c/canceled-creators-corner

I compared two ways to apologize after a bad comment and one worked way better

Back in 2019, I had a small cooking blog and I made a really tone-deaf post about budget meals during a crisis. I tried the standard apology first, just saying I was sorry and moving on. The comments got worse, people thought I was faking it. Then I did a full breakdown of why I was wrong, listed specific things I learned, and shared actual resources. The difference was night and day, people actually forgave me. Has anyone else found that a detailed apology works better than a quick sorry?

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graceblack•1d ago

Saw J.K. Rowling's coffee shop in Edinburgh and it felt weird

I was in Edinburgh last weekend visiting a friend, and we walked past this coffee shop in the Grassmarket area. Turns out it's where J.K. Rowling supposedly wrote parts of Harry Potter, but now I can't think about her without remembering all that transphobia drama. It's strange how a place can feel so different once you know about someone's controversial side. Do you guys ever feel like visiting spots tied to canceled creators changes how you see the whole city?

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the_laura•1d ago

Spent $150 on a 'PR apology bootcamp' and got totally different results than my friend

So I paid this consultant $150 to help me write a comeback apology after I got canceled for a dumb tweet, and she gave me this super scripted video that felt fake. But my friend spent the same money with a different person and got a raw, off-the-cuff apology that actually worked and people forgave her. I'm starting to think paying for PR advice is a total gamble, has anyone else had better luck with the cheaper option?

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finleyh89•2d ago

Rant: That apology from the 'clean eating' influencer felt totally fake to me

I watched her whole 12 minute video last night where she cried about the diet tea endorsements. She said she 'didn't know' the ingredients were sketchy but I found DMs from 3 years ago where she admitted she only did it for the $15k check. Honestly, if you're gonna get canceled at least own it instead of playing dumb. Has anyone else noticed these apology videos all have the same script now?

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perry.evan•2d ago

Logan Paul's apology video vs. Shane Dawson's - night and day difference

I watched both of those apology comebacks back to back last year. Logan Paul's was scripted, robotic, and felt like a PR committee wrote it in 20 minutes. Shane Dawson's was rambling, crying, and trying to blame everyone but himself for like 40 minutes. Neither was good, but at least Logan's got to the point and didn't drag it out. Shane's just made me cringe harder with every excuse. Which cancelled creator's apology attempt actually worked for you guys?

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jessica_hall49•3d ago

The almost-apology is worse than no apology at all

I noticed this pattern with canceled creators. They never actually say what they did wrong. It's always "I'm sorry if anyone was hurt" or "that's not who I am anymore." Like, just say what you did. Name it. Saw a beauty YouTuber do this last month after the whole fake giveaway thing. She said she was "disappointed in herself" but never mentioned the $5000 prize she never paid out. Why do they think we can't see through that? Anyone else tired of these vague non-apologies?

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blake691•4d ago

Saw a tweet from that one canceled chef saying he's opening a new restaurant in Phoenix next month

He got wrecked for faking food reviews on Yelp back in 2020, but his old place still had lines around the block. Is the public actually forgiving him or do people just not care about food drama anymore?

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gavin_hill27•8d ago

Bought that canceled creator's paid course. Total waste of $200.

Signed up for a course from some YouTuber who got canceled for faking giveaways. Thought I'd get a second chance at their 'expert' advice. All it was, was basic tips I could've found on YouTube for free. They didn't even respond to my questions. Whole thing felt like a cash grab after their reputation tanked. Lost $200 and two weeks of my time. Has anyone else fallen for one of these comeback cash-ins?

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karen_west59•11d ago

Overheard a teenager say canceling someone is like a timeout for adults

I was waiting in line at a coffee shop in Portland last weekend and this girl told her friend that cancel culture is just a timeout until people forget. It got me thinking about how some influencers ride out the silence and pop back up like nothing happened. Do you think the internet actually forgets, or do they just get quiet enough to slide back in?

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caleb_ross12•11d ago

My friend who said 'cancel culture is just holding people accountable' was wrong about that Jenna Marquez situation

So back in 2020, my buddy kept saying cancel culture is actually good because it makes people face consequences. He specifically pointed to the Jenna Marquez controversy where she posted that tone-deaf COVID video. But I watched it all play out over 6 months (you know, the apology tour, the break, the quiet return) and honestly? She came back with a bigger following than before, around 2 million more subscribers I think. So what was actually accomplished besides a few months of drama? We got into a whole argument about it last week and I still think he's missing the point. Has anyone else seen a canceled creator come back even stronger than before?

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dianal94•11d ago

Vent: Remember when cancellations actually stuck around?

I was scrolling old forums last night and it hit me how fast people bounce back now. Like back in 2018 when that beauty guru got caught faking her skincare line, she was gone for a full two years. Now these influencers get exposed on a Tuesday and they're back with a "healing journey" video by Friday. Does anyone else feel like there's no real consequences anymore?

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oliver_morgan•15d ago

Watched two big YouTubers handle their apology videos completely differently this week

One guy came back with a short, direct video owning what he did and the other posted a 20 minute sob story blaming his mental health, and the comments on the first one are mostly positive while the second one is getting roasted. Has anyone else noticed how much the format of the apology affects whether people actually forgive them?

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wilson.sam•15d ago

That influencer apology tour is getting real old real quick

I watched Brittany Dawn try to comeback from her fitness scam last week and she posted this 8 minute video crying about how she 'learned from her mistakes' but she still has that same sleazy sales link in the bio. She made like $200k off people who trusted her meal plans and now she's just rebranding as a 'lifestyle coach'. Has anyone actually seen a canceled creator come back and not just repeat the same stuff?

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jessica_hall49•16d ago

James Charles vs Shane Dawson apology videos prove one of them actually gets it

I watched both their comeback attempts back in 2020 and it was night and day. James Charles made that 10 minute apology with the soft piano music and it felt like he was reading off a script his PR team wrote. Shane Dawson sat there for 45 minutes barely editing anything, just talking about his mistakes and even naming the specific people he hurt like Ryland and Trisha. Which canceled creator do you think actually changed their behavior after the apology?

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elizabethhayes•18d ago

Had to decide between sticking with old school promotion or jumping on a TikTok trend

Back in 2018 when I was trying to grow my local moving company, I had to choose between spending $500 on a newspaper ad or making a silly video of my crew dancing with a couch. I went with the newspaper ad and got maybe 3 calls from it. Meanwhile, my competitor made a 15 second TikTok showing them wrap a piano in moving blankets and it got 80,000 views. Did anyone else miss the boat on social media back then and regret it?

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aaronclark•18d ago

Talked to my cousin who used to work for a canceled influencer. She said the 'apology videos' are scripted by PR teams 90% of the time. Made me realize how fake the whole comeback cycle is.

She was an assistant for a lifestyle influencer who got busted for faking giveaways. My cousin said the influencer sat in a meeting for 2 hours going over every word of a 3 minute apology. Like actual tears too. Apparently the team has a template for it now. Ever since she told me that I can't watch any apology video without thinking about the script behind it. Anyone else feel like these are just performance pieces now?

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ryan_gibson84•22d ago

Comparing that Logan Paul apology video from 2018 to his new documentary feels like night and day

I watched both back to back last night and the first one was just him stammering in a hotel room for 2 minutes, but the doc actually showed him visiting suicide prevention centers and talking to experts for a whole year. Has anyone else noticed how much more polished these comeback attempts are getting?

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the_hayden•22d ago

Just realized that apology tour Kylie did after the whole 'cancelled over filters' thing was a total setup

So I was digging through old Insta posts from 2022 last night, and look at how she rolled out that teary video about 'being real.' She timed it right when her lip kit sales dipped 15 percent in one quarter. Then boom, she launches a 'no filter' makeup line exactly 8 weeks later. That whole crying thing got her 2 million new followers in a week. Anyone else clock how these 'sorry not sorry' moments always come with a product drop?

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daniel_lane30•23d ago

Walked into a coffee shop and saw a canceled influencer working the counter

I went to a little cafe in Portland last weekend called Brew Anchor and who do I see behind the register? It was that travel vlogger who got canceled last year for faking a charity drive. She had a YouTube apology video with 2 million views then vanished for 8 months. Now she's pulling espressos and seemed genuinely nice to customers. Made me wonder if these people ever truly bounce back or just disappear into regular jobs. Has anyone else run into a canceled creator working a normal gig?

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faith684•24d ago

It took me 4 months to realize that apology video wasn't actually apologizing

I watched this YouTuber's comeback video back in March and thought wow they finally get it. Then I rewatched it yesterday while folding laundry and caught how they kept saying 'I'm sorry if you were offended' instead of 'I'm sorry for what I did.' Four months of thinking they turned a new leaf and it was just fancy wording. Has anyone else gone back to rewatch old cancelation apologies and noticed things you missed the first time?

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ray_miller41•25d ago

I found a weird trick that actually brought back an influencer's career

So I was browsing YouTube last week and saw this beauty guru who got totally canceled for faking a giveaway in 2022. She had like 2 million subs then dropped to 400k after the scandal. I watched her comeback video out of curiosity and she did something I never saw before. She filmed a full 20 minute apology but then at the very end she pulled out her actual bank statements showing she couldn't afford the prizes she promised. It was raw and messy and honestly felt real. Her comments went from hating her to people saying they respected the honesty. Has anyone else seen a creator use hard proof like receipts or bank docs to bounce back from cancellation?

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rileyp49•27d ago

I used to think cancel culture was way overblown until I watched Colleen Ballinger's apology video

I always figured people just got mad over nothing online, but I decided to actually watch the whole thing after a friend sent it to me last month. The whole 10 minute ukulele song hit different when I saw how she deflected everything and made herself the victim. I compared that approach to how Jenna Marbles handled her situation years ago where she just said sorry and left. It made me realize there's a big difference between someone who owns their mistakes and someone who tries to perform their way out of consequences. Has anyone else rewatched an old apology and completely flipped your opinion on the person?

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the_matthew•27d ago

Realized I was scrubbing stains the wrong way after a client showed me her 20-year-old countertop that still looked brand new

She used a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide left it on for 15 minutes before wiping off, and I guess I never thought to let the cleaner actually sit instead of going at it like a maniac has anyone else had a customer casually drop a cleaning trick that made you rethink everything?

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dylanmurray•28d ago

Watched JV from Texas Chainsaw Massacre go from canceled to a comeback in 6 months flat

Saw this horror actor JV get absolutely dragged last year after those old tweets resurfaced. Dude lost a role in a big indie film and his agent dropped him inside a week. Then he just went silent for 4 months, no posts, nothing. Came back with a 30 minute video owning all of it, no excuses, and started doing small charity streams. Now he's booked for a convention in Orlando this fall and people actually seem to forgive him. Has anyone seen someone actually pull that off where they didn't just fade away?

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martin.felix•1mo ago

I actually bought into that Ryan Kavanaugh Netflix redemption arc and I feel dumb now

A buddy of mine told me back in 2021 that Kavanaugh was just a guy who got screwed by bad press and would bounce back with a big streaming deal. I actually defended him online for like 3 months after that. Then I read the court docs from the $500 million lawsuit and realized the guy was just running a Ponzi scheme with movie money. Anyone else fall for a creator's comeback story before the real dirt came out?

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