Prominent YouTubers Shane Dawson is facing scrutiny after an old video of him pretending to “masturbate” to a Disney poster of 11-year-old Willow Smith, the daughter of American actor Will Smith, surfaced online.
The clip (the following video may contain footage that is not suitable for some audiences) shows Dawson standing with his back turned to the camera and facing a poster showing young singer Willow. It remains unclear when exactly the video was made or who shared it online. The footage gives the impression that Dawson was masturbating to the poster, but many, including Willow’s brother Jaden Smith and her mum Jada Pinkett Smith, did not find the parody video funny.
“Shane Dawson I am disgusted by you”, Jaden Smith tweeted, accusing the YouTuber of “sexualising” his now 19-year-old sister Willow in the past.
“To Shane Dawson ... I’m done with the excuses”, Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith's wife, wrote shortly after.
This is not the only clip featuring Dawson’s “inappropriate” behaviour or comments in relation to underage children that have been circulating online. Many have recalled the YouTuber’s “sexy” remarks addressed to a 6-year-old girl and other similar instances, calling for him to be cancelled on the platform.
The development comes as Dawson has been denounced for his blackface parodies, occasional use of the N-word, and “racist” remarks in the past. The scrutiny prompted the comedian to make an apology video titled “Taking Accountability” few days ago, where he expressed regret for his behaviour. Dawson also said during his apology that he “would never talk about a child in any way that was inappropriate”. However, he did not directly address the clip featuring Willow in particular.
“That is disgusting, that is gross, it is not something I would ever do. It is something I did for shock value or because I thought it was funny or, like ‘Oh my god, my child molester character,’ or whatever. It’s all gross, and I promise that is not real, that is not me”, Dawson argued, referring to some of his old jokes about paedophilia that have been pointed out by netizens.
Just last week, Dawson announced that he had “deleted everything” on his social media platforms to address the scrutiny surrounding his past behaviour, which many deemed “racist”.