YouTube ‘prankster’ caught on camera shouting homophobic and racist abuse
A YouTube star with hundreds of thousands of followers has been caught on camera shouting homophobic and racist abuse.
Jack Jones has amassed a large teenage following on social media based around his videos, which feature pick-up lines and public ‘pranks’.
The Kent-based internet personality was the centre of controversy this week after a clip emerged of him shouting homophobic and racist abuse.
In a video filmed by a passer-by during an altercation, he is shown yelling at a man: “Go back to your own country you faggot, I’ll knock the f**k out of you! You have no money.”
The clip has amassed more than 6,000 retweets.
So Jack Jones the guy who does fake pranks is racist!! Fuck him pic.twitter.com/QarxxwwKqi
— Madting (@imjustbait) July 24, 2017
Given the prankster’s most-viewed videos include putting on a camp voice around police officers and asking men to ‘hold his balls’, we can’t say we’re particularly surprised.
Jones has not apologised for his comments despite a backlash on Twitter.
In his only comment on the matter, the YouTuber tweeted seven sheep emojis, in an apparent reference to the clip.
He added: “To all my haters … I love you.”
Though he has issued no public apology, Jones’ talent management agency sent PinkNews a statement purportedly from him.
In the agency statement, he claims: “I was out with my friends walking down the street. When a group of Russian men barged me and my friends and said what you going to do about you English scum!!
“They started being racist to my friend, so I got involved stupidly. I was really upset the way they treated us resulting in me lashing out with very poor of choice of words.
“I don’t condone racism in any form and those that know me know that I’m not homophobic in anyway. I’m truly sorry if I offended anyone with my choice of words.”
It’s not the first time a YouTube prankster with hundreds of thousands of followers has faced allegations of homophobia.
YouTuber NoBiggie recently filmed a video in which he sent flirtatious messages to a gay man while making homophobic comments about his reply.
During the video, he makes gagging sounds at the replies and brands them “disgusting” – despite being the one to provoke the messages.
His viewers weren’t too happy with the video, and many of them called him out on his homophobia.
One viewer wrote: “He flirts with a guy, gets disgusted because he flirts back, makes fun of it, posts the messages on the internet and thinks this is a good/funny prank.
“I hope that eventually he realises how stupid this video and feels embarrassed.”
The video was later deleted.
Another YouTube prankster, Andrea Russett, exposed the private profiles of Grindr users for an online prank.
