Controversial YouTube star Shane Dawson was subject to a death hoax that went viral on Twitter last night. The hoax appears to be a prank by a TMZ parody account claiming Shane Dawson is dead at 32 with the hashtag #RipShane.
Many Twitter users used to hashtag to mock the Dawson, while some fans thought he was actually dead.
In response to the death hoax, many Twitter users demanded that the parody account gets suspended and took issue with the cruelty of the hoax.
American Youtuber Shane Dawson dead at 32 #RipShane pic.twitter.com/io1ILArywR
— TMZ ➐ (@bocasclouds) July 27, 2020
One user said in response to the hoax “This is beyond the pale. Zero humanity left when this gets so much attention. Love him or hate him there’s a rational limit to expressing your sentiments and THIS right here crossed that limit.”
The #RipShane hashtag was trending in the United States last night and the tweets are mostly K-Pop videos, Shane Dawson critics, and fake screenshots of another controversial YouTuber Jeffree Star liking tweets disparaging Dawson.
Dawson has not responded to the death hoax. The YouTube star has not been active on his Instagram and Twitter account since posted his apology video on YouTube in response to his past controversies. On June 26, Dawson put on a video on YouTube entitled, “Taking Accountability” in which he apologized for his Blackface content.
The video, which you can watch below, has 16 million views and over 500,000 dislikes.
Dawson, who was once crowned, the King of YouTube, had previously issued an apology for his controversial content. With the hashtag #RIPShane, Twitter users continued to criticize Dawson for his old racially-themed comedy skits, with many stating that the YouTuber has not been punished enough.
Why is Shane Dawson controversial?
Last month, YouTube suspended monetization Shane Dawson’s YouTube channels over controversial content that resurfaced. His controversies include “n-word” on camera, wearing blackface, and inappropriate jokes involving Willow Smith when she was a minor. This caught the attention of her brother Jaden Smith and mother Jada Pinkett-Smith, which led to the YouTube star being “canceled.”
Several reports state that Dawson lost over 600,000 subscribers following his apology video.
Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star have collaborated on YouTube frequently with Dawson’s documentary “The Secret World of Jeffree Star,” gaining over 48 million views in the first episode.
Makeup brand Morphe has removed all of Shane Dawson’s collection from its website including the Conspiracy palette and other collaborative efforts with Star. However, most of Jeffree Star’s products are available on the website.