A YouTuber has called out two TikTok stars after they released a disturbing and extremely unfunny domestic abuse ‘prank’ video.
Kurtis Conner, who has 1.88 million subscribers on his popular YouTube channel, has criticised Sebastian Bails and Lauren Godwin after they filmed themselves acting out a scene of domestic abuse as a ‘prank’.
The video – entitled ‘Fighting In Front Of Our Friends Prank *Bad Idea*’ – showed the pair shouting at each other on a balcony while pretending to be in an abusive relationship. At one point, fake blood was thrown against a wall in a bid to feign a violent injury.
You can watch the ‘prank’ for yourself below:
The video has since gained millions of views, with many viewers expressing complete horror that Bails and Godwin would set such an abysmal example for their young fanbase.
According to statistics published by UN Women, over one third (30,000) of women murdered in 2017 died at the hands of their current or former intimate partner.
In the UK alone, a devastating 173 people were killed in domestic violence-related homicides in 2018, showing a notable increase of 32 deaths from 2017.
The fact that two individuals with such prominent platforms would choose to make light of such a serious topic is alarming to say the least.
However, social media star Conner has demonstrated how the medium viral video can be put to good use, openly condemning the prank which he has stated made him feel ‘very upset’.
Speaking with fellow YouTuber and friend Jacob Sharpe, Conner said:
I just don’t like when people have a younger audience – because I doubt there’s f*cking 30-year-olds watching this – making content like this for a younger audience.
[They’re] very impressionable, thinking that that’s okay to do as like ‘oh it’s funny, sometimes relationships are just like that’.
I think the very least this guy could do is donate any money that he made from this to a women’s home or something like that, but you know he’s not going to f*cking do that.
You can watch Conner’s reaction below:
In a follow up vid, Conner included a link to domestic abuse charity loveisrespect in a bid to fundraise $10,000. He promised to match whatever was raised up to that stated amount.
As reported by Business Insider, Conner’s followers hit the donation goal in less than 12 hours, with over $16,000 having been raised so far.
Speaking with Business Insider about his fans’ generosity, Conner said:
It’s been amazing seeing so much support from my fans and I’m so happy that I have such an amazing group of people supporting me,
It’s been overwhelming seeing all the stories and experiences people have been telling me. I knew domestic abuse was an issue, but I had no idea it was so common.
Bails has since publicly apologised for any hurt caused by the prank, tweeting:
For everyone saying I need to donate the money for the ‘fighting in front of our friends prank’ I just would like to clarify that the video demonetized for obvious reasons then only placed with limited ads I literally made $93 dollars… Again. I’m sorry for anyone I hurt.
That was not my intentions of the video and I take full responsibility on my part for doing the video. I should have never followed the trend and should have thought more about my actions before publicizing them. I definitely learned a lot and will not take this lightly. I’m sorry.
Conner told UNILAD:
Us creators have a responsibility with the messages we send out from our content – we have a big platform and have voices loud enough to help make a change. It’s not cool when you use your platform to make light of very serious situations, like domestic violence.
You can donate to Conner’s fundraiser here.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues, and want to speak to someone in confidence contact the 24-hour National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247. Do not suffer in silence.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.