 'I’ve been busting my ass being a Star Wars fan for five years.'
His outburst did not sit well with the show’s producer, Thadd Williams, who quickly intervened by grabbing a microphone and reminding Harloff that the show was under Collider’s ownership. Thadd made it clear that he would address Collider’s coverage of Galaxy’s Edge whether Harloff liked it or not. Harloff, however, exploded in response, resulting in an intense verbal confrontation between the two that lasted several minutes, all while the other participants awkwardly remained silent.
8. Motoki vs Math Podcast
This controversy captured the attention of many, as it involved creators from two distinct cultures. Motoki is an Asian-American YouTuber, while Math Podcast hails from France. Both have achieved great success in their own right, but at first glance, they appeared to have no connection. That is, until 2016, when fans uncovered a surprising link between them that no one could have predicted.
As more time passed, it became increasingly clear that Math’s content was alarmingly similar to Motoki’s. In fact, it wasn’t just similar—it was identical. From the dialogue and timing to the visuals, Math had replicated Motoki’s videos word-for-word, frame-by-frame, sometimes even lifting shots directly from Motoki’s footage. Math had essentially plagiarized every video, translating them into French and reshooting them without crediting Motoki, while deceiving his French audience into thinking he was the original creator.
In February 2016, Motoki spoke out, revealing that Math had never sought his permission to remake his videos. Both American and French media quickly picked up the story, condemning Math’s actions. Math had built a successful career by stealing Motoki’s content, and Motoki’s decision to speak out led to major fallout. Math’s career collapsed almost immediately, and despite numerous apologies and attempts to rebrand his channel, he never recovered from the scandal and eventually disappeared from YouTube.
7. Olivia Jade
At first glance, Olivia Jade appears to be just another typical teenage social media influencer and YouTube star. She’s built up a following over time with harmless content, and everything seems relatively normal. However, there’s one key detail that sets her apart: Olivia is the daughter of Lori Loughlin, the disgraced 'Full House' actress, and fashion designer Mossimo Gianulli. Both parents were recently sentenced to prison for their involvement in a bribery scandal, with Lori serving 2 months and Mossimo 5 months, after pleading guilty to charges of fraud.
Olivia was reportedly involved in helping her parents fabricate an extracurricular file for her, after they paid over half a million dollars in bribes to secure her admission to the University of Southern California. This was done in order to get her a spot ahead of other (more deserving) applicants. Once the scandal broke and lawsuits piled up, Olivia faced the fallout, with major brands such as Amazon, Sephora, and TRESemmé severing their ties with her. She essentially disappeared from the internet, leading to a year-long hiatus followed by a 2020 apology press tour that was met with little sympathy.
6. Tanacon: The Biggest Ego Trip in Internet History
Tana Mongeau is a YouTube creator known for her eccentric personality and outlandish 'story time' videos, many of which have been proven to be fabricated. Like many controversial creators, her ego drives most of her actions. This became painfully obvious when she launched her own convention, Tanacon.
After Vidcon, the large-scale YouTube convention, refused to feature her as a guest in their 2018 edition, Tana decided to launch a competing free convention on the same day, right across the street. However, she severely underestimated the scale of the event and was woefully unprepared. What followed was a disaster: thousands of fans were left outside in scorching heat with no food or water, and some had to be hospitalized. The police had to step in, and the event was shut down before the first day was even over, marking it as one of the biggest failures in internet history.
It was later revealed that Tanacon was not only a disaster but also a scam. Tana and her team had promoted the event as being free for everyone, with VIP tickets being the only paid option. However, it soon became clear that this was a lie, as every attendee at the event had actually purchased VIP tickets. The website had shown that free tickets were sold out, raising suspicions. The fallout from this deception triggered a frenzy, leading to lawsuits, bankrupt companies, and a series of documentaries recounting the event, featuring hours of footage from attendees who witnessed the chaos firsthand.
5. The Brooke Houts Incident
Brooke Houts is a name that elicits anger from those familiar with her. A YouTube creator since 2014, she gained popularity after adopting a puppy named Sphinx, who became the star of her channel. She presented a playful and quirky lifestyle with Sphinx, earning the love of thousands of viewers. That was until August 2019, when Brooke uploaded a seemingly normal video, but in it, she inadvertently left in disturbing footage that she never intended for anyone to see.
The unedited footage exposed Brooke repeatedly punching Sphinx and shoving him while he tried to play with her during the video. When Sphinx interrupted her outro by accident, she aggressively grabbed him, pinned him to the ground, yelled at him to stop, and then spit on him. The clip ended with Brooke slapping Sphinx one last time, sending him walking away in fear as he audibly whimpered while she approached him.
The internet, the media, and Brooke’s former fans erupted in outrage, calling for her arrest on animal cruelty charges. The police opened an investigation, and Brooke eventually posted an apology video on YouTube, which was largely rejected. Her career imploded in under 24 hours, and despite multiple attempts to make a comeback, she has been met with constant rejection, causing her to vanish from the public eye once again.
4. JayStation: YouTube's Ghostbuster
JayStation is widely considered one of the worst personalities to have graced YouTube. He has faced harsh criticism from fellow creators for being manipulative, toxic, and unsettling. His channel was even blacklisted by YouTube, leading to its eventual deletion and forcing him to create a new one. Yet, despite his controversial actions, many still wonder how he was allowed to stay on the platform. The answer lies in one shocking act: in 2019, JayStation decided to stage his girlfriend's death in order to gain views.
In an appalling attempt to garner sympathy and views, JayStation tried to convince his mostly young audience that his girlfriend, Alexia Marano, had died in a tragic car crash, even pretending to mourn her loss. He went as far as creating a fake crash site to dramatize the story. His plan was to eventually 'communicate with her spirit', but he never followed through with it. The backlash was swift, with thousands of people calling him out for his deceit, forcing him to admit the truth.
Later, Alexia came forward to reveal she was a victim of domestic abuse, claiming Jay regularly bullied her and coerced her into performing shocking stunts for the sake of boosting his views and subscriber count on YouTube. These revelations led to Jay being arrested and charged with assault with a weapon. Although he has since returned to the platform, JayStation will forever be remembered as the man who faked his girlfriend's death to achieve fame.
3. The Mysterious Case of Marina Joyce
Marina Joyce remains one of the most perplexing and unresolved mysteries on YouTube, with countless unanswered questions surrounding her story. Initially known for her quirky, lighthearted fashion-focused content, occasionally featuring comedic sketches, Marina was never one of YouTube's elite creators, but she built a strong and loyal following. Her audience thrived in her personal, feel-good world of fun videos. But suddenly, everything changed, and Marina Joyce's name became a worldwide enigma.
In 2016, Marina's content began to shift in ways that left her fans increasingly concerned. Observers noticed a rapid weight loss and unsettling changes in her mannerisms and body language, which became eerily robotic—frantic blinking, awkward hand movements, and broken speech patterns. Her bubbly, friendly personality seemed to vanish, replaced by a strange formality and a creepy aura. Her viewers feared for her well-being, with some suspecting drug addiction, but the situation escalated when she uploaded a particularly disturbing video on July 2, 2016.
The unsettling video, titled ‘Date Outfit Ideas,’ was meant to showcase different outfits for a first date. What should have been a harmless topic turned into something deeply unsettling. Marina appeared confused, rambling and repeating herself as she twirled around to display her dresses. Her arms and back were visibly bruised, and there seemed to be someone behind the camera instructing her on what to do, often distracting her while she spoke. In a chilling moment, she whispered 'help me' during a brief musical interlude.
The video quickly went viral, sparking a global movement with the hashtag #SaveMarinaJoyce, becoming one of the most talked-about stories in the media. Wild theories spread, ranging from kidnapping to hostage scenarios, but no concrete answers emerged. Meanwhile, Marina continued to upload strange videos, seemingly unbothered by the millions of concerned comments and tweets. Many believed she was sending hidden messages for help, prompting thousands of viewers to analyze her every video, searching for clues.
After an eight-month break from YouTube, Marina returned with a video titled 'Saving Marina Joyce,' where she thanked her fans for their concern and revealed that she had indeed endured a traumatic experience that had severely affected her mental state, explaining her drastic transformation. She admitted that there had been 'danger in her life' at one point. She shared that she was on a path to recovery and feeling much better, which brought relief to viewers who noticed a more 'normal' Marina in the video. Although she never fully disclosed the cause of her distress, her explanation seemed to bring closure, and the world moved on—though the mystery still lingers.
Two years later, on July 31, 2019, Marina Joyce, now 22 years old, mysteriously disappeared. The details surrounding her disappearance were shrouded in confusion. The police became involved and even called on the public for help. After 10 days, Marina was found in London, confirmed to be 'safe and well.' However, the authorities offered no clear explanation for the situation, despite her boyfriend claiming Marina was never actually missing, a statement that didn’t seem to add up. Just like in 2016, the whole story faded away with minimal information disclosed to the public.
Since then, Marina has returned to YouTube, regularly posting videos with her boyfriend, and her story appears to have been forgotten by most. Her community seems to have moved on, often complimenting her on appearing better and happier. Yet, the true details of what happened to Marina Joyce remain unknown to this day.
2. The Myka Stauffer Family Scandal
Family lifestyle channels have grown in popularity on YouTube, often sparking debates about the ethics of parents who share every moment of their children's lives, private or not, with millions of viewers. However, no creator has raised more moral questions than Myka Stauffer, a mother of five with a popular YouTube channel. In 2020, she caused a massive uproar and ruined her career when the controversial details of an adoption scandal became public.
When Myka and her husband decided to adopt a child from China, their audience was thrilled, and their channel grew significantly as they documented each step of the adoption process. Eventually, they brought a young autistic boy into their home and continued to film his new life, with viewers becoming more and more engaged as Myka shared the challenges of parenting a child with special needs. However, the situation took a strange turn when viewers began to notice the child’s sudden absence from the channel.
Although Myka and her family appeared to carry on as usual in their videos, one glaring absence became increasingly noticeable: the adopted child. Viewers started to question Myka, and after weeks of speculation, she and her husband released a video where they confirmed that their adopted son had been re-homed after living with them for two years. They explained that they could no longer handle his autism, leading to this difficult decision.
This revelation sparked an uproar, with Myka being accused of adopting the boy solely for the sake of boosting her channel's views, only to abandon him when he no longer served a profitable purpose. Many critics argued that she had used the child as a prop, pointing out her numerous sponsorship deals that seemed to be connected to the adoption. Myka later addressed the backlash in a statement, acknowledging that she had underestimated her son’s condition and admitting that she was naive, arrogant, and woefully unprepared to care for a child with special needs.
As a result, Myka lost all her brand partnerships, as every company she was associated with severed ties. The police launched an investigation into the matter, and discussions about potential lawsuits against the couple surfaced. Myka’s YouTube channel has remained inactive since her public statement, and there has been no word from her since then.
1. Jenna Marbles: The Last Pioneer
Jenna Mourey, better known as Jenna Marbles, stands as one of YouTube's most iconic figures. With over 20 million subscribers, she holds the title of the most subscribed female YouTuber ever. Widely regarded as a pioneer and legend of YouTube culture, Jenna has been an inspiring figure for both kids and adults. However, in 2020, she became the clearest example of how the toxicity of cancel culture can sometimes backfire.
Despite Jenna's reputation as a truly lovable person with strong principles, some took offense to jokes she made nearly a decade ago, which many labeled as racist and offensive. However, surprisingly, this wasn’t the source of the greatest controversy. What truly sparked a massive conversation was when Jenna released an emotional video a few days later, where she acknowledged and apologized for the jokes, explaining that she never intended to harm anyone and that no excuse could justify her actions. To everyone’s shock, she then revealed that she was stepping away from YouTube for good, after 10 years of consistent weekly uploads.
Her sudden departure took everyone by surprise, and the internet was thrown into a frenzy. Even those who had been calling for her cancellation seemed unsettled by the abrupt exit, with some speculating she would return after a short break. However, Jenna's channel remains inactive, along with all of her social media accounts, over seven months later. No one had expected her to leave, and the sadness surrounding the exit of one of YouTube's pioneering figures even caught the attention of mainstream media, who followed the unfolding story for weeks.
