Natalie Mariduena has spoken out amid growing backlash online surrounding consent and the Vlog squad.
On Monday, March 22, the YouTuber's former assistant and business partner issued a statement saying that she does not condone "any sexual misconduct/abuse."
"I've spent a lot of time thinking about the recent allegations and because of the severity, it's taken me time to process," she wrote online.
"Like many of you, I'm upset and angry and do not condone the behavior detailed in the article or any sexual misconduct/abuse for that matter.
"I want to make it clear that I acknowledge, hear and support those who came forward and I stand by the victims."
— Natalie Mariduena (@natalinanoel) March 23, 2021
Mariduena's statement comes a week after an article was published on The Insider detailing allegations from a woman who featured in a now-deleted Vlog Squad video from 2018.
The Insider investigation heared from a woman who had joined her friends in attending the apartment of the Vlog Squad.
In phone interviews with Insider, the woman claimed she and Dominykas Zeglaitis, known as Durte Dom a former member of the Vlog Squad, had a sexual encounter in 2018.
The woman who claims that she was 20-years-old at the time has said that she could not consent to having sex after allegedly being supplied with alcohol by a vlog squad member.
Zeglaitis has declined to comment however other members of the friend group are coming out in support of the woman.
The main man behind the Vlog Squad, David Dobrik, has released two videos in the past week surrounding the topic.
The first video, released on 17th March, heared David Dobrik state that consent is at the forefront of every video that he makes and stated that he removes any video if the people involved are not happy with it.
A follow-up video was released on Monday 22nd March 2021 where Dobrik broke down and apologised to the woman.
David Dobrik and his friends have lost numerous sponsors since the allegations came to light online last week.
Dobrik has also stepped down from the board of the Dispo app amid the growing backlash online.
The photo app Dobrik co-founded recently became available to download and allows users to share photos, in a similar style to traditional disposable cameras, around the world.
The 24-year-old creator stepped away from the board of the app some hours after a major backer, Spark Capital, ended their relationship with the company.
The decision to move away from the photo-sharing app comes after Spark Capital cut all ties with the start-up.
1/ In light of recent news about the Vlog Squad and David Dobrik, the cofounder of Dispo, we have made the decision to sever all ties with the company.
— Spark Capital (@sparkcapital) March 22, 2021
2/ We have stepped down from our position on the board and we are in the process of making arrangements to ensure we do not profit from our recent investment in Dispo.
— Spark Capital (@sparkcapital) March 22, 2021
Within hours of this announcement, Dobrik also made the decision to move away from the Dispo app he co-founded with his friends.
A statement published on the app's official Twitter profile condemned any form of assault and supported David Dobrik's decision to part ways with the company.
"Dispo unequivocally condemns any form of assault or violence and believes survivors must always be heard and supported. In order to remain true to our mission, we support David’s decision to part ways with the company.
"We would like to thank the Dispo community for their continued trust in us. We will move forward working hard to build a safe and honest platform that restores joy and authenticity, both online and IRL".
We would like to thank the Dispo community for their continued trust in us. We will move forward working hard to build a safe and honest platform that restores joy and authenticity, both online and IRL.
— dispo (@DispoHQ) March 23, 2021
David Dobrik has become one of the most well-known Youtubers in recent years after growing in popularity from his vlog-style videos.
The full article from The Insider is available to read here.
