"What are this," the Jenna Marbles fanbase mused when the prolific YouTu꧒ber posted yesterday. In minimal makeup, and without a single joke in sight, Jenna Mourey posted a tearful apology for her past content - which includes some pretty noxious st꧟uff, including blackface. Near the end of the video, she dropped a bombshell on viewers.
After well over a decade of regular uploads, and after pioneering the format so many other YouTubers would adopt, the monolithic entertainer will be stepping away fr🐷om the platform. This comes as a massive shoꦰck to her millions of fans, many of whom have been following her since early days.
While some have construed this as "cancel culture" run amok, what it really is something artꦅists rarely do: grapple with their problematic pasts in a real, tangible way, and take further actions to ensure that they don't do further harm. That said, there's some debate to be had as to whether or not Mourey herself hasn't already demonstrated her changes enough.
What Did She Do?
In recent weeks, Mourey has been called out for content made in the past decade that is undeniably problematic. Whether or not tha𓂃t was the i🧸ntent shouldn't be a talking point here - when you do something racist, it doesn't matter if you meant to do it or not.
The content that Mourey has been called out for is all fairly noxious. In the past, she's darkened her skin to impersonate Nicki Minaj, donned a Vietnamese non la, and rapped in a way that very much appropriates . There's also some content she's done with her partner, Julien Solomita,🐟 that veers into some arguably transphobic territory - and a rant re🌃corded in 2012 that's fairly slut-shaming. Mourey has privated these videos, so they're inaccessible to the public.
Whether or not you think that the voices against her in the past weeks are justified, there'🍌s no way around - this content is pretty hateful, albeit unintentionally, and addressing it is a good move on her part. Privating that content is smart move, and a genuinely good faith move from the entertainer, who has spoken support for Black Lives Matter, LGBTQIA+ struggles, and numerous other social issues in the past.
Was Jenna "Cancelled"?
"Cancel culture" has become a bit of a contentious talking point in the past year or two. The idea of a cultish "culture" coming after entertainers anܫd trying to make their lives a living hell is a bit silly, but there's no denying that tolerance for mean-spirited, bigoted, or otherwise harmful content is at an all-time low. By consequence, many activists have a hair trigger when it comes to bringing up the past and using it to call out 𒐪entertainers for toxic behavior.
Now, there are reasonable challenges to this. Two that I think resonate with me, as a trans woman, are, "how long is too long," and, "how bad is too bad?" There's no right answer to this, obviously, and I think that discussion is best left to marginalized communities. People not affected by hateful actions don't really have any leg to stand on, as it's not their personhood being attacked out of either malice or ignoran🐭ce. The proverbial pot begins to overfl📖ow with piss when people who don't have any skin in the game think their opinion has any merit.
But that's aside from the point. Was Jenna really "cancelled" here? No, not really. She's not a victim of "cancel culture," so much as she's listening to feedback and making her own autonomous decision based on that. Let's be real - Mourey is richer than most of us will ever be. She has millions upon millions of dollars, and could continue doing whatever she wanted for years without any impact on her livelihood. This is Mourey taking people's collective hurt to heart ☂and making the conscious decision to listen instead of fight. It's a graceful way to handle things, and honestly🅠, more tactful than most popular YouTubers.
A Genuine Apology
A big backlash surroun💛ding Mourey's departure circles around other YouTuber♌s, and their own bad behavior - some more recent than others. If Jenna is being pressured to leave, many ask, why aren't Jeffrey Starr, Shane Dawson, and numerous other YouTube celebs that have done even more noxious shit in the past?
I think that boils down to one thing: character. The pressure for those entertainers to leave is there, but simply put: they don't listen. They don't care. They don🉐't have to. They have those millions of dollars, those sponsorships, those fanbases. They can continue for years and 🐟years without ever reckoning with their past.
But Jenna isn't the type to do that. Speaking as a fan since high school, I've watched Mourey grow and learn through the years. I've watched her worldviews broaden, I've watched her grapple with her own privilege, and I've watched her undeniably support good causes. As an 🌌entertainer, one of her biggest priorities is to not further hurt or marginalize others. I'll c⛎ome out and say that as a trans woman, her continued growth and evolution as an artist has made me feel comfortable in continuing to support her.
Obviously, that's not going to be the same for everyone - blackface and other horrible remnants of racist propaganda cut deep, and for some, engaging in them is always going to be unforgivable. That's valid. So is expressing your hurt and your anger, and so is boycotting entertainment that further marginalizes you. That's a personal choice that everyone has to make🐭. The thing is, Jenna agrees with that viewpoint - she says as much in her apol𒊎ogy video.
Mourey is listening, pro൲ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚcessing, and responding in kind. It's up to the individuals affected to determine, on their own terms, if they can bring themselves to forgive her.
Will She Come Back?
I have nothing but respect the way Jenna has handled this. It's rare that you see a genuine, heartfelt grappling with problematic content that doesn't feel like a handwave, or even worse, an attempt to retroactively fix the past. This past week, Tina Fey pushed to pull episodes of 30 Rock that depicted blackface, but didn't address the numerous other racist, sexist, and otherwise vile things she's done in the past. That sucks! It's not grappling with anytജhing, and it's meant to placate as opposed to discuss.
What Jenna has done here sets a positive example for other entertainers that have done noxious stuff in the past. She's provided a template to work off of. Be honest. Be raw. Listeꦡn. Listen again. Keep listening. Then improve. Doing what she did wasn't right in the first place, but the way she's responded to it is tactful, thoughtful, and actionable.
As to whether or not she'll come back to the platform, well, that's for her to deciꦕde. But thing is for certain: Jenna Mourey has changed the conversation surrounding other privileged entertainers that have done hurtful things in the past. By virtue of listening and acting, she's an example of positive change in a field far too often devoid of it.