Manny MUA Speaks Out on Being Canceled After Last Year's YouTube Dramaggedon
Updated Sept. 3 2019, 3:23 p.m. ET
In case you missed it when it all went down last summer, beauty YouTuber Manny MUA (aka Manny Gutierrez) was canceled by many following a rift between formerly close friends and vlogger stars Jeffree Star, Laura Lee, Gabriel Zamora, and Nikita Dragun.
But what exactly went down between them all, and why is Manny MUA still canceled? Keep reading for the only recap you need about last summer's YouTube Dramaggedon.
Why is Manny MUA canceled? He might not be anymore after his latest video.
On Sept. 1, Manny MUA posted a 35-minute-long video titled "I was 'Canceled' last year, let's finally talk about it" in which he addresses the scandal he was involved in during the summer of 2018.
"This video is for my audience... my ride-or-dies, the people who care for me the most. The people who care for me and comment on my posts asking how I've been, where I've been, how I am mentally. This video is for you guys, and it's for me," he begins.
Manny goes on to address how the past year has affected him and his mental health, in large part because of the thousands of followers he lost and the months he abstained from social media in the wake of being unfollowed.
As Tea Spill helpfully points out, the drama all began in August of 2018 when Gabriel Zamora tweeted "B---h is bitter because without him we're doing better" as the caption for a picture where Laura Lee, Manny, Nikita Dragun, and Gabriel himself are all out on the town together.
Of course, the "him" in question is Jeffree Star, highest grossing king of YouTube, whose net worth exceeds $50 million. Jeffree's huge net worth and social clout resulted in several stans backing him up, and only going in further when the group of vloggers called Jeffree racist.
The group's initial tweet began a mass snowball effect in which Jeffree's fans unearthed old racist tweets that Laura Lee and Gabriel Zamora had written — then called Manny a social climber because of his friendships with high-powered YouTubers — and before long, the whole group was canceled.
Manny posted his own apology video, "My reality check," a few days after the scandal. "I would change things if I could," the YouTuber said. "Jeffree has done so much for me in my life," he continued. "I would not be where I am today without Jeffree... if I could go back and fix things with Jeffree, I would."
Manny MUA has grown a lot and is now "the best person I can be."
In his most recent video, Manny addresses the past year of his life. "I got to the final point of why is this affecting me so much and honestly it was that I was scared of losing what I have," he said.
"I had worked years and years to become Manny MUA, to become this person people could look up to and see and be inspired by, and someone who has made a living off of that. And I was scared that was going to go away," he shared.
"When you get thrown on the ground, when you get kicked down on your ass five times, you get back up the sixth time," he continued. "You always get back up. Yes, I fell down, but I also got the f--k back up."
Fans are back aboard the Manny MUA train following this video and are accepting his apology as heartfelt and genuine. "I see negative comments saying, 'Oh, but it took you a whole year,'" one person wrote on YouTube.
"Change and growth don't happen overnight," it continued. "Real change takes time, it takes effort... You used whatever time was necessary to work on you, to fix you, to fix your life and that is what makes you real. You've grown tremendously in this time and I feel your sincerity. I love you, Manny! Fan for life."
Follow Manny on YouTube to see more of his videos.
