YouTube Star Jenna Marbles Leaving Her Channel, Apologizes For Blackface Video

Bruce Haring

June 25, 2020 7:27PM PDT

Jenna Marbles, who became one of the most popular YouTube vloggers and claimed more than 3 billion views and 20 million subscribers in her decade-long career, is quitting her channel.In an 11-minute video posted to her channel, Marbles apologized for past instances of slut-shaming and for doing a blackface video impersonating rapper Nicki Minaj.

“I get it. We’re at a time where we are purging ourselves of anything and everything toxic … I’ve definitely done things in the past that weren’t great. I’m not completely unproblematic. I’ve tried my best to grow up.”

Her apology largely focused on the 2011 blackface video. Marbles was blasted after it posted, and she never repeated it, claiming to have learned from the experience.

“I’m unbelievably sorry … I wish it wasn’t part of my past,” she said. As for slut-shaming, “It doesn’t need to exist. I shouldn’t have ever said that. I’m embarrassed that I ever made that, period.”She concluded, “For now I just can’t exist on this channel. I want to hold myself accountable, and it’s painful to do it. I’m ashamed of things I’ve done and said in my past. But, it’s important.”

Marbles is one of the early social media stars, and became the first social media celebrity with a wax figure at Madame Tussauds in NYC.