• Nearly a dozen people have spoken out against at least five YouTubers in the Pokémon community, accusing them of sexual assault and harassment.
• The allegations first went viral in a video uploaded by a user named AttackOnSylveon, in which she described abuse by a man named Nathan Putnam when she was 15-years-old.

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AttackOnSylveon’s First Video

Allegations of sexual assault and harassment have shaken the online Pokémon community, where numerous people have accused at least five prominent YouTubers of sexual abuse when they were minors.

These allegations first started going viral after a user named AttackOnSylveon posted a video on March 27 called “Finally coming forward…”

In the video, AttackOnSylveon describes an interaction she had on Twitter when she was 15-years-old with a man who was six years older than her. In the video, she said she does not want to name names or take legal action, but said she felt like she needed to share her story.

AttackOnSylveon said that the interaction started when she posted a picture of herself in a swimsuit by a pool. They talked a lot, and he would often comment on how she looked and what she was wearing. She said that at the time she did not see a problem with that.

Then he started asking her to send him pictures.

One night, he started sending her pictures of himself shirtless and asked her to send pictures of herself in response. She did not send him pictures in return, but then he started to get pushy.

“He continued to make me feel like the bad guy because I’ve done all these things to him and made him feel like he was being like left out I guess,” she said, “And I, I really didn’t want to do it.”

AttackOnSylveon then stated she sent him a picture of herself covered in a blanket, but he told her she could do better. Again, she told him she did not want to, but he still pushed her.

“I knew it was wrong,” she said, “And I knew I shouldn’t have done it. But anyway, I went on and I sent him the pictures that he wanted.”

After that night, she tried to distance herself from him, but he continued to message her. Eventually, he gave up, and they stopped talking.

Then, about a year later, he messaged her again wanted to reconnect.

AttackOnSylveon said she did not want anything to do with him, but said,“He would not let it go. He messaged me on twitter, on Snapchat, on Kik, and on Facebook multiple times. Asking if we could pretty much talk the same way we used to talk before.”

She goes on to say she felt like he was taking advantage of her because she was young and she just wanted him to stop.

Eventually, she finally snapped and told him she did not want to talk anymore and showed screenshots of their conversation where she ended the relationship.

She ends the video by calling for others in the community to speak out, “I just want people to know what happened, and know that if something is happening to them they need to do something about it.”

“For this entire time I’m 15. I was super young and he still took advantage of me,” she said, “He was 21 and he knew what he was doing. He knew it and he was wrong and he didn’t care and that’s the problem is the fact that he didn’t care.”

AttackOnSylveon’s Second Video

The next day, AttackOnSylveon posted a second video where she said that her initial post got a lot more attention than she anticipated and that people were asking her to use the person’s name.

She said that it was brought to her attention that if she did not name names, they would continue to assault people.“His name is Josh. And you know the story about that. But what I didn’t mention in that video was the fact that that didn’t happen once with one person. That happened with three people.”

She said the second man was named Enrique, and that he was 21. She said he would send her explicit paragraphs, and did so under the guise of them being in a relationship.

She then said that the last person is named Nathan and that he is incredibly difficult for her to talk about because he had actually threatened her.

“That person’s name is Nate. Well, Nathan, I guess. And I never wanted to speak out because I thought he would hurt me or my family and that he would send out the pictures, but he did it anyway,” she said.

More Allegations & Initial Response

The response to her videos happened fast and was widespread.

Many of the men AttackOnSylveon named in her videos are well known in the Pokémoncommunity, so a lot of them were identified.

Specifically, the man she refers to as “Nathan” is Nathan Putnam, known as Dekadurr on Twitter and NintendoEncoder on YouTube.

After AttackOnSylveon shared her story, more women came out and said they had similar interactions with Putnam, some of whom provided evidence.

So before I block him.

And in light of things that are happening right now.

Here are screenshots of things that happened around 2 years ago.

As you can see, he lied about his age and was attempting to flirt with me (even though I mentioned I was gay multiple times) pic.twitter.com/C2PxtR0iWP

— Vee ❤️ (@AjentVee) March 29, 2019

In an article published in Kotaku, at least three women described similar interactions with Putnam when they were underage or 18.

According to Kotaku: “Two of these women described how Putnam aggressively demanded naked pictures from them even after expressing how uncomfortable they felt. Two more say he hit on them when they were underage.”

One user who was keeping a thread of everything that was going on posted a screenshot of a message allegedly between Putnam and an anonymous source.

In the message, Putnam denies the allegations and says he barely talked to AttackOnSylveon, who he refers to as “Felicity,” which is her name on Twitter. Then he says he’s going to upload a video later.

Received from an Anonymous Source:@Dekadurr apparently is going to make a video defending the accusations against him.

He tries using the "I talked to her in 2015 it was sooo long ago" as a cop out. It doesn't matter how long ago it was its still wrong. pic.twitter.com/4GMkCPiSCO

— PhillyBeatzU (@PhillyBeatzU) March 29, 2019

It is unclear if he ever did upload a video because on the same day he deleted his Twitter and Instagram. The then deleted his YouTube account the following day.

While all of this was going on, numerous people took to Twitter to call out Putnam, with many saying they had heard about him preying on young girls in the past. One of Putnam’s friends even said they knew about it and told him to stop.

So lemme start by apologizing to anyone affected by what @Dekadurr has done to them. I will admit that in the past when this happened, a few of us would pull him aside and try to speak to him and tell him to fucking stop that pedo shit

— Jay (@JayYTGamer) March 29, 2019

Others commended AttackOnSylveon on Twitter and in the comments on her videos for coming out and sharing her story

Accusations Against TheKingNappy

One of the people who came out against Putnam was prominent Pokémon Youtuber, Kyle McNeal, who goes by TheKingNappy.

In a now-deleted tweet, he released a statement condemning Putnam. McNeal said that while there were rumors about what he was doing, he never looked into the extent of it or the details.

“So I want to start this off by apologizing for not speaking, publicly, about this situation sooner.” He wrote, “First and foremost, I want to make it absolutely clear that Nathan’s actions are incredibly cruel and unforgivable.”

Statement by King Nappy saying no one was aware of what Nathan was doing when most of his friend group had said otherwise. pic.twitter.com/WTUHwLFQYX

— PhillyBeatzU (@PhillyBeatzU) March 31, 2019

He then goes on to say he spoke to Putnam about the situation and promptly cut ties with him. He added that he did not “lead the charge against Nathan” because he “didn’t want to dive headfirst into another pool of drama and allow that to consume my Twitter or my Twitch.”

“In hindsight, if I would have just said something from the jump, that wouldn’t have been something I needed to worry about,” He continued, “For those affected by Nathan’s actions, you don’t deserve any of what you’ve gone through.”

Shortly after McNeal posted his statement, a user named Callum posted a statement claiming that McNeal guilted him into being in a relationship when he was 16 and McNeal was 21.

“I initially told him I didn’t feel the same way, and that I couldn’t be in a relationship with him. He gave me an ultimatum. Date him or we’re no longer friends,” wrote Callum, “I eventually agreed to try dating Nappy. At the time I was very ignorant about relationships, I didn’t take them seriously and I was unsure of my sexuality, I wanted to see if I could form feelings for him.”

He concludes his statement, writing, “This is something I really didn’t want to get involved with, but I felt it was important I came forward and said my piece since it’s been a question on everyone’s mind.”

pic.twitter.com/w9yKkzLpvY

— Callum (@HoodlumCallum) March 31, 2019

On the same day, another user named Luke posted screenshots of a conversation he had with McNeal and said that he would continuously make unwanted advances on him.

For people that have doubts these DMs are from the last time I ever went to Nappy's place. pic.twitter.com/TeAIWR8AMs

— luke (@GameboyLuke) March 31, 2019

McNeal denied the allegations in a live stream which he later deleted, saying: “Callum I hope and pray that any shred of respect left in you, you will tell the truth regarding this. There is nothing that went down between Calum and I.”

McNeal also blamed his accusers and said they were the ones responsible.

“Nobody else made those choices but you,” said McNeal, “You chose to show up. You show to be a part. You chose to be quieter about how you actually felt for so fucking long.”

Since then, other accusations from other users have come out against McNeal as well, and other statements have been said on the situation.

On Wednesday, a Twitter user named Gabe said in a Twitlonger that he had a similar relationship with Kyle when he was 16 and Kyle was 25. Gabe also included numerous screenshots of conversations he had with Kyle on Discord and over text.

Hey, my name is Gabe or TheStormyKingdra and I don't know how to say this, but I will try my best. These (cont) https://t.co/bnwcKCUEkl

— Gabe (@StormyKingdra) April 3, 2019

More Allegations

Unfortunately, that is not where the story ends.

Other allegations have come out against others in the Pokémon community.

According to two people who spoke with Kotaku, a Pokémon YouTuber who goes by Mudkip Mama, also known as VegasJamie “aggressively pursued them when they were either 18 or under 18.”

A woman named Nikki said in a Twitlonger post that MudkipMama became “overly sexual” with her in a DM which she also posted on Twitter, writing: “Mrs. VegasJamie trys to claim she doesn’t hit on kids yet I’m 15”

Mrs. VegasJamie trys to claim she doesn't hit on kids yet I'm 15 🤔🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/O0PJfJeHGu

— Nikki ~ (@MagusNikki) April 24, 2017

Nikki also shared a screenshot on Twitter where MudkipMama allegedly admits to “dating” a fan with an “age difference.”

Additionally, over the weekend, other people came out against a YouTuber who goes by Mizumi and who is known for modding Nintendo games.

A woman identified only as Tori said in a Twitlonger post that he asked her for nude pictures when he was 18 and she was underage, and when she sent them, he tried to blackmail her.

Another woman identified as Jenny told Kotaku that he pressured her into sending naked pictures by “talking about wanting to kill himself and self harming behaviors and said things about how getting nudes would ‘help him feel better.’”

In an email to Kotaku, Mizumi did not directly deny the allegations but wrote: “This isn’t entirely my fault. The line is grayer than what everyone thinks and everyone here is a victim in one way or the other.”

Yet another person who is only identified as BiseProductionswas also involved in the accusations, with many people on Twitter connecting him to AttackOnSylveon’s videos, though it’s unclear if he is one of the people she names.

The day after her second video was uploaded, BiseProductions posted an apology on Twitter, though his account has since been deleted.

In the apology, which was re-posted by another user, he writes: “I am truly sorry for my actions,” continuing, “I was very aware, after the fact, that this was not ok in the slightest.”

Well look at that @BiseProductions put out an apology. Of course apologies when you are caught dosent make things better. pic.twitter.com/h4Sn4oiiII

— PhillyBeatzU (@PhillyBeatzU) March 29, 2019

It will be interesting to see how this community responds. It seems like they are largely in favor of holding people accountable, but if more accusations come out, it might become difficult to keep the community unified.

See what others are saying: (Kotaku) (Newsweek) (Pedestrian)

• A petition to remove PewDiePie from YouTube has received more than 70,000 signatures.
• The petition calls PewDiePie’s channel one of the “largest platforms for white supremacy.”
• PewDiePie supporters are outraged over the claims and have responded with a counter-petition asking for the original petition creator to be removed from change.org.

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Petition Created

A change.org petition urging YouTube to ban its largest creator, Pewdiepie, has garnered over 70,000 signatures as of Thursday morning.

Maria Ruiz started the petition three weeks ago,saying she believes PewDiePie promotes extreme views. In the petition, she writes, “In the wake of the most recent mosque shooting I believe it is time to take action as a community and remove white supremacist content from our platforms.”

Ruiz called PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, a creator with “one of the largest platforms for white supremacist content.”

“Worst of all his channel is very much aimed toward children in their formative years. The New Zealand mosque shooter even mentioned PewDiePie by name and asked people to subscribe,” she wrote.

It’s important to note that many believe the mosque shooter used PewDiePie’s name to gain notoriety for his attack, which left 50 dead in Christchurch, New Zealand last month.  Because of this, many have dismissed any connection between the two. Kjellberg himself even condemned the shooter in a tweet.

Just heard news of the devastating reports from New Zealand Christchurch.
I feel absolutely sickened having my name uttered by this person.
My heart and thoughts go out to the victims, families and everyone affected by this tragedy.

— ƿ૯ωძɿ૯ƿɿ૯ (@pewdiepie) March 15, 2019

The petition goes on to list other controversies that Kjellberg has been criticized for, including his use of the n-word and offensive jokes. Kjellberg has previously been accused of antisemitism and was dropped by Disney in 2017 after several videos he published onto his YouTube channel included references to Nazism or anti-Semitic images.

Arguably the most controversial video involved PewDiePie paying two Indian men to hold up a message which read “Death to all Jews.” There was a strong backlash to the video, but Kjellberg denied he was anti-Semitic and has apologized for many of his comments.

Still, Ruiz claims that the actions that major companies have taken against PewDiePie are not enough.“Even if PewDiePie cleaned up his act his comment sections are still a cesspool of white supremacist activities and commentaries,” she wrote

Fans React

While the petition has racked up a large number of signatures, the total is small in comparison to the over 92 million subscribers Kjellberg has amassed.  Many of them have even come to his defense online, responding to an account that appears to be run by Maria Ruiz, although this has not been officially confirmed.

@pewdiepie does not support any shooter & u clearly do not watch his content u don’t seem 2 b aware of the donations & charity work he does u are ignorant living in a bubble. I guess i should go do a mass shooting and tell everyone to follow u on twitter so we can blame u.

— chris blanchard (@Dildonian) March 23, 2019

YouTube isn’t going to remove a channel because a few thousand out of 92M people don’t like him and accuse him of something false. This petition is a waste of time even for the people that support the idea your putting forward.

— DλrkSpyro458 (@DarkSpyro459) April 3, 2019

How about we start from removing your social media accounts because you’re clearly abusing them to promote false information and hate towards Felix. calling him a white supremacists is a lie and an attempt at hurting his career and reputation.

— Adrian (@Adrian31788239) April 3, 2019

In response to the petition, PewDiePie supporters have started a counter-petition, urging Change.Org to remove Ruiz from the site.

“In the wake of maria ruiz blaming Pewdiepie for a mass shooting and making wild and inaccurate claims about his actions, it is necessary now, more than ever, to remove him or her from this website,”the response petition reads.

“He or she must be removed from his or her platform before he or she is given the opportunity to make more vindictive, deceitful petitions.”

See what others are saying: (Internationa Business Times) (We The Unicorns) (LAD Bible)

• A popular YouTube couple played an April Fools’ Day prank on their 6-year-old by telling her they were giving away their family dog.
• The joke left the child in tears and prompted a flood of backlash from viewers.

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The Prank

YouTubers Cole and Savannah LaBrant have been hit with a ton of backlash on social media over an April Fools’ Day prank they played on their 6-year-old daughter Everleigh.

The couple post family vlogs on their popular YouTube channel, The LaBrant Fam, which has more than 8 million subscribers. They also have massive followings on Instagram: Savannah has over 5 million followers, Everleigh has 4.3 million, Cole has 4 million, their newborn Posie has 1.1 million, and even their dog Carl has 759,000 followers.

On Monday, the family posted a video titled “We Have To Give Our Puppy Away … Saying Goodbye Forever :(”

In the video, the LaBrants tell Everleigh that their dog, Carl, has to move to a new home because they can no longer keep him.

“Basically we are giving Carl away to somebody else,” Savannah LaBrant says. “We feel like we can’t take good enough care of him at our house.”

Everleigh sits beside her mother with the tiny white puppy, fighting back tears while her mother explains the decision to the camera.

“I feel like we’re always gone. We’re always filming, or we’re out and about,” Savannah says.

“He poops and pees all over our house all the time…and we’ll have to leave for like 8 hours at a time once…and we feel bad we feel like he needs someone to take him outside more often,” she adds.

Everleigh remains quiet and looks down while her mom explains. At one point her father asks who she wants to give the dog away to and she just stares at Carl.

Savannah then starts giggling and whispers “April Fools” into her daughter’s ear as she cries.

“We’re keeping Carl!” she tells Everleigh, who then begins to sob.

“Too far?” Cole asks the camera, explaining that he wasn’t sure Everleigh would even believe their lie in the first place since the family had been pranking each other all day.

The rest of the video then focuses on “Everleigh’s Revenge,” as Everleigh pranks Cole in retaliation.

Viewers React

Many viewers took issue with the prank and left responses all over the family’s social media accounts. Viewers had to turn to other social platforms to react since YouTube has disabled the comments sections on family channels like the LaBrants in an effort to crack down on predatory comments.

@SavannahSoutas @Thesupercole waaaay overboard & cruel.. my ❤️ broke seeing that sweet Everleigh crying over her doggie Carl. Very mean, you two are better than that.

— Jennifer Moore (@JeniLMoore) April 1, 2019

Savannah and Cole’s prank on Ev is not funny and just makes them shitty people

— H. (@youtubefamtea) April 2, 2019

I’m sorry but that was honestly really cruel. You could have done a silly fun prank but joking about giving Carl away and making Everleigh cry like that was horrible. Way too far

— Mary Rose (@maryverani) April 1, 2019

@SavannahSoutas @Thesupercole WTF is wrong with you? Awful parenting, you’re going to give your children emotional psychology. I can’t even imagine being put through what your daughter had been put through. And all for views… Pathetic.

— newyork0142 (@newyork0142) April 3, 2019

That’s really mean and insensitive. They’re not pranking an adult or even adolescent, but a 6-yo. They are psychologically harming her and scarring her for life. And all for just views and clicks and likes and their own jollies. It shows a lack of empathy & realization of impact.

— ॐ (@JasonSamfield) April 2, 2019

The couple has not responded to the backlash, however, at the end of the video Savannah LaBrant says, “If this offended any of you guys, she’s OK.”

“She cried for two minutes, and she’s the happiest kid ever now.”

See what others are saying (NBC News) (Tubefilter) (Mashable)