Jon Jafari, known as JonTron on YouTube, tweeted about his recent hiatus from video making. “I am working on stuff, not dead, just taking a bit longer than expected,” Jafari writes. Normally, a content creator taking a bit longer to produce a video wouldn’t pique my interest, but JonTron is a whole other beast. Almost overnight, he went from being the face of a beloved video game commentary channel to a controversial talking head who spewed vile racist rhetoric.
Just an update for those asking -- I am working on stuff, not dead, just taking a bit longer than expected. Thanks for your patience :)
— Jon Jafari (@JonTronShow) June 25, 2017
In March, Jaffari got into the middle of an internet shit storm when he defended a radical white nationalist on Twitter and then doubled down on the racist rhetoric in a debate with another YouTuber, Destiny. He went on to espouse some disgusting racist theories about how minority communities are "turning everyone against each other.” Fans who have watched the JonTron channel grow from a small video game commentary site to a juggernaut with millions of subscribers were disgusted, unsubscribing by the thousands.
The last video posted to the JonTron channel was an “apology” where Jafari defended the bulk of what he said. “I was trying to speak to the increasing tribalization of our culture,” Jafari says. The video was unlisted, meaning that people who subscribed wouldn’t even know about it’s existence. Since then, he’s remained relatively quiet on social media, posting a harmless meme here and there.
JonTron’s racist tirade really affected me. I’ve been a fan of his channel for years, ever since I first discovered Normal Boots all those years ago. He made high-quality videos about bootleg Disney games and Food Fight , the sort of stuff that all video game fans could enjoy. Whenever I saw he uploaded a new video, I stopped whatever I was doing and watched. My day got better when I heard that catchy theme song and saw Jacques the parakeet.
The only malice or hate in JonTron’s videos were directed at the game or movie, not at races of people. I had heard through friends who hadmet him that he was kind of a dick, but maybe they just had a bad experience? I lauded JonTron as one of the best content creators on YouTube, up there with VideoGameDunkey and the Game Theorists . Then, in a flash of misguided passion, my admiration went up in smoke.
What made the news about JonTron so terrible is how off guard it caught me. I had just showed my girlfriend some of his videos, which she enjoyed a lot. We sat for hours going through his YouTube back catalog, glued to my laptop screen. About a week later the Destiny interview went online and she watched the whole thing. JonTron’s videos were no longer watchable.
Finding out someone you admired is actually a terrible person is never easy. I can’t listen to my Bill Cosby’s greatest hits album I got from my dad or watch Annie Hall without a little discomfort. If you’re one of those people that can separate the art from the artist, then you can still get some enjoyment out of these.
I can’t, and I hope Jontron never releases another video again. You’ve already ruined your legacy, we don’t want you back.
