Sorry, Not Sorry: Influencer Apology Videos

For celebrities, saying a simple apology seems to be an increasingly difficult task. Now that cancel culture has become commonplace on social media, public figures can no longer get off scot-free for things they may have done even decades prior. Mistakes, offensive comments, and problematic behaviors that were buried deep underground or simply ignored now rise to the surface and are judged under today’s moral and social standards. To confront public outrage, influencers have moved to posting long-winded or just bizarre YouTube videos, spur-of-the-moment social media messages, and even screenshots of their Notes app. The pressure to apologize has never been greater, yet the execution of these apologies remains inefficient, deeply flawed, and sometimes even worse than the original offense.

Apology videos have existed in various forms for decades, starting from traditional TV apologies to public statements released by companies, politicians, and celebrities’ PR teams. However, the rise of YouTubers, influencers, and social media personalities has led to the creation of apology videos as a distinct genre, now that digital platforms and social media are more interactive. The main goal of these videos isn’t exactly to demonstrate guilt and sincerely apologize to people who have been wronged, but more so to quell backlash and try to recover the influencer’s credibility with their fanbase. The stakes are high, as a poorly executed apology can lead to further alienation and, in some extreme cases, the entire loss of an audience. 

Many struggle to strike the right balance between taking responsibility and protecting their careers. Some offer apologies that are too vague, filled with passive language that avoids direct accountability. Oftentimes, phrases like “I’m sorry if anyone was offended” and “that was never my intention” shift the burden onto the audience and the community that was hurt rather than fully admitting wrongdoing. Meanwhile, other influencers may overcompensate by delivering overly dramatic apologies that feel performative and insincere. The apologizer could appear incredibly emotional, with exaggerated edits, depressing music, and rehearsed speeches read off a script.

One of the most recent and bizarre by far has been the apology video (if it can even be called that) posted by YouTuber and comedian Colleen Ballinger in June of 2023. On her popular YouTube channel, Ballinger performed an original song called “The Toxic Gossip Train” and played the ukulele for ten minutes straight in response to allegations of having inappropriate relationships with underage fans. She sings that her PR team had advised her not to say what she wants, but they hadn’t told her that she couldn’t sing it. In the video’s entirety, she doesn’t actually apologize, instead stating that she believes the controversy around her was based on cancel culture, not the multiple records of the accusations. Ballinger’s song was met with immediate backlash, with many criticizing it for its flippant and unserious tone and failure to address the severity of the allegations. The unique decision to sing the apology rather than speak sincerely only fueled further mockery; within hours, videos, memes, and parodies flooded social media and cemented “The Toxic Gossip Train” scandal as one of the most infamous apology videos in recent history.

In the same vein, Sienna Mae, a TikToker famous for her videos urging “body positivity”,  created an equally ludicrous video after she was videotaped inappropriately touching an unconscious man at a party. After social media users flooded her various social media accounts with disapproving comments, she posted a YouTube video in which she performed a dance to Sam Smith’s “Young,” which included notable quotes such as, “I did nothing wrong, I’m young” and “All I wanna do is get a little wild.”  Rather than genuinely addressing the very serious allegations against her, Mae chose to frame the situation as a personal struggle of youth and self-discovery, completely disregarding the harm she has done. Naturally, the video was widely criticized for its bizarre and insensitive attempt to minimize the controversy, and many viewers found it to be an insult to the victim.

The creation of apology videos has become an almost expected aspect of the influencer experience. Online audiences have an ever-watchful eye on possible social media scandals, forcing public figures to be prepared to navigate controversies and public scrutiny at any given moment. Practically a genre, apology videos are so integral that James Charles, a popular beauty influencer and makeup artist, in his 2021 YouTube reality competition, Instant Influencer, made it a challenge in one episode. Contestants were tasked with crafting their own apology videos within fifteen minutes based on minor scandals, such as missing a meet-and-greet, titling videos with obvious clickbait, and even putting ads in the middle of an earlier apology video. The training reinforced the performative nature of influencer apologies, in that they can be carefully curated and faked to minimize backlash while maintaining some level of pathos. James Charles’ decision to include this as a challenge in a show to mentor up-and-coming influencers reflects are truly ingrained apology videos have become in celebrity culture; at this point, it seems to be an expected rite of passage.

Has the rise of “cancel culture” made these posts inevitable, or should influencers and celebrities simply strive to be better from the start? It’s possible that today’s audiences tend to be more sensitive and demand accountability, creating an environment where no public figure is safe from scrutiny. Past mistakes, even those that are decades old, require influencers to repeatedly address their actions under changing social standards. The pressure to apologize has never been greater, and yet many of these apologies feel more like strategic performances than genuine attempts at accountability. Perhaps the root issue is not the demand for public apologies, but rather the lack of integrity among many influencers in the first place. If people with massive platforms acted with sincerity and considered other perspectives and communities from the beginning, the need for such frequent and performative apologies might not be so large. In the end, a well-produced, emotionally intense YouTube video or a carefully worded Notes app statement doesn’t equate to genuine growth. Instead of perfecting the art of an apology, maybe influencers should focus on using their platforms responsibly and self-reflect before public reaction to a controversy forces them to do so. Perhaps the real solution isn’t learning how to apologize better, but simply being better in the first place.

Sources:

Toxic Gossip Train: https://youtu.be/ceKMnyMYIMo?si=fnnJDLt5q5iDMNI3

Sienna Mae’s Dance: https://youtu.be/1eU2Da3wlXQ?si=sIDINaiVr11TarON

Instant Influencer: https://youtu.be/AGL7ealeXpw?si=V9oC3q3FEKPrRU5C