Shane Lee Yaw (born July 19, 1988), known online as Shane Dawson, is an American

YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...

, actor, filmmaker, writer, and musician. Dawson was one of the first people to rise to fame on YouTube after he began making videos in 2008 at the age of 19 and garnered over 500 million views during the next two years. Most of Dawson's early work consisted of

comedy sketch Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

es in which he would play original characters, impersonate celebrities, and make light of popular culture. Some of these impressions later drew criticism for their offensive content, including racial stereotypes. He has released six original songs such as " Superluv!" and numerous parodies of popular music videos. In 2013, he started the podcast ''Shane and Friends'', which ran for 140 episodes over four years. In 2014, he directed, produced, edited, and starred in the romantic comedy film '' Not Cool'' and appeared on the accompanying docu-series ''The Chair''. He has also appeared in the horror film ''Smiley'' (2012) and the comedy film '' Internet Famous'' (2016). In 2015, Dawson began discussing

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...

on his YouTube channel, which led to his 2019 web series ''

Conspiracy Series with Shane Dawson ''Conspiracy Series with Shane Dawson'' is an American documentary web series created by YouTuber Shane Dawson. The web series was officially announced on January 18, 2019, through a video teaser uploaded to his YouTube channel. The series p ...

''. In 2017, he released his first docu-series on YouTube, in which he reconciled with his absent father. From 2019 to 2020, he created and appeared in the docu-series '' The Beautiful World of Jeffree Star'', which garnered over 130 million views. His most viewed docu-series are about Jeffree Star,

Jake Paul Jake Joseph Paul (born January 17, 1997) is an American Professional boxing, professional boxer, influencer and actor. He began his career posting videos on Vine (service), Vine in September 2013 and had amassed 5.3 million followers and 2 bi ...

, and

Tana Mongeau Tana Marie Mongeau ( ; born June 24, 1998) is an American internet personality. She is known to make "storytime" videos and similar content posted to her YouTube channel. Early life Tana Mongeau was born on June 24, 1998, to Rick and Rebecca M ...

. Dawson has released two ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' best-selling books, '' I Hate Myselfie'' (2015) and '' It Gets Worse'' (2016), and his three YouTube channels have collectively accumulated over 4.5 billion views. Since 2017, he has updated only his main channel, which has over 20 million subscribers and over 4 billion views. In June 2020, YouTube indefinitely suspended monetization on all three of his channels and his books were pulled from shelves following a public backlash over numerous controversial comments he had made in the past, particularly regarding underage girls and

zoophilia Zoophilia is a paraphilia in which a person experiences a sexual fixation on non-human animals. Bestiality instead refers to cross-species sexual activity between humans and non-human animals. Due to the lack of research on the subject, it is ...

. He took a hiatus and returned to YouTube on October 7, 2021.

Early life

Shane Lee Yaw was born in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, on July 19, 1988. He has two older brothers named Jacob (b. 1980) and Jerid (b. 1985), and the three grew up in a low-income household headed by their single mother, Teresa. He was educated in

Lakewood, California Lakewood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 82,496 at the 2020 census. It is bordered by Long Beach on the west, northwest and south, Bellflower on the north, Cerritos on the northeast, Cypress on t ...

, graduating from Lakewood High School in 2006. He was bullied for his weight in school; he later lost in adulthood. He first became interested in making videos when he would hand in videos for school projects with his friends.

Career

2008–2010: YouTube, ShaneDawsonTV

On March 10, 2008, Dawson made his YouTube channel, called "ShaneDawsonTV". The earliest video that remains on the channel, "Kermit the Frog and Me" was uploaded about 4 months later. When he first began making videos, he worked at

Jenny Craig Jenny Craig, Inc., often known simply as Jenny Craig, is an American weight loss, weight management, and nutrition company. At its peak, the company had more than 700 weight management centers in Australia, the United States, Canada, and New Ze ...

along with his mother and brother, but was fired in August 2008 after he uploaded a video of himself

pole dancing Pole dance combines dance and acrobatics centered around a vertical pole. This performance art form takes place not only in strip club, gentleman's clubs as a form of erotic dance, but also as a mainstream form of fitness, practiced in gyms and ...

in the building he worked at and for showing before-and-after photos of clients, saying that "all these people gain their weight back." (at 7:45). The video also included clips of his co-workers reading inappropriate passages of a book by Jenny Craig spokesperson

Valerie Bertinelli Valerie Anne Bertinelli (born April 23, 1960) is an American actress and television personality. She began acting as a child actor, child and made her screen debut in a 1974 episode of Apple's Way, ''Apple's Way''. She gained wide recognition f ...

. His mother, brother and about six other coworkers who appeared in the video also were fired after the company saw the video. In September, he uploaded a video called "

Fred Fred or FRED may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Fred ...

is Dead!", which has since received over 25 million views. During this time, Shane performed as a number of "drug-addled, often drunk,

cultural stereotype An ethnic stereotype or racial stereotype involves part of a system of beliefs about typical characteristics of members of a given ethnic group, their social status , status, societal and cultural norms. A national stereotype does the same for ...

characters" in his skits, including: " ghetto girl" Shanaynay, "Ned the

Nerd A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted, or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly t ...

gangster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...

"S-Deezy", "Barb the Lesbian", a football jock/bully (who is a closeted homosexual), the jock's insecure girlfriend (who thinks she is overweight), a "fashionably

bulimic Bulimia nervosa, also known simply as bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating (eating large quantities of food in a short period of time, often feeling out of control) followed by compensatory behaviors, such as self-induc ...

" high school girl (whose finger is her "best friend" to aid in self-induced vomiting), "Aunt Hilda" (portrayed with a thick "New York-Jewish" accent), gothic girls, "

trans Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of". Used alone, trans may refer to: Sociology * Trans, a sociological term which may refer to: ** Transgender, people who identify themselves with a gender that di ...

" characters, and "Guadalupe"/"Fruit Lupe" (a Mexican with stereotyped ''

chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...

'' accent). Dawson would also, in skits where he was playing himself, portray either fictional or exaggerated versions of his own "relatives" and family members. One video sees Dawson pretending to be a high school student and the struggles of feigning "illness" to avoid attending school for a day. The same video sees him wearing a bright-red wig, red lipstick and matching red bathrobe to portray his "mother", an alcoholic, "Southern", lazy and semi-abusive character. When she forces Dawson to attend school, she sends him out the door by saying "Later, faggot!" Despite Dawson's own bisexuality and homosexual marriage, these instances of gay slurs drew some criticism at the time; his actual mother (who later appears in several videos) bears no comparison to this character. He also drew some criticism for portraying a pre-op transgender female character, who appeared in a skit about

speed dating Speed dating is a formalized matchmaking process with the purpose of encouraging eligible singles to meet new potential partners in a very short period of time, so that interested pairs can continue meeting each other after the event. Organiz ...

; the bulk of the character's appearances consisted of such lines as "I'm sick of this penis! Chop it off!" and explaining "and that's how they're going to turn my penis into a clitoris." At that point, Dawson (portraying himself) is seen turning to the side and vomiting, profusely. Dawson occasionally posts new videos on his channel "ShaneDawsonTV" (mainly short web films, music video parodies, film trailer parodies, and original music) and formerly posted other videos on his second channel "ShaneDawsonTV2", now called "Human Emoji"; however, the use of this channel has mostly been discontinued as of 2012. His third and main YouTube channel, Shane, is where he previously posted

vlog A vlog (), also known as a video blog or video log, is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one ta ...

s, and now posts original content Mondays through Fridays. He began using this channel in May 2010. In November 2009, Dawson was featured on ''

Attack of the Show! ''Attack of the Show!'' (''AOTS'') is an American live television program that aired on G4. AOTS features segments on pop culture, video games, and movies. After an initial run from 2005 to 2013 (which originally aired from 2005 until 2013, we ...

''. In 2010, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' magazine named him their 25th most famous web celebrity.

2010–2013: Television pilots and music career

On August 11, 2010, Dawson announced that he was making a 30-minute pilot called ''SD High''. Previously, the funding he needed for the pilot was provided by digital media group Take180 after he helped them out with acting in their own videos. The pilot is based on two videos which Dawson uploaded to his main channel in Summer 2010. The story centered around a teenage boy in school and his interactions with the other characters. The pilot's release date was set towards the end of September 2010 on his main YouTube Channel, however Dawson later announced that he had been contacted by a television studio to produce the pilot for their TV channel(s). According to Dawson, there is some uncertainty involving the pilot, however it may be a TV show in the future. On March 26, 2011, Dawson uploaded a video to YouTube explaining to his audience that he was working with

Happy Madison Productions Happy Madison Productions, Inc. is an American independent film and television production company founded in 1999 by Adam Sandler, which is best known for its comedy films. Happy Madison takes its name from the films ''Happy Gilmore'' and '' Bill ...

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...

, and some other YouTubers including TheFineBros and BrittaniLouiseTaylor to create the television show. In January 2012, Dawson stated in a video that he was now working on a new television show, which would be semi-based on his life working at a Weight Loss center. He stated that he would be pitching the show soon, and that he was "really excited" for it, and stated the show was "kind of like ''

Arrested Development ''Arrested Development'' is an American satire, satirical television sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz. It follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, dysfunctional family and is presented in a Serial (radio and television), serialized format, inco ...

'', but – not." On May 16, 2012, Dawson revealed in a vlog that he was working on a comedy-horror film, explaining that he wanted to write "something like a teen comedy", however that the film would be "scary and fun". Dawson revealed in November 2012 that he was in negotiations to direct a feature-length film. In 2012, Dawson revealed in a vlog that he was working on a music project. In March 2012, Dawson revealed that his debut mainstream single, " Superluv!" would be released that month. The song was released on March 31, 2012, on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

, with an accompanying music video debuting on his YouTube channel on the same day. The song managed to chart at 87 in Ireland, 16 on the

UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the ...

, 163 on the UK Singles Chart and reached the 28th spot on the US

Pop Chart. On May 8, 2012, Dawson revealed in a video that he has begun working on his next original song, which is tentatively titled "The Vacation Song". He previewed about 10 seconds of the "rough edit" of the song, and stated that he was going to change the mood of the song, saying, "Right now, it's a little too happy, because it's a breakup song. I want it to be more like

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...

's ' Since U Been Gone'." He stated that the song would "hopefully" be released by the beginning of June 2012. The song was released on June 23, 2012, with the music video being released a week later. In October 2012, a film called ''

Smiley A smiley, sometimes called a smiley face, is a basic ideogram representing a Smile, smiling face. Since the 1950s, it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram or as a form of communication, such as em ...

'' was released to theaters starring Dawson. In December, Dawson released a new single entitled "Maybe This Christmas". On February 5, 2013, Dawson recorded a single titled "F**K Up". The song was released on YouTube and iTunes on March 30, 2013. On October 18, 2013, Dawson released a song entitled "Wanna Make Love To You", with Liam Horne. Dawson does not actually provide vocals to the song, but

credits him as one of the artists.

2013–2016: ''Shane and Friends'', ''The Chair'', and books

In June 2013, Dawson started a podcast entitled ''Shane and Friends''. As of 2013, Dawson revealed that he was pitching a talk show and was continuing to pitch the series about him working at a weight loss center. On November 12, 2013, Dawson announced that he was developing the weight loss center project with

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production company, production and broadcast syndication, distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division o ...

for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

. The project has been titled ''Losin' It'' and, if picked up, would be a half-hour

single-camera In filmmaking, television production and video production, the single-camera setup or single-camera mode of production (also known as portable single crew, portable single camera or single-cam) is a method in which all of the various shots and c ...

comedy series focusing on a successful former-client at a weight loss center who decides to share his inspiration by becoming a consultant at the center, and subsequently becomes the manager by the end of his first day. Darlene Hunt,

Will Gluck Will Gluck (born November 7, 1978) is an American filmmaker, songwriter, and composer. He is known for writing and directing films such as ''Easy A'' (2010), ''Friends with Benefits (film), Friends with Benefits'' (2011), the ''Peter Rabbit'' f ...

, Richie Schwartz, Lauren Schnipper, and Dawson would serve as executive producers for the project. On April 4, 2014, Dawson announced that he had directed and starred in a comedy film in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

earlier that year. The film, which was made on a $800,000 budget, was released September 19, 2014. On June 26, he announced that the film would be titled '' Not Cool''. It was part of a Starz original series called ''The Chair'', in which two novice directors are given the same script and must each make their own film from it. People who watched both films then voted online to vote for the films. ''Not Cool'' competed against Anna Martemucci's '' Holidaysburg''.

Zachary Quinto Zachary John Quinto (; born June 2, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Sylar, the primary antagonist from the science fiction drama series ''Heroes (American TV series), Heroes'' (2006–2010); Spock in the film ''Star Trek ...

, producer of ''The Chair'', called Dawson's film "deeply offensive" and "tasteless", and that Dawson should not be making films at all, removing his name from the film in disgust. Dawson defended his film by saying that "I like the movie. The producers that I trust like the movie. The test audience liked the movie. I know I deserve to make a movie because I've been working my f***ing ass off these last eight years on YouTube." Dawson won the competition, winning the $250,000 prize to work on another film project. In December 2014, Dawson released a parody of

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

's song " Blank Space" on YouTube. This video was found to be in poor taste by her labels,

Big Machine Records Big Machine Records is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta and ...

and

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

, who removed it, citing "copyright infringement". Dawson subsequently claimed that the parody was removed because

objected to the video's violent content. The video was restored in February 2015. In early 2015, Dawson released a memoir titled '' I Hate Myselfie: A Collection of Essays''. The memoir was released by Atria Books/ Keywords Press, an imprint of

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

. In July 2016, Dawson released another memoir entitled '' It Gets Worse: A Collection of Essays''. It was released by Atria/Keywords Press. Shane Dawson with fan

2017–2020: YouTube series

In June 2018, Shane uploaded a three-part documentary series titled ''The Truth About TanaCon'', about the TanaCon convention, the company who organized the event—Good Times, ran by talent manager Michael Weist—and the effects the disastrous event had on fans. The series received tens of millions of views in one week and garnered significant media attention. In August 2018, Shane continued the documentary format and covered makeup artist Jeffree Star in a five-part series titled '' The Secret World of Jeffree Star'' and also received high amounts of media attention In September 2018, Shane covered YouTuber

in an eight-part series titled '' The Mind of Jake Paul''. The series follows Dawson's investigation on the lifestyle of Paul, including research with licensed therapist Katie Morton on

antisocial personality disorder Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a personality disorder defined by a chronic pattern of behavior that disregards the rights and well-being of others. People with ASPD often exhibit behavior that conflicts with social norms, leading to ...

. Dawson was criticized for his documentaries ''The Mind of Jake Paul'' and ''The Secret World of Jeffree Star'', with some arguing that Dawson was too sympathetic towards the racism scandals of both subjects. In January and February 2019, Shane released a two-part series on conspiracy theories titled ''

''. The first part included theories on the

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

FaceTime FaceTime is a proprietary videotelephony product developed by Apple. FaceTime is available on supported iOS mobile devices running iOS 4 and later and Mac computers that run and later. FaceTime supports any iOS device with a forward-facin ...

glitch,

deepfake ''Deepfakes'' (a portmanteau of and ) are images, videos, or audio that have been edited or generated using artificial intelligence, AI-based tools or AV editing software. They may depict real or fictional people and are considered a form of ...

s, subliminal messages in cartoons, Hollister,

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

, the Woolsey Fire and Camp Fire. The second part featured Dawson investigating further topics, exploring the wider message "don't believe everything you see", including Adobe Voco voice manipulation, and Chuck E. Cheese pizzas. Dawson has been criticized for his conspiracy theory content, as some feel that his videos about the

flat Earth Flat Earth is an archaic and scientifically disproven conception of the Figure of the Earth, Earth's shape as a Plane (geometry), plane or Disk (mathematics), disk. Many ancient cultures, notably in the cosmology in the ancient Near East, anci ...

, Moon landing hoax, and 9/11 hoax conspiracy theories, among others, contribute to YouTube's widespread issues with misinformation. In July 2019, Dawson returned to YouTube for a one-hour long documentary video titled ''The Return of Eugenia Cooney'' about Internet personality Eugenia Cooney. Earlier in the year, Cooney announced that she would be taking a break from social media to focus on her health. In October 2019, Dawson released '' The Beautiful World of Jeffree Star'', which follows Dawson and Star as they plan and design a new makeup and merchandise collection called The Conspiracy Collection.

Personal life

Dawson began dating YouTuber Lisa Schwartz in December 2011. He came out as

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

in July 2015 and confirmed that he had separated from Schwartz. He began dating YouTuber Ryland Adams in 2016, and they became engaged on March 19, 2019. Having previously lived in

Calabasas, California Calabasas (, ; Spanish language in California, Spanish for "winter squash, squashes") is a city in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States.Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, where he and Adams purchased a farm for $2.2 million. On January 3, 2023, Dawson and Adams married in Colorado. In July of the same year, they announced via Adams's

channel that they were expecting twin babies via

surrogacy Surrogacy is an arrangement whereby a woman gets pregnant and gives birth on behalf of another person or couple who will become the child's legal parents after birth. People pursue surrogacy for a variety of reasons such as infertility, danger ...

. On December 10, 2023, Dawson announced the birth of their twin sons. Dawson has discussed his experiences with

body dysmorphic disorder Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), also known in some contexts as dysmorphophobia, is a mental disorder defined by an overwhelming preoccupation with a perceived flaw in one's physical appearance. In BDD's delusional variant, the flaw is imagined ...

Controversies

Dawson has been criticized for his racial comedy, particularly his use of

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

in several skits impersonating Wendy Williams and

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

, his use of the words "

nigga ''Nigga'' (), also known as "''the N-word''", is a colloquial term in African-American Vernacular English that is considered as a vulgar word in most contexts of its use. It began as a dialect form of the word ''nigger'', an ethnic slur agai ...

" and "

nigger In the English language, ''nigger'' is a racial slur directed at black people. Starting in the 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been increasingly replaced by the euphemistic contraction , notably in cases where ''nigger'' is Use–menti ...

" in multiple videos, and his jokes about "ghetto pranks" at the 2012

VidCon VidCon is an annual convention for influencers, fans, executives, and online brands. The event primarily features prominent video stars from across the internet. It was founded by veteran YouTube creators John and Hank Green ( Vlogbrothers), a ...

. These past performances, and their reliance on

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...

s of

people of color The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...

and other minorities, led to allegations of racism. In September 2014, YouTuber Franchesca Ramsey and other bloggers criticized Dawson for his past actions. He later apologized for the jokes in a video, stating that he viewed the controversy as a "learning experience". In 2018, Dawson was the subject of a controversy regarding comments he had made about

pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pube ...

on a 2013 episode of his podcast ''Shane and Friends'', after which he published an apology video likening his comedic style at the time to that of

shock jock A shock jock is a radio broadcaster or DJ who entertains listeners and attracts attention using humor or melodramatic exaggeration that may offend some portion of the listening audience. The term is used pejoratively to describe provocative or ...

s. The same comments were also the subject of a controversy in March 2019, coupled with more controversy regarding comments he had made on a 2015 episode of the same podcast about engaging in sexual activity with his cat. On June 26, 2020, Dawson responded to criticism of his racial comedy by posting a 20-minute video in which he addressed renewed criticism for his use of blackface, the words "nigga" and "nigger", and other offensive comments he made since launching his YouTube channel. Although he had apologized publicly before, Dawson claimed he had only recently realized how "those apologies suck" and that he did not "know who that person is anymore". He further remarked how he "should have been punished for things" and how "finally just wningup to all of this and eingaccountable is worth losing everything" to him. Dawson also apologized to James Charles, whom he had described as "egocentric" and "power hungry" just a week before. He concluded his apology video by vowing to better his "actions", but said he understands if people do not want to accept his apology or no longer support him. He also claimed that he dealt with the pain from his childhood by making inappropriate jokes: "It is something I did for shock value or because I thought it was funny. It's all gross and I promise that that is not real; that is not me." Hours after his apology was posted, musician

Jaden Smith Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born July 8, 1998) is an American rapper and actor. The son of Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith, he has received various accolades, including a Teen Choice Award, an MTV Movie Award, a BET Award and a Young A ...

accused Dawson of sexualizing his sister

Willow Smith Willow Smith (born October 31, 2000), also known mononymously as Willow, is an American singer, actress and dancer. The daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, she has received various accolades, including a Young Artist Award, an NAAC ...

, expressing how he was "disgusted" after an old video resurfaced of Dawson pretending to

masturbate Masturbation is a form of autoeroticism in which a person Sexual stimulation, sexually stimulates their own Sex organ, genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. Stimulation may involve the use of han ...

while looking at a poster of Willow, who was 11 years old at the time. Jaden and Willow's mother

Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (née Pinkett; born September 18, 1971) is an American actress, businesswoman, and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show ''Red Table Talk'', for which she has won a Daytime Emmy Awards, Daytim ...

also told Dawson that she was "done with the excuses". On June 29, 2020,

Target Target may refer to: Warfare and shooting * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artille ...

announced that it was "in the process of removing" Dawson's two published books '' I Hate Myselfie'' and '' It Gets Worse'' from its shelves. On June 30, YouTube indefinitely suspended monetization on all three of Dawson's channels.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Podcasts

Discography

Singles

Bibliography

* '' I Hate Myselfie'' (2015) * '' It Gets Worse: A Collection of Essays'' (2016)

Awards and nominations

, - ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Streamy Awards The YouTube Streamy Awards, also known as the Streamy Awards or Streamys, are an awards show presented annually by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter to recognize excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and wr ...

, Best Vlogger , rowspan="6" , Himself , , , - ,

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards were an annual awards show that aired on the Fox television network between 1999 and 2019. The awards, based on a popularity vote that could be overridden by the producerswho reserved the right to choose the winnerscovered ...

, Choice Web Star , , , - ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, Choice Web Star , , , - ,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the fans and general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls un ...

, Favorite YouTube Star , , , - , rowspan="2" ,

, rowspan="2" ,

, Creator of the Year , , rowspan="2" , , - , Best First Person Channel , , - , rowspan="4" ,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, rowspan="4" ,

, Collaboration , "Switching Lives With A Blind Person", with Molly Burke , , , - , Creator of the Year , Himself , , rowspan="3" , , - , Documentary , ''The Truth About Tanacon'' , , - , Editing , ''The Truth About Tanacon'', with Andrew Siwicki , , - ,

, The Social Star of 2018 , Himself , , , - ,

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, The Shorty Awards , YouTuber of the Year , Himself , , , - ,

, Documentary , Himself , ,

Notes

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Shane 1988 births 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers American bisexual male actors American bisexual musicians American comedy YouTubers American conspiracy theorists American directors American LGBTQ comedians American LGBTQ film directors American LGBTQ singers American male comedians American male writers American music YouTubers American YouTube vloggers American YouTubers Beauty and makeup YouTubers Bisexual comedians Blackface minstrel performers Comedians from California Fullscreen (company) people Lakewood High School (California) alumni LGBTQ people from California LGBTQ YouTubers Living people Male actors from Long Beach, California Male actors from Los Angeles Shorty Award winners Streamy Award winners YouTubers from California