YouTuber Liza Koshy Apologizes for "Perpetuating Racist Ideas" as Videos With David Dobrik Resurface

YouTuber Liza Koshy responds to accusations of racism after offensive videos involving ex David Dobrik resurfaced on TikTok last week

By Cydney Contreras Jun 29, 2020 10:32 PMTags
Watch: Liza Koshy Apologizes for Past Racist Videos With David Dobrik

Liza Koshy say she is taking "responsibility" for her actions after a 2016 video with ex-boyfriend David Dobrik resurfaced last week.

In a since-deleted video that was posted to Koshy's channel, the then-couple taste candy from Hawaii and Japan, during which Dobrik pretended to speak Japanese. Dobrik said of the bit, "It's not racist, that's like the sounds I hear when they talk," to which Koshy responded, "No, it's not racist as long as I keep saying 'no'."

Koshy and Dobrik also pretended to speak Japanese in a second video titled "Couple Trying Foreign Candy," which was made private on Dobrik's YouTube channel on Monday afternoon.  In the comments section of this post, one user commented, "Your impressions in this are quite clearly racist. It's really sad that you thought it was acceptable to upload this, and that your fans didn't call you out for this at the time. Do better."

These videos were once again brought to the attention of Vlog Squad—a group that consists of Dobrik and his close friends—viewers after a TikTok user called them out for their actions. As of Monday, the video has over 1.4 million views and 73,000 likes. 

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In response, Koshy, who has millions of followers on her social media platforms, released a statement to her Instagram and YouTube on Sunday apologizing for her past actions. 

@callmesukiwi

Why is no one talking about this? It’s a clear example of the normalized racism against Asians @daviddobrik @lizzza ##fyp ##asian

? original sound - callmesukiwi

She wrote, "While we focus on systemic anti-Black racism in our country, I've been hesitant to center my voice. My work has been within but I now recognize and take responsibility for the times I was not the ally I am becoming today. Being anti-racist requires a personal reckoning, and I can't in good faith continue to use my platform for progress without taking accountability myself." 

The star added that she acknowledges the "impact" she has on others because of her celebrity status. "What I once thought of as 'innocent jokes' were actually tainted with implicit bias, and what might have been intended as 'playful' was actually to some, incredibly painful," the 24-year-old continued. "And for that, I am sorry."

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Koshy continued, "As a woman of color and a self-defined 'little brown girl' I have experienced that harm of prejudices in my own life. However, this reality does not exempt me from the responsibility of acknowledging the times I've unknowingly perpetuated racist ideas. I see now that some of my previous influences and my own past thinking, speaking and storytelling reinforced stereotypes."

The Vogue contributor concluded her apology by stating that from this point on she will be an "ally in action."

Watch: "The Rundown": David Dobrik Tries to Answer 7,300 Questions

E! News has reached out to Dobrik, but has not heard back. 

The exes went their separate ways in June 2018 and shared the news with their fans by sharing a tearful video explaining why.

Since then, the former Vine personalities have gone on to establish successful careers beyond YouTube. Koshy has landed gigs as a host for popular brands like Vogue, while Dobrik is a judge on the show America's Most Musical Family

This recent controversy involving Dobrik and Koshy is seemingly a part of the ongoing reckoning taking place among YouTubers. Stars like Shane Dawson and Jenna Marbles have spoken about about their prior offensive actions, with the latter star choosing to take an indefinite break from YouTube.