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Teacher: There are three states of matter. Kid who knows about plasma: 42:36 YOU'VE BEEN LIED TO 3.2M views 4 weeks ago

BizarreHD 5 hours ago Just pointing out pewdiepie again is the only youtuber who said it seemed fishy and said to wait for projared side... he did the same with James Charles, pewdiepie more unbiased than these news channels Imao 128 REPLY Hide replies Sola 1 hour ago (edited) (I don't watch Felix much anymore, so I'm taking your word for it.) You have to be careful when you have over 10 million people (or whatever his usual views are) listening to you, ears perked, ready to mob someone. That and he's been on the receiving end of scandals more times thanI can count, so he probably knows what it's like to be on the receiving end. Many people who jump onto hate trains are too simple-minded to put themselves into another person's place to see that maybe, just maybe, they need to wait for an official statement. Show less 12 REPLY

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Mike Pixley sooN NJgamercon Follow @Pikusuri_San Replying to @HollyConrad As someone who killed themselves going through the facts, the convos, talking to people involved, and putting out a video that hurt me as a ex fan to make, i find it particularly sad that youre spreading this holly. Most of 2018 is left out of this video. A time period in which 11:26 AM - 19 Jul 2019 1 Retweet 134 Likes 1 9 134 Tweet your reply NJgamercon @Pikusuri_San Jul 19 Mike Pixley SOON Replying to @Pikusuri_San @HollyConrad You are WELL AWARE more went down than is portrayed here. Just because this kid went hard on you and you're posting this DOESNT show humility, it's STILL what you want people to see regarding jared. It STILL benefits the credibility you want people to see. I continue to follow u 114

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Overview

ProJared Cheating Scandal refers to allegations that YouTuber ProJared, real name Jared Knabenbauer, cheated on his wife Heidi O'Ferrall with YouTuber Holly Conrad, also known as Commander Holly and the ex-wife of Game Grumps alum Ross O'Donovan. Furthermore, O'Ferrall alleged that Knabenbauer solicited and sent nudes to fans, some of whom were underage, via Snapchat while they were together. This was corroborated by several Twitter users who shared their messages with Knabenbauer on Twitter. Jared denied the allegations of inappropriate solicitation and stated Heidi had given him her blessing to pursue his feelings for Holly and changed her mind afterwards.

Background

On May 9th 2019, ProJared announced that he and his wife Heidi O'Ferrall were getting a divorce in a statement posted to Twitter (shown below).^[1]

message from ProJared announcing he and his wife Heidi have split

The announcement made the split seem amicable, but shortly after it was posted, O'Ferrall posted several tweets alleging that Knabenbauer had been cheating on her with Holly Conrad, known as Commander Holly on YouTube, the ex-wife of Ross O'Donovan of Game Grumps (shown below).

Heidi O'Ferrall tweet saying ProJared cheated on her with Holly Conrad and that he blocked her on Twitter

Heidi O'Ferrall describing confronting ProJared about his cheating

Heidi O'Ferrall @AtelierHeidi 10h I have spent the last year in near isolation, ostracized from Jared's friend group because he made it clear to me that I was not welcome around them even when we were "still together". He had to keep me separate to keep up his lies. Heidi O'Ferrall @AtelierHeidi 10h He told his friends a version of events that omits his infidelity and portrays me as an aggressive and unreasonable person. As though I'm randomly angry and upset all the time, for no reason at all. It's because he's abusing me Heidi O'Ferrall @AtelierHeidi 10h His statement is nothing more than an attempt to silence me before I can reveal anything. I gave him the opportunity to make a statement about his infidelity before I did. I told him it would be less embarrassing for him if he was honest with his own friends first. He declined Heidi O'Ferrall @AtelierHeidi 10h I'm honestly shocked that he posted this today because it's so blatantly selfish. This isn't a mutual statement in any way. I did tell him that I wouldn't sign an NDA regarding his behavior. I've suffered enough to sell him my dignity too

Furthermore, she alleged that he solicited from and sent nudes to fans via Snapchat (shown below, left). She also called out Conrad saying she looked "insecure" in the nudes she sent to Knabenbauer (shown below, right).

Heidi O'Ferrall accusing ProJared of soliciting nudes from fans behind her back

Heidi O'Ferrall calling out Holly Conrad about her self esteem issues

Conrad had initially replied to Knabenbauer's tweet saying she was there to support him if he needed (shown below, left). She later stated "If you want to believe a hyperbolic statement from someone you don’t know on the Internet with no previous background information and use it to demonize strangers, so be it" (shown below, right).

Holly Conrad tweet to ProJared saying she supports him

Holly Conrad tweet donwplaying the cheating scandal

Developments

After the scandal, ProJared's subscriber count on YouTube quickly plummeted by the thousands. As of May 9th, 11:55 AM EST, it has dropped to 998,000 and continues to decline.^[5]

O'Ferrall's allegations about Knabenbauer sending nudes to fans was corroborated by many who came forward with stories about receiving nudes from ProJared and being asked to send nudes, including users @DetectiveChungy (shown below, left) and @anchinomy (shown below, right).

tweet sharing nudes received from ProJared

picture of a chat between fan and ProJared discussing adult themes

One user, @ChaiTemporary^[6] posted a statement to Twitter that Knabenbauer had solicited nudes from him when he was 16 (shown below, left). Another user named @swampborzoi^[7] described a similar situation (shown below, right). Both statements were covered by The Verge.^[8]

tweet accusing ProJared of soliciting nudes from underage person

charlie) @swampborzoi Follow hey, im going to come out with my experience with jared. i will be posting evidence in this thread. I, Chai, just came out and posted his story on twitter so fg er person he mentioned in the post. I do have evidence, but ry personal and this I'm not comfortable with releasing all o in this thread e d the same age as Chai (15-16), I was a really, realy big fa emed harmless! And, of course, I thought it was funny gs on Tumblr. It was just a joke at first. calated. He, though I don't have evidence (he deleted his Tuter finding out we went through the same s--- r up evidence), started becoming very open to his followers e we stated couraged it- on a blog that was in no way age restricted. A released anytime soon due to its personal co sults on this evidence against him, hoping that maybe we below ged both me and Chai on twitter asking for o at tirst, but as Chai felt uncomfortable and w man, I'm sure he understands that a significant chunk of his nformation to Jared. We have reason to think choolers. An open invitation to send him nudes is oddly prechehing at we in no way gave consent to. Pi ng and inexcusable for a content creator to put out there, especially when there ood portion of his following) sending you nudes d's manipulatve behavior is coming to light. I g this in. I support every person coming forw 12:56 PM-9 May 2019

As the scandal developed Keemstar posted a video recapping the situation up to that point (shown below).

The scandal was covered by Daily Dot^[2] and Gaming Revolution.^[3] A thread on the scandal gained over 6,500 points on /r/LiveStreamFail.^[4] Meanwhile, some on Twitter took the opportunity to defend JonTron after his racism scandal which caused "JonTron" to trend, as he was once part of the NormalBoots network which also includes ProJared. However, most of the discussion regarding was commentary that Jontron was irrelevant to the situation (examples shown below).

community meme about JonTron fans excusing his racism while attacking ProJared for infidelity

graph showing no correlation between JonTron and ProJared's scandals

Meanwhile, other Twitter users made memes about the situation. Popular examples include a post by @minmodulation that used the You Cheated Not Only the Game, But Yourself copypasta and gained over 1,000 retweets and 3,000 likes (shown below, left). User @WarrenIsDead made a parody of the situation by fitting the characters into the lyrics of "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode, gaining over 490 retweets and 2,500 likes (shown below, right).

You Cheated Not Only the Game, But Yourself meme changed to be about infidelity with a picture of ProJared

lyrics to the song Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode changed to be about ProJared's cheating scandal

ProJared Response

On May 17th, 2019, ProJared tweeted a statement addressing the previous week's controversy,^[9] gaining over 780 retweets, 5,500 likes, and 11,000 replies. In his statement, he stated O'Ferrall had suggested the two enter an open relationship several years prior, as O'Ferrall had already had "several casual partners." He also said O'Ferrall encouraged him to tell Holly Conrad his feelings for her, but when he did, O'Ferrall became angry and called him a cheater who was destroying their marriage. He defended himself from being an abuser to O'Ferrall, though he did not address the allegations he had solicited nudes from fans.

I am deeply sorry to anyone who has seen the accusations, vitriol, or unwanted photos that my former partner Heidi and others have been posting online since last Wednesday, May 8, 2019. The truth is that Heidi and my marriage has been in a bad place for some time. I never wanted any of those details to become public, for both Heidi and my mental well-being. But they have, and the accusations being made now must be addressed. A few years ago, Heidi asked me if we could be in an open, polyamorous marriage. I recognize now that this request, and my willingness to go along with it, was an unhealthy attempt to solve deeper issues that had developed within our marriage. Heidi has taken several casual partners, and has been in a more serious relationship with another partner since 2017. Whether done to make her own actions feel justified, or because she genuinely believed it would help me "build self-esteem," Heidi suggested that I also engage with other women. Heidi encouraged me to tell Holly that I was developing feelings for her. But when I did, things changed with Heidi. She became angry and vindictive, and did not want me to see or speak with Holly anymore. She called me a "cheater" and claimed that I was destroying our marriage because of my "affair" even though she continued to have other relationships with other partners. I never wanted to destroy our marriage, and I spent months after that doing what I could to repair it through couples' therapy and extensive individual therapy.

Those close to me have witnessed Heidi's behavior towards me on many occasions, and have begged me to leave for some time. I was many things during this time, including embarrassed, scared and broken, but I was never the abuser. I made several attempts to leave, starting in October 2018. But each time she refused to let it happen, threatening to destroy my career and to harm others if I left. Despite all of this, I tried to end things amicably. I helped Heidi find a new place to live and paid the initial deposits. I bought her a car to facilitate her independence. I formally filed for divorce on May 13, 2019, and have instructed my attorneys to make sure she receives her fair share of what I earned while we were together. I genuinely never wanted any of this to happen, butI have finally realized that I have no other choice. Even though I have been tempted to put information out online that shows my side of the story, I don't want to further stoke the fires of what should be a private matter between us. My hope is that both of us continue to pursue therapy, and come out of this unfortunate situation better people. But I want everyone to know that any other interactions I may have had with any other women were known to, and encouraged by, Heidi, and were had with only the purest and lawful intentions. I am sorry to everyone that I have disappointed. I realize that as a public figure I am held to a higher standard. I have made my share of mistakes, but I have only ever tried to do what's best for Heidi and me.

In response, Twitter users expressed doubt at Jared's statement. Justin Whang tweeted a clip from Steamed Hams where Superintendent Chalmers says "Can I see it?" and Skinner says "No." The tweet gained over 180 retweets and 4,600 likes (shown below, left). User @Stormhammer39 tweeted "When I saw this post my initial reaction was 'Oh god he’s going to try to explain this and make himself look like this victim isn’t he?'," gaining over 90 retweets and 4,300 likes (shown below, right).

steamed hams meme about ProJared's statement regarding his cheating scandal

tweet reacting to ProJared's statement regarding his cheating scandal

O'Ferrall tweeted her response to Jared, saying she was not okay with Jared's relationship with Holly, though she was aware of it (shown below). The update was covered by Daily Dot.^[10]

Twitter thread by Heidi O'Ferrall in response to ProJared's statements

Commander Holly Response

On May 20th, 2019, Commander Holly responded to the drama after checking herself into a hospital after having self-harming thoughts.^[11] She stated that she was not okay with ProJared sharing nudes with fans, saying he made "poor choices." She also stated that she had receipts where ProJared confirmed the ages of all involved but could not share them as it is involved in a legal matter.

Follow @HollyConrad I have not spoken out sooner because on May 9th, I checked myself into a hospital because I was having self- harming thoughts. I'm not ashamed of this at all, it was the right thing to do and I was safe there. It's OK to ask for mental health help when you need it. 10:00 PM - 20 May 2019

Follovw @HollyConrad Before going forward, I want to make clear that I do not approve of any influencer exchanging nudes with fans. This behavior is an abuse of power and that is NEVER OK. @ProJared made poor decisions. 10:00 PM 20 May 2019 38 Retweets 1,085 Likes 38 1.1K Tweet your reply hoy@HollyConrad 14h That said, I have seen relevant receipts which prove that @ProJared confirmed the consent and ages of those individuals he interacted with. These accusations have legal ramifications for all involved, and for that reason, no one can comment on them or share information publicly.

Furthermore, she supported Jared's version of the events, confirming Heidi had encouraged Jared to explore his feelings for Holly and grew incensed and vindictive after the two realized their feelings for each other. She had threatened to destroy Jared's career and the pair's Dungeons and Dragons series, which Holly alleged was the only time the two spoke (shown below, right).

Follow @HollyConrad @AtelierHeidi was so angry. I wanted @ProJared to reassure me that she had consented. He sent me this screenshot "If it makes it easier for you I will quietly go into the bedroom," "you have full permission to do anything you want" & "| am fine and will continue to be fine," Also rooting for you- 2:12 AM LI Oh, and you have full permission to do anything you want to 2:20 AM PS. if you decide to stay in the guest room that doesn't mean you have to bang or anything. I never thought Diath and Strix would be the type to do it right away anyway. But you know them better than me. Don't worry about me and do what works. 2:53 AM I am fine and will continue to be fine 2:54 AM Ps please respond if you can It's everything okay? 4:13 AM Okay wish you would have texted me but goodnight anyway 4:21 AM 10:00 PM 20 May 2019

Follow @HollyConrad @ProJared and I went long stretches of time afraid to communicate outside of our D&D game. @AtelierHeidi openly fantasized about ruining our D&D show because it meant so much to us. She would use this threat to control him. He would send me her texts when he was scared. ive lke thas 1:19 PM pretending nothing's wrong which is what ve been doing for weeks 12 49 PM I cant talk on the phone right now people and trying to figure out flights and cary Okay I think I would take it to before the general public tth 1.20 PM It would be highly embarrassing and Okay fm just faling apart lol :21 PM 12-50 PM Like at this point I'm fantasizing about sabotaging the game And my phone is at 16% 1:21 So bear that in mind Cool. F--- me 1:21 PM rM GOING CRAZY JARED 12:51 PM Man I wish I could destroy Dice Camera Action. That would feel so good 124 PM Would be a bummer to destroy everything you've built but it would be way more of a bummer to destroy myself by putting up with would suck for you but would it realy be unfair? Idk 1253 PM 1-26 PM 10:00 PM-20 May 2019

She further alleged that Heidi was the first one to take the divorce and cheating allegations public, making a post to Facebook before Jared announced the divorce on Twitter (shown below, left). She then accused Heidi of lying about being poly, introducing the open marriage, and bragging on Facebook for celebrating the "public execution of Jared." She concluded by calling Heidi the abuser in the situation.

Follow @HollyConrad Leaving an abuser is DIFFICULT. It takes survivors an average of 7 TIMES to leave for good. The months @ProJared tried to separate from @AtelierHeidi were excruciating. I worried about him all the time. He was broken and I was powerless, barely able to even talk to him 10:05 PM-20 May 2019 34 Retweets 892 Likes @ О ее P Tweet your reply hoyHollyConrad 15h Beyond the satisfaction of revenge, @AtelierHeidi received 100k new Twitter followers by publicly and falsely accusing me of ruining their marriage and labeling @ProJared as an abuser. She began using the attention from the crisis to promote herself Heidi O'Ferrall Number 5 in the United States baby! said I "made him more famous than he's ever been before" Alleged YouTuber cheating scandal unfolds in the public aye Like Reply 1w Trards for you Heidi O'Ferrall insanely positive outcome to a horrible situation that I couldn't predict. Idk if it'll last me the rest of my life or whatever, but I'm definitely gonna savor it honestly, yeah. This is an like I stumbled into a g for over a year is su tweeting at me? The 2 PL AY PANEL S222 wh

YouTuber SmashJT made a video shortly after Holly's thread, gaining over 5,000 views (shown below).

Bernietxt Video

On July 18th, 2019, YouTuber bernietxt released a video going into the various allegations against Jared and investigating them. Regarding the grooming and pedophilia allegations, bernietxt points to tweets from the accusers, known as Chai and Charlie, that state they purposefully obscured their ages when interacting with Jared's NSFW blog. Regarding the claim in Heidi's initial Facebook post that she had filed for divorce, bernietxt disproved that claim by pointing to court records that show Jared had filed for divorce on the date he specified in his May 17th post. Bernietxt did theorize that Conrad helped add fuel to the fire of the situation by being bad at PR and still being married to Ross O'Donovan at the time of the alleged affair. He also judged that Conrad's denial of "cheating" accusations was false if O'Ferrall had rescinded her consent to let Jared and Conrad explore an open marriage.

Conrad retweeted the video with a shrug emoji on July 19th.^[12] O'Ferrall^[13] responded to the tweet by accusing her of manipulating the narrative and "poisoning" her "marriage and friendships" (shown below, left). Twitter user @Pikusuri_San,^[14] part of the Treesicle channel on YouTube, argued that the video omitted too much information from the 2018 portion of the saga and that Conrad had shared it to support her version of the facts. Treesicle had created two videos about the controversy himself which required research that he felt bernietxt was omitting (shown below).

Heidi O'Ferrall Follow @AtelierHeidi Replying to @HollyConrad Holly, you're not spreading kindness. You're obsessively hateful. You actively poisoned my marriage and friendships, launched an organized hate campaign, and followed us across the country to demand what you felt entitled to. All because I said "No, don't f--- my husband." 10:41 AM - 19 Jul 2019 246 Retweets 4,887 Likes t 246 155 4.9K Tweet your reply Heidi O'Ferrall @AtelierHeidi Jul 19 Replying to @AtelierHeidi @HollyConrad You felt entitled to ARGUE with me instead of just taking the "no". And when that didn't work, you jumped to false accusations of abuse "immediately* to manipulate people into supporting you. You dedicated yourself to making sure everyone hates me to justify your selfishness. t33 10 2.1K Heidi O'Ferrallt@AtelierHeidi Jul 19 I've never seen such abject wickedness in person before. I underestimated how far you were willing to go to get your way, over and over, because it was so wild I just couldn't believe it was happening. You treat everyone in your life as an object to be controlled. Including Jared t 28 12 1.9K

ProJared's Final Response

On August 27th 2019, ProJared released a video addressing the situation that received over 3.5 million views and 250,000 likes in a year (shown below). At some point, ProJared unlisted the video.

Search Interest

External References

^[1] Twitter – @projared statement

^[2] Daily Dot – ProJared’s wife accuses him of infidelity, abuse in YouTube cheating scandal

^[3] Game Revolution – ProJared allegedly sent nudes to fans, requested them in return

^[4] Reddit – /r/livestreamfail

^[5] YouTube – ProJared's Channel

^[6] Twitter – @ChaiTemporary

^[7] Twitter – @swampborzoi

^[8] The Verge – YouTuber ProJared accused of soliciting sexually explicit photos from underage fans

^[9] Twitter – @ProJared

^[10] Daily Dot – After infidelity and abuse accusations, ProJared said his wife wanted an open marriage

^[11] Twitter – HollyConrad

^[12] Twitter – @HollyConrad

^[13] Twitter – @AtelierHeidi

^[14] Twitter – @Pikusuri_San

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But yes, moral relativism and all that. Case in point do not consider you to be truly alive. Ergo, I will not be guilty of adultery if I cheat on you.

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ProJared Cheating Scandal