David Dobrik
Dávid Julián Dobrík (/ˈdoʊbrɪk/; Slovak: [ˈdaːvid ˈdɔbriːk]; born July 23, 1996) is a Slovakian-American Internet personality.[2] He found early success on the video-sharing platform Vine before starting his vlog on YouTube in 2015.[3][4] In 2019, he co-founded the photography app Dispo. Dobrik entered the United States as a child, and was later protected under the DACA program, before eventually being granted permanent residency.
David Dobrik
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
2013–present
Comedy
17.9 million (David Dobrik)
8.14 million (David Dobrik Too)
1.65 million (VIEWS)[1]
7.14 billion (David Dobrik)
946 million (David Dobrik Too)
44.9 million (VIEWS)[1]
Collab
Dobrik is known for being the leader of the YouTube ensemble The Vlog Squad, which features prominently in his vlogs and comprises rotating selections of his friend group. As of July 6, 2022, Dobrik's vlog channel had 19 million subscribers and 7.1 billion views. The channel was the fifth-most viewed creator channel on YouTube in 2019, with 2.4 billion views that year.[5][6] Controversies have arisen around Dobrik's involvement with the Vlog Squad, including allegations of sexual assault,[7] bullying,[8][9] and injuring former member Jeff Wittek.[10]
Beyond internet entertainment, Dobrik voice-acted in The Angry Birds Movie 2, was one of the judges on the Nickelodeon TV show America's Most Musical Family,[11][12] and hosted a SpongeBob SquarePants special[13] and the first season of Discovery Channel's reality competition TV show Dodgeball Thunderdome.[14]
Early life[edit]
Dobrik was born on July 23, 1996, in Košice, Slovakia to a Slovak father and a Hungarian mother. His family moved to Vernon Hills, Illinois, when he was six years old.[15] He attended Vernon Hills High School, where he played tennis.[16] He qualified for the 2014 Boys Tennis State Tournament, where he won third place in the doubles tournaments.[17] After graduating high school, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his Vine career.[18]
Career[edit]
2013–2016: Vine and YouTube beginnings[edit]
In 2013, Dobrik uploaded his first video onto Vine. He collaborated on Vines with other popular Viners such as Liza Koshy, Gabbie Hanna, Jason Nash, and Zane & Heath.[3] Before starting his own YouTube channel, Dobrik was part of the YouTube group, Second Class. Dobrik launched his self-titled YouTube channel in 2015.[19]
In August 2016, Dobrik created his second channel, David Dobrik Too, where he posts blooper reels, challenge videos, and his more direct sponsorship deals.[20]
Controversies[edit]
Vlog Squad sexual assault allegations[edit]
In February 2021, Seth Francois, a former Vlog Squad member, accused Dobrik of sexual assault after being deceived into kissing Jason Nash while blindfolded. Being the only black member of the Vlog Squad, Francois stated he also felt "pressured to participate in bits that [came] off culturally insensitive."[7] Former Vlog Squad member Nik Keswani accused Dobrik of bullying, stating it was the reason he left the group in 2018.[8][9][72]
On March 16, 2021, Kat Tenbarge at Business Insider reported that during the filming of a 2018 vlog about group sex, a woman was allegedly raped during filming by then-Vlog Squad member Dom Zeglaitis while drunk and unable to consent.[73] On the same day, Dobrik released a short video titled "Let's talk", in which he addressed some of the recent controversies related to him, specifically in regards to former members of the Vlog Squad. He did not specifically address the allegations against Zeglaitis from earlier that day.[74] After the allegations, Dobrik lost numerous sponsors and fans, and also stepped down from his position at Dispo.[75]
On March 26, 2021, it was reported that YouTube had temporarily demonetized Dobrik's and Zeglaitis's channels over the incident, citing violations of its creator responsibility policy.[76] After a three-month hiatus, Dobrik began posting again to his YouTube channel in July 2021, and by December 2021 his channel had rebounded to 20th largest channel in the world as measured by views per episode.[77]
Dobrik injuring Jeff Wittek lawsuit[edit]
In April 2021, Vlog Squad member Jeff Wittek released a documentary on his YouTube channel titled Don't Try This at Home, which explained the circumstances of an accident that happened in June 2020, when Wittek broke his skull and face, requiring major surgery. The incident occurred during a video shoot for Dobrik's comeback vlog when the Vlog Squad went wakeboarding in a shallow lake while being pulled by Dobrik using an excavator. Wittek's documentary included video showing fellow Vlog Squad member Corinna Kopf swinging from the line but starting to lose balance and nearly falling, prompting her to ask to be released, which Dobrik did not immediately do and causing her to accuse him of "taking things too far". When it was Wittek's turn, Dobrik swung him higher than anyone before him and then suddenly stopped. The momentum of Wittek continuing to swing around caused him to crash into the excavator and fall into the shallow lake while still attached to the line.[10][78][79]
Wittek has since filed a lawsuit in $10 million worth of damages to Dobrik, regarding "general negligence and intentional tort".[80][81]
Personal life[edit]
Dobrik has three younger siblings.[82] As a Slovak citizen who arrived in the United States as a child and remained illegally, Dobrik is protected from deportation under DACA.[83] However, in September 2021, Dobrik revealed in a vlog that he had obtained his green card and could now travel outside the United States.[84][85] He stated in a December 2018 interview that he speaks Slovak.[86] He understands Hungarian, as his mother is Hungarian.[87]
Dobrik dated fellow YouTube personality Liza Koshy from late 2015 to early 2018. They revealed their break-up in June 2018.[88] On May 15, 2019, Dobrik legally married Lorraine Nash, Jason Nash's mother, as a comedic bit for one of his vlogs. On June 12, 2019, Dobrik announced that he and Nash had decided to end their marriage after one month.[89] On November 22, 2019, Dobrik stated via Instagram that he had officially signed divorce papers and divorced Nash.[90]