David Dobrik
Born 1996 · Age 29
Slovak-born Internet personality, Vine star turned YouTuber, vlogger, podcaster, app co-founder and entertainer; leader of the Vlog Squad.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Košice, Slovakia
Dávid Julián Dobrík born in Košice to a Slovak father and Hungarian mother.
Family moved to Vernon Hills, Illinois
Dobrik's family emigrated to Vernon Hills, Illinois when he was six.
Uploaded first Vine video
Dobrik uploaded his first video to Vine and began collaborating with other Viners.
Qualified for 2014 Boys Tennis State Tournament (3rd place doubles)
While attending Vernon Hills High School he qualified and took third place in the doubles tournament.
Joined collaborative channel 'Second Class'
Was part of YouTube collaborative group Second Class with other creators before launching his own channel.
Graduated high school; moved to Los Angeles
After graduating Vernon Hills High School, Dobrik moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career on Vine.
Starred in short film 'An Interrogation'
Played the main role (David Baker) in the 2015 short film 'An Interrogation'.
Reached ~1 million Vine followers
Amassed approximately a million followers on Vine prior to focusing on YouTube vlogging.
Launched self-titled YouTube channel
Dobrik launched the 'David Dobrik' YouTube channel, beginning his vlog career on the platform.
Film role in 'FML' (supporting)
Appeared in the feature film 'FML' in a supporting role.
Created second YouTube channel 'David Dobrik Too'
Launched second channel for bloopers, challenges and sponsorship content.
Reached 1 million YouTube subscribers
David Dobrik's main channel hit 1,000,000 subscribers (SocialBlade date).
Reached 2 million YouTube subscribers
Main channel hit 2,000,000 subscribers (SocialBlade date).
Launched 'VIEWS with David Dobrik & Jason Nash' podcast (first ep.)
First episode released May 15, 2017; podcast debuted #2 on iTunes charts shortly after launch.
Won Streamy Award — Breakout Creator
Recognized as Breakout Creator at the Streamy Awards.
Reached 3 million YouTube subscribers
Main channel hit 3,000,000 subscribers (SocialBlade date).
Reached 4 million YouTube subscribers
Main channel hit 4,000,000 subscribers (SocialBlade date).
1 billion lifetime YouTube views milestone
According to SocialBlade milestones, his channels surpassed 1 billion total views (reported June 17, 2017).
Reached 5 million YouTube subscribers
Main channel hit 5,000,000 subscribers.
Won Streamy Award — First Person
Won 'First Person' category at the Streamy Awards.
Reached 6 million YouTube subscribers
Main channel hit 6,000,000 subscribers (SocialBlade date).
Created 'Views Podcast' YouTube channel
Launched the video-version YouTube channel for the Views podcast.
Surpassed 3 billion lifetime views
Reported 3 billion lifetime views across channels.
Received YouTube Diamond Play Button (10M subscribers)
Channel surpassed 10 million subscribers; given Diamond Play Button.
People magazine — Sexiest Heartthrob 2019
Named People magazine's Sexiest Heartthrob of 2019.
Judge — America's Most Musical Family (Nickelodeon)
Served as a judge alongside Ciara and Debbie Gibson on the Nickelodeon music competition.
Reached 11 million YouTube subscribers
Main channel hit 11 million subscribers (SocialBlade date).
Featured in W/film camera Instagram trend
Featured by W magazine among creators sharing photos via disposable cameras.
Competitor — Kids' Choice Sports Championship
Competed in the Kids' Choice Sports Championship.
Featured on Variety 'Power of Young Hollywood' list
Included in Variety's annual list recognizing young entertainment influencers.
Co-hosted 2019 Teen Choice Awards
Co-hosted the Teen Choice Awards with Lucy Hale and won Choice Male Web Star.
Voice role in 'The Angry Birds Movie 2'
Provided the voice for the character Axel in the 2019 animated film.
Presenter — American Music Awards 2019
Appeared as a presenter at the American Music Awards.
Guest judge — Chopped Junior
Appeared as a guest judge in the first episode of the ninth season of Chopped Junior (aired Nov 12, 2019).
Divorce finalized from Lorraine Nash (prank marriage)
Signed divorce papers ending a month-long staged marriage to Lorraine Nash.
YouTube Rewind 2019 — 5th most-viewed creator
Dobrik was the fifth-most-viewed creator on YouTube in 2019 with 2.4 billion views that year.
TikTok viral 'elephant toothpaste' video ranked #1 viral video of 2019
A TikTok video of Dobrik's science experiment was named the platform's top viral video for 2019 (17.5M likes reported by TikTok release).
Launched 'David's Disposable' (Dispo) mobile app
Launched a mobile camera app inspired by disposable cameras; quickly rose to #1 free app and surpassed 1M downloads.
People magazine — Sexiest YouTube Star 2020
Named People magazine's Sexiest YouTube Star of 2020.
Business Insider profile — net worth reported > $17M
Business Insider reported Dobrik's net worth as over $17 million (Feb 2020 coverage).
Reached 5–7 billion lifetime view milestones (2019–2020 growth)
Channel view milestones reported through 2019 into 2020 (5B in July 2019; 6B Oct 2019; 7B Mar 2020).
Hosted Nickelodeon SpongeBob special (aired June 5, 2020)
Hosted 'The Stars of SpongeBob Fan Favorites Special'.
Excavator-wakeboarding accident injures Jeff Wittek
During a filming stunt in June 2020, Jeff Wittek suffered severe head and facial injuries while being swung from an excavator controlled by Dobrik.
Began streaming on Twitch; initial stream peak
Joined Twitch; first stream peaked at ~47,233 concurrent viewers and gained ~201,000 followers.
Named one of first recipients of TikTok Creator Fund
Selected among the first 19 recipients of TikTok's $1 billion Creator Fund program.
HeadCount Tesla giveaway — major voter registration drive
Partnered with HeadCount to give fans a chance to win Tesla cars; drive reported to register hundreds of thousands for 2020 election (reports vary: 100k in one day, 300k overall).
Launched fragrance brand 'David's Perfume'
Launched a fragrance in partnership with Flower Shop Perfumes Co.
Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and listed among highest-paid YouTubers of 2020
Featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 (social media) and included in Forbes list of highest-paid YouTube stars for 2020.
Narrated 'Frankenstein' for Spotify audiobook programming
Spotify tapped Dobrik to narrate an audiobook adaptation as part of celebrity audiobook partnerships.
Seth Francois allegation published (former Vlog Squad member)
Former Vlog Squad member Seth Francois accused Dobrik of sexual assault and cultural insensitivity in February 2021 reporting.
Stepped down from Dispo and lost sponsors
Following allegations, Dobrik stepped down from his role at the Dispo app and lost multiple sponsors.
Business Insider report of alleged 2018 rape on set; Dobrik posts 'Let's talk' video
Business Insider published an account alleging a woman was raped during a 2018 Vlog Squad shoot; Dobrik released a short response video the same day.
YouTube temporarily demonetized Dobrik and Dom Zeglaitis channels
YouTube cited violations of its creator responsibility policy and temporarily demonetized channels connected to the controversy.
Jeff Wittek released 'Don't Try This at Home' documentary about June 2020 accident
Jeff Wittek uploaded a documentary describing the June 2020 excavator wakeboarding accident that resulted in major injuries.
Returned to YouTube after three-month hiatus
Dobrik resumed posting to his vlog channel in July 2021 after pausing activity following controversies.
Revealed he obtained U.S. green card
Announced in a vlog that he had acquired a green card and could travel outside the U.S. (previously DACA protected).
Signed with Discovery+ for travel series
Signed a deal with Discovery+ for the travel series 'Discovering David Dobrik' (series began streaming Nov 2021).
'Discovering David Dobrik' premiered on Discovery+
Discovery+ travel series featuring Dobrik began streaming in November 2021.
Jeff Wittek filed lawsuit against Dobrik seeking $10M
Wittek sued Dobrik alleging negligence and intentional tort over the 2020 excavator stunt, seeking $10 million in damages.
Opened Doughbrik's Pizza in Los Angeles
Dobrik launched a pizza restaurant in Los Angeles called Doughbrik's Pizza; planned reality show based on staff.
Reported plans and continued content evolution
Public reporting and interviews indicate continued entrepreneurial activity and content development (app evolution, merchandise, brand deals).
Returned to YouTube (reported)
Reports indicate Dobrik returned to YouTube after a near three-year hiatus and continued creating content; body transformation noted.
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