Apology Videos That Made (or Broke) Creators’ Reputations

As it goes, sorry seems to be the hardest word. But thanks to content creators, it’s never seemed harder to get right.

It has become something of a formula at this point. Creator gets famous. Gets cocky. Gets canceled. Cue: sorrowful looking thumbnail and an apology video.

And normally this would be fine. The world likes people taking accountability – and the medium of video feels more personal and immediate than the one thing even more eye-rolling than an apology video – the apology iPhone Notes screenshot.

However, from insincere apologies to some actually using the video as a strategic move, it’s fair to say the trust has gone.

The trope of the apology video is at an all-time low – so much so that PewDiePie (someone who’s also been accused of mismanaging apologies in the past) did a whole video calling out his fellow creators.

Why is it so hard for an influencer to get it right – and could we ever get back to a place where an apology actually means something?

Sorry, Not Sorry

Like most things that were once good and have since soured, we can blame the Paul brothers. This time, it’s not Mike Tyson conquering brother Jake, but his older brother, Logan.

Logan Paul was something of a pioneer in the apology video arena, after one of YouTube’s earliest scandals.

Logan Paul uploaded one of the first major apology videos which made headlines after he received widespread repercussions for uploading a graphic video showing the body of someone within the Aokigahara forest (aka Japan's suicide forest.)

The infamous apology video that followed days of national press attention to his antics, was titled ‘So Sorry.’

Gone was the bravado. Instead, we got a po-faced Paul. And while his video seemed sincere at the time, it’s what came next that mattered.

And what came next was… years of the same behavior. You might have believed him at the time, but actions speak louder than words.

Setting the scene

After Logan, an era of apology videos seemed to follow. And they all shared some characteristics.

Bad lighting. A tired-looking appearance. Close-ups of their facial expressions. We are meant to be stripping away the persona and seeing the real person.

But, ironically, in trying to look so candid, it all looks so staged.

Shane Dawson had to apologize for plenty of things in 2020.

And, right on cue, he had the close up. The tired looking face. The dressed down appearance. But his apology rambled on for 20 minutes and framed himself as a victim of his own actions.

With comments turned off and his huge platform still making money, it’s hard to accept an apology where there’s reward for doing so.

Laura Lee was another. Apologizing for racist tweets, Laura’s video positioned herself as something of a victim – shocked and appalled at the tweets she was seeing. Tweets she had full control of posting, liking, resharing…

The excessive tears were called out, and Laura’s apology video (since deleted, FWIW) was parodied multiple times over.

Walk the walk after talking the talk

The fact that apology videos have become their own genre altogether has made viewers wiser – and less open to accepting them at face value. So even if someone says all the right things but, ironically, because of the culture of apology videos, people need to see actions now.

And a perfect example is Asmongold. Famous for hosting World of Warcraft streams and having an unfiltered mouth (that, and an untidy room), Asmongold/ZackRawrr.

Asmongold made some shocking comments regarding the current Israel/Palestine conflict. But his platform had slightly pivoted over time and he’d been called out for several issues prior.

Perhaps aware of this growing toxicity, he apologized and made plans for his future – it wasn’t just an apology to get people off his back, he was saying it was the first step in a wider plan.

In the video, he announced that he would be stepping down from his leadership positions at OTK (One True King) and Starforge Systems, and showed remorse.

“I look back at some of the things that I’ve said and done over the past two years, and I don’t think that I’ve been wrong about everything obviously right, but there have been ways that I’ve communicated and ways that I’ve acted, that are indefensible. Looking back on it, it’s just disgusting.”

His apology video seemed sincere… until his follow-up actions suggested it was anything but.

He took to his official Reddit and immediately opened up on why he apologized, stating “I’m not changing anything other than trying to be more positive and less mean-spirited.”

Which would be fine, if he didn’t use a slur in the very opening sentence of his Reddit post.

We’ve seen the bad and the ugly – but has there ever been a good apology?

Despite so many getting it wrong, some can get it right.

Jenna Marbles was hugely popular, kickstarting trends like the Planking challenge.

However, in 2020, she apologized for a video where she appeared to be in blackface.

Her apology was swift and she announced she was leaving the platform as a result. And then she did what she said she would (see, creators, that is possible!).

The original video no longer exists, because Jenna really did delete her content and move on. A resurfaced copy of the video does exist and the comments show a stark difference in reactions.

Because people can recognize when someone like Jenna really means it, the apology feels real. As one comment put it, “she’s the only YouTuber I’ve seen that didn’t make any excuses, just admitted she was wrong and moved on from it.”

The success of an apology video relies on authenticity, actionability and the ability of the person making the video to show genuine remorse and understanding.

…And then there’s Colleen Ballinger

When it comes to apology videos, we could’ve saved a few hundred words on this post and just shared Colleen Ballinger’s shockingly tone-deaf display.

Colleen aka Miranda Sings has the worst apology video of all time.

If you ever need to apologize, watch, learn, and do the complete opposite.