YouTube star Tobuscus accused of sexual assault, calls allegations 'false'
LOS ANGELES -- Toby "Tobuscus" Turner, prominent YouTube star and a pioneer of the medium, has been accused of sexual assault and other abuses by his former girlfriend April Fletcher, allegations he strongly denied in a video post Monday.
"I want to be crystal clear: I've never done anything without her consent," he said in the video (above). "I've never tried to trick her into anything."
The digital influencer, who has amassed about 15 million subscribers across his three channels, is known for his sketches, songs and gaming videos. He was one of the original YouTubers to rise to fame within the platform and remains one of its top performers. He currently has a three-book deal and YouTube Red series in the works.
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The video comes one day after Fletcher, known on the Internet as AprilEfff, posted a long post on her Tumblr saying she has been "mentally and physically abused" by Turner over the last five years.
In the detailed, graphic account, Fletcher recalled moments where Turner -- who she said was often high on drugs -- would get "very violent" with her.
While the abuse lasted through 2014, Fletcher said she came forward last week after seeing a Tobuscus toy in a Toys R Us.
"I wanted to run up to the cashier and tell her that they are selling a drug addict rapist to children," she wrote. "Because people don’t know. Parents don’t know how terrible and toxic he is. How he hurts and destroys the best part of you. All they know is his funny voices and his characters. The back of the package called him a hero. I’m sorry but a hero doesn’t disrespect, abuse, rape, and drug women. He is not a hero. He is not a role model. He is a sick sick man."
Turner said he was "shocked" and "hurt" by the Tumblr post, denying the claims made in it.
Fletcher and Turner did not immediately respond to Mashable's request for comment.
Turner's mom, Jackie, took to Facebook to back him up. In an open letter (which is now unsearchable on Facebook) to Fletcher, Turner said she thinks the story was made up over jealousy of Turner dating YouTuber Olga Kay.
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Kay, who is no longer dating Turner, also weighed in.
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Meanwhile, Team Internet is divided, with many expressing solidarity with Fletcher and others standing by Turner.
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Max Landis, the screenwriter behind movies Chronicle, American Ultra and Victor Frankenstein and outspoken social media presence, was moved to post a long video not only about his personal experiences with Tobuscus' social circle, but about his read on the YouTube star's motivations.
Fellow YouTuber Philip DeFranco played it down the middle, and made it clear he wasn't completely comfortable talking about the topic -- in part because the two have worked and socialized together -- but put together this 9-minute video, including a lot of anecdotes that corroborate Fletcher's descriptions of Turner's behavior:
This is not the first time a YouTuber has been accused of sexual assault.
Before quitting the Internet and admitting his pranks were fake, YouTuber Sam Pepper had repeatedly come under fire for his videos, including one called "Fake Hand Ass Pinch Prank" in which he pinched women's butts. Pepper also made headlines after receiving several sexual assault accusations, and was even banned from the Anaheim-based online video conference VidCon.
In December of last year, YouTuber Steven Fernandez was arrested by Los Angeles Police Department officials for allegedly promising a 12-year-old girl that he would introduce her to celebrities and let her appear on his non-existent MTV show "in exchange for sexual acts."
And those are just two recent examples.
Stories like this have almost become commonplace in the digital space, with public allegations from #TeamInternet community members dating back to 2012. Tumblr, especially, has become a popular platform for victims.
Part of the problem stems from the very idea of "Team Internet" -- a community so close that it becomes easy to establish relationships with anyone and everyone over the web -- yes, even a very internet-famous digital star.
Yes, there are large meet-ups and conventions (VidCon and Playlist Live for example), but what goes more unnoticed are the direct messages on Twitter between a fan and a star, or the smaller hangouts that are far from public.
It's a new kind of celebrity culture, one that is so centered around approachability that it has yet to establish a real boundary between star and friend.
Some are trying to change that.
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Nonprofit Uplift Together was launched in 2014 with the mission of helping combat sexual abuse, emotional manipulation and other forms of violence in online communities.
The organization had a booth on the VidCon floor last year, and Mashable recently featured a series produced by the nonprofit in a list of YouTube channels that "will make you smarter about social justice."
Clarification: An earlier version of this post only listed the number of subscribers to one of Turner's channels. It has since been updated to include his subscriber count for all three of his channels.
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Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
