Shane Dawson is a 28-year-old bisexual YouTube star with over 16.4 million subscribers and more than 3 billion views, as of April 2016. Tomi Lahren is… Well, we all know who Tomi Lahren is: Right-wing Barbie, liberals’ worst nightmare, etc., etc.
So what do these two have to do with one another? Well, until this past week, not a damn thing. On Monday night however, Lahren threw a party at the Sundance Film Festival — which she attended, for some reason — that Dawson showed up to with his boyfriend. That’s where things get murky. According to a video captured at the scene (below, language NSFW), Dawson can be heard accusing security at the event for kicking him and his boyfriend out (and injuring his leg in the process), just for having the nerve to hold hands with one another. And now, the two internet personalities are embroiled in a feud with one another.
I don't know who the hell this @TomiLahren person is, but this is unacceptable!! #IStandWithShane
https://t.co/gyrjnKsW10— 💜 Kɪᴍ⁷ 💜| Take Two¹⁰ | Saw Yoongi TWICE (@_ImKimmie_) January 24, 2017
Dawson later took to Twitter to explain what happened in a string of now-deleted tweets, which he later replaced with the following:
i'm sorry for deleting all of this. i'm overwhelmed and i need to process this. love u guys. please love each other. ❤
— Shane Dawson (@shanedawson) January 24, 2017
i wanna make videos that make people laugh. i don't want to be apart of this kind of stuff. it just happened. i'm sorry guys
— Shane Dawson (@shanedawson) January 24, 2017
i'm not trying to be dramatic and i don't use that to get views. i make content i'm proud of and i don't talk about this stuff.
— Shane Dawson (@shanedawson) January 24, 2017
tonight something intense happened & it opened my eyes to a lot. but i'm not trying to "drag" or hurt someone else even if (cont)
— Shane Dawson (@shanedawson) January 24, 2017
(cont) if i don't agree with them. i never want to be that person. i just want people to like me. this has all just been a lot. :(
— Shane Dawson (@shanedawson) January 24, 2017
tweeting hate only makes more hate and i'm sorry that i @replied someone when i was upset. that's gross and i hate that.
— Shane Dawson (@shanedawson) January 24, 2017
but i am really sad about what happened & at some point i need to explain everything. but right now i'm overwhelmed.but i'm ok. thanks guys❤
— Shane Dawson (@shanedawson) January 24, 2017
.@TomiLahren u may have had nothing to do with what security did to me tonight & i really don't want to cause a thing. i'm sorry for (cont)
— Shane Dawson (@shanedawson) January 24, 2017
ok guys. i'm going to bed. this is all too much. and i don't want to spread more hate because that makes me even more sad. :(
— Shane Dawson (@shanedawson) January 24, 2017
Lahren, on the other hand, recalls a vastly different series of events which she explained in a lengthy Facebook post early Tuesday morning:
Here’s her full statement:
Let’s talk about this fake news circulating tonight by Shane Dawson. I hosted an event called “Remind the Nation” at the Sundance Film Festival. The event showcased the amazing work of Zero Film Productions and The Veteran’s Project, among other veteran organizations. It was a celebration of the service and sacrifice made by our veterans and active duty service members. I was taking photos after the film screening when two gentlemen approached me for a photo. I was happy to do it. I put my arms around them when all of the sudden they jumped in front on me and started kissing. They were not there to support the event. They were not there to take a photo with me. They were there to instigate and make a spectacle to advance whatever political message they placed above common courtesy for our veteran event. These are the tricks of the Left. Designed to instigate and make a scene. It’s sad they choose to play the game and make a scene when I welcomed them to take a photo with me. Security escorted them out because they were causing a scene at our private event. Go ahead and spread your fake news. It’s sad you stand on such flimsy moral ground you have to create a fake story for attention. Though you tried to detract from the night, you failed. The unloving and intolerant Left strikes again but whatever you were trying to do didn’t work. The Left has become so desperate for validation they resort to instigation, planned stunts and outright lies to remain relevant and garner attention. Sad. Anyone who knows me knows I am a social moderate and have always welcomed the LGBT community to my show. The dialogue has always been open to you as it is to anyone I may disagree with or differ from. It’s sad you didn’t take the opportunity to engage in a meaningful conversation but rather tried to disrupt and derail an event for veterans and service members. God bless our veterans and those who support and honor them. Those there know what happened. God knows what happened. If you had an ounce of dignity you wouldn’t drum up a fake story for attention. Praying for you.
Regardless, at that point the court of public opinion had already weighed in, and the hashtag #IStandWithShane began trending on Twitter.
it's 2017, and this is still happening. #IStandWithShane pic.twitter.com/Ynfv6zZiaW
— saga (@chanelpunk) January 24, 2017
#IStandWithShane sexuality doesn't define you in any way,shape, or form🌈it's 2017 not 1960 and #loveislove pic.twitter.com/alGc9w8QC5
— ♥ (@twiceluvrs) January 24, 2017
https://twitter.com/cmbkji/status/823852691612831744
https://twitter.com/alyciaskristen/status/823950704662417409
https://twitter.com/brattykiitten/status/823893743782739968
https://twitter.com/pillowsweat/status/823895405616386048
https://twitter.com/maddy_SDMN/status/823919910111838209
https://twitter.com/itsbllaken/status/823913638452936706
https://twitter.com/fIawlesssivan/status/823937697987186688
https://twitter.com/lcveonly/status/823867323463376896
Whatever the case, unfortunately no photos or videos of the incident in question have turned up yet — so unfortunately all we have so far is one word against the other.
(Via Mediaite)