Why Did YouTube Spotlight A Scammer And An Accused Abuser At Its ...
Maybe your like
- Search Result
Austin McBroom and Johnson were highlighted by YouTube in a presentation to creators. Why? Credit: The YouTube channels of The ACE Family and Gus Johnson In its effort to remain family-friendly and woo advertisers, YouTube has often struggled to please its vast, diverse community of creators. It seems that the brand's first-ever "Made on YouTube" event, held this morning, was an attempt to strengthen that relationship by showing creators how much YouTube cares about their work and revenue streams. Unfortunately, the event proved that they still have a ways to go.
The event opened with a montage of popular creators making their first YouTube videos, reaching subscriber milestones, and saying nice things about all the opportunities YouTube has given them.
SEE ALSO: YouTube Rewind is dead. Can Escape2021 take its place?It featured all the usual suspects — squeaky-clean YouTube corporate favorites Mark Rober, Marques Brownlee, Simone Giertz, and Binging with Babish, artists Dua Lipa, Lizzo, and Conan Grey, the platform's highest-earning creator MrBeast, and streamers TommyInnit, Dream, and Valkyrae. But two very surprising faces were also included: the ACE Family's Austin McBroom and comedian Gus Johnson.
You May Also LikeIt's hard to explain just how incredibly odd and wildly out of touch these choices are, because they both represent parts of the platform YouTube would rather pretend didn't exist.
A screenshot of a clip of Austin McBroom used during the Made on YouTube event. The cut is from an ACE Family video titled "2 MILLION ACE FAMILY MEMBERS!!!" posted in 2017. McBroom stares at a large television screen waiting for the channel's subscriber count to hit two million. Credit: YouTube / The ACE Family
A screenshot of a clip of Gus Johnson used during the Made on YouTube event. The cut is from a video posted in 2021 titled "thank you for 3 million! (Q&A too)" and Johnson is heard saying "That blows my mind, so thank you!" Credit: YouTube/ Gus Johnson The ACE Family is notorious for a series of failed business ventures and scammy sales practices, and they've been loudly called out by the YouTube community since at least 2018. They're so well-known on the platform that anyone who has paid even a skosh of attention to YouTube in the past few years would be aware of their poor reputation.
Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. Loading... Sign Me Up Use this instead By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!But, let's say you aren't on YouTube a whole lot. Simply Googling "the ACE family" brings up featured snippets with the questions like "what is the ACE Family controversy?" and "how much debt is the ACE Family in?" Just below that is a report from Insider on the family's shady business dealings.
Googling "the ACE family" brings up featured snippet with the questions "What is the ACE family controversy?" and "How much debt is the ACE Family in?" Credit: Google Gus Johnson, meanwhile, was a popular creator until late last year when his ex-girlfriend Abelina Rios accused him of emotional abuse and neglect as she struggled with an ectopic pregnancy that almost killed her. Rios had been part of content on Johnson's channel between 2018 and 2020, and their videos together are still up on the channel. As Newsweek recapped, Johnson made an apology for his behavior, which Rios did not accept.
Johnson's channel has since taken a significant hit in subscriber count and viewership after Rio's went public with her side of the story. He's lost more than 350,000 subscribers since Rio's video was published. That makes it even weirder that YouTube highlighted him in a celebratory medley of creators.
Johnson's weekly subscribers and view counts gains, which dipped after his ex-girlfriend shared her story of emotional abuse in October 2021.. Credit: Socialblade So, what the hell happened here?
It's no secret that YouTube is fighting a constant battle against its ignorance of its own platform. But to show their cards at this event, in particular, is embarrassing. It'd be one thing to feed McBroom and Johnson to advertisers who are more interested in a creator's shiny facade than the intricacies of their reputation in the YouTube community. But it's another thing entirely to highlight McBroom and Johnson at an event for creators, held specifically to convince creators that you understand them.
The choice proves just how out of touch YouTube remains when it comes to the issues in their community, and why an event like "Made on YouTube" might still fall flat for the very creators it's meant to serve.
Topics YouTube
Elizabeth is a digital culture reporter covering the internet's influence on self-expression, fashion, and fandom. Her work explores how technology shapes our identities, communities, and emotions. Before joining Mashable, Elizabeth spent six years in tech. Her reporting can be found in Rolling Stone, The Guardian, TIME, and Teen Vogue. Follow her on Instagram here.
Recommended For You Why did YouTube unlist all of its past YouTube Rewind videos? What's going on here? 12/10/2025 By Matt Binder
DoorDash nightmare as driver accused of spraying substance on food Some mistakes were made here. 12/16/2025 By Alex Perry
YouTube will stop giving Billboard its music streaming data Streaming your fav's music video on YouTube won't help them climb the charts any more. 12/18/2025 By Amanda Yeo
Apple TV Event: Trailers, season premiere dates and more 02/03/2026 By Shannon Connellan , Belen Edwards , and Eric Miller
'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' trailer sees Josh O'Connor accused of an impossible crime Could this be the case that cracks Benoit Blanc? 11/17/2025 By Shannon Connellan
More in Life National Pizza Day 2026 is here — celebrate with deals and freebies from 7-Eleven, Chuck E. Cheese, and more Monday never tasted so good. 6 minutes ago By Joseph Green
Dunkin' is giving away free iced coffee on Feb. 9 — use this promo code to qualify Recover from last night with this promo code. 7 minutes ago By Joseph Green
The best last-minute Valentine's Day gift? Discounted gift cards at Amazon Save up to 20% on brands like Bath & Body Works, Uber Eats, and Fandango. 2 hours ago By Tabitha Britt
Starbucks is giving away free coffee on Monday, Feb. 9 — how to get yours Everyone scores on "Starbucks Monday." 3 hours ago By Haley Henschel
The Pokémon TCG Trainer’s Toolkit is at a record-low price at Amazon — save over $20 Build competitive Pokémon TCG decks for less than $35. 6 hours ago By Ben Williams
Trending on Mashable NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 9, 2026 Everything you need to solve 'Connections' #974. 14 hours ago By Mashable Team
Every song in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show setlist From early hits to recent fan favorites, this was the full halftime setlist. 16 hours ago By Crystal Bell
Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 9, 2026 Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the answer to "Wordle" #1696. 14 hours ago By Mashable Team
Bad Bunny's 'Ocasio 64' jersey meaning explained The hidden meaning behind Bad Bunny's "Ocasio 64" Super Bowl halftime jersey. 14 hours ago By Crystal Bell
ChatGPT caricature trend: What it is, prompt to try it. Here's how you can generate your own. 02/04/2026 By Matt Binder
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox. Loading... Sign Me Up Use this instead These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox! Tag » What Did Gus Johnson Do
-
Gus Johnson Claims Abelina Sabrina Video Denouncing YouTuber ...
-
Youtuber Gus Johnson Exposed For Alleged Abuse Against Ex ...
-
Turns Out Gus Johnson Is A Piece Of Shit Who Emotionally Abused ...
-
Who Is Gus Johnson? Abelina Sabrina Allegations Explained
-
Gus Johnson Controversy Explained - YouTube
-
Gus Johnson Drama Explained As Ex-girlfriend Abelina Sabrina ...
-
Gus Johnson (comedian) - Wikipedia
-
What Did Gus Johnson Do? Abelina Sabrina Pregnancy Story ...
-
Who Is Gus Johnson And Why Did Him And Abelina Sabrina Break Up?
-
Gus Johnson Addresses Abelina Sabrina Allegations In New ... - HITC
-
What Did Abelina Sabrina Have To Say Regarding Gus Johnson?
-
What Did Gus Johnson Do Wrong [Solved] 2022 - Nohockeylockout
-
Gus Johnson Abuse Allegations - Know Your Meme
-
Detailed Timeline Of The Gus Johnson-Abelina Sabrina Controversy