YouTube collective NormalBoots has parted ways with ProJared following allegations made by his wife Heidi O’Ferrall. In a series of tweets, O’Ferrall claimed that ProJared had been soliciting nude photographs from his fans, while also having an affair with fellow YouTuber Holly Conrad.
NormalBoots is a popular YouTube collective consisting of several high-profile videomakers, including PeanutButterGamer, The Completionist, and Did You Know Gaming. In the statement, the company said that it had launched an internal investigation after receiving an email containing “allegations of inappropriate conduct” made against ProJared, real name Jared Knabenbauer. According to the company, it had planned to part ways with ProJared after receiving the email.
Since then, ProJared’s wife went public with a number of allegations of her own. Claiming that the YouTuber had been having an affair with Holly Conrad, O’Ferrall then went on to claim that he had also sent nude photographs to fans, and had asked for similar photos in return. We reached out to ProJared for a statement regarding these claims earlier today, though have yet to receive a response.
The full statement from NormalBoots can be read below:
“On April 4, 2019, an unsolicited e-mail was sent to the NormalBoots business account containing allegations of inappropriate conduct pertaining to Jared Knabenbauer.
Upon receiving the e-mail, NormalBoots Manager, Jacque Khalil, took immediate action to alert the appropriate parties, including Mr. Knabenbauer and the NormalBoots legal team, of the allegations. No other members of NormalBoots were made aware of the allegations while the investigation into the allegations was ongoing.
NormalBoots understands the seriousness of this situation and does not condone any of the alleged actions of Mr. Knabenbauer.
Prior to these allegations being made public, actions and measures were in process to terminate the affiliation of Mr. Knabenbauer from NormalBoots and to update its internal social media use policies. Mr. Knabenbauer and NormalBoots have mutually agreed to part ways.
What drives NormalBoots is the energy of our supporters. We care greatly about their protection and safety. It’s impossible to have a true community if all of us don’t feel safe, whether it’s an online space or a convention. We are fully committed to this goal and will not tolerate less.”
This is the second time that NormalBoots has parted ways with a YouTuber under difficult circumstances. Previously, the company removed Jon “JonTron” Jafari from its stable after controversial comments he made during a Twitch stream, in which he alleged that “wealthy blacks commit more crime than poor whites.”
