I stopped in on Twitter earlier to post a quick update and check messages, and was quickly confronted with some unpleasant news that has left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. It's pure Internet drama and I don't really want anything to do with it, but I also feel like working through some thoughts on "paper" might help my addled brain process it all somewhat.
You may recall that a while back I cited a YouTuber named ProJared (aka Jared Knabenbauer) as something of an inspiration for my video work in particular. Today he released a statement indicating that he and his wife Heidi would be divorcing. I had no idea that there were problems there, and indeed just recently my wife Andie and I watched through their "couple" playthrough of visual novel Asagao Academy; it was a delightfully wholesome watch that I enjoyed a great deal.
Everything I've seen on the subject so far is hearsay and Internet gossip, but there are several recurring accusations: Heidi claims that Jared was abusive and adulterous; supposedly Jared cheated on Heidi with another YouTuber named "Commander Holly" (who either was or is married to someone Jared knows, and has clearly been a friend of Jared for many years, as he often names RPG characters after her); and allegedly Jared sent inappropriate pictures of himself to fans via Snapchat.
At this point, I don't know how much of this is true — or indeed if any of it is true. The one fact of the matter is that Jared and Heidi are divorcing. The information regarding Heidi and Holly appears to be very much he-said-she-said right now, and frankly that stuff is no-one's business but their own. And as for the inappropriate images, the few that I've seen shared could be anyone. It wouldn't be the first time that someone has had fake images circulated in order to discredit them… but equally, it is also possible that they are real. (EDIT: I've since seen a couple more that look very much like him, lending some credence to this particular accusation, which is really unfortunate.)
I'm struggling to know whether or not I actually care or if I should care. One thing I do know is that I feel extremely uncomfortable seeing the "witch hunt" play out right now, with Jared suffering a torrent of abuse via all forms of social media, including the comments on his videos. Having been on the receiving end of cheating on more than one occasion, I don't like to feel that someone I like and respect might have been involved in that sort of behaviour… but I also know how much the Internet likes to jump on people the moment they smell blood. Particularly if there are past grievances involved.
It seems a lot of people interested in jumping on Jared right now are fans of the YouTuber JonTron, who was once part of the "NormalBoots" collective alongside Jared and a number of others. JonTron left the group (supposedly voluntarily) shortly after a high-profile incident in which he made some ill-advised comments regarding race on a debate stream, and since Jared tends to err on the "progressive" side of things (albeit without being the sort of perpetually offended outrage machine typically associated with that ideology) it seems he was at least partly blamed for JonTron being driven out.
Frankly, I don't really care about that side of the drama, because that's all it is: drama; the sort of "celebrity" gossip you'd find in a bottom-tier tabloid rag, only involving Internet personalities rather than people more broadly recognised in popular culture. What I do care about is someone I like and respect perhaps not being the person I thought they were — but at the same time feeling bad for the hailstorm of abuse they're enduring right now.
Suffice to say, my feelings on the matter are somewhat complicated, particularly as I'm aware that Jared has struggled with numerous mental health and self-esteem issues that I could very much relate to… and I find myself once again feeling quite grateful that 1) I'm a relative "nobody" in terms of broader Internet culture, and 2) I've never done anything that anyone might want to dig up and destroy me with.
TL;DR – feels bad, man
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