- Def Noodles, whose real name is Dennis Feitosa, will be in the Discovery docu-series about Onision.
- The controversial docu-series details allegations of abusive behavior and grooming.
- Feitosa runs the popular influencer watchdog page on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Def Noodles, a popular influencer watchdog account on social media, will appear in the controversial Discovery documentary series about the YouTuber Onision, AKA James "Greg" Jackson, according to press materials reviewed by Insider.
In the fourth part of the docu-series, which is set to be released on Thursday, Def Noodles, whose real name is Dennis Feitosa, is joined by other internet culture experts to comment on allegations surrounding the infamous YouTuber Onision.
Def Noodles has become a polarizing figure himself in the YouTube commentary community. Feitosa has been known to at times to seriously report on internet culture news, while also sometimes taking a satirical approach, which has caused some confusion. He's also been accused of taking certain aspects of stories out of context.
The documentary series has laid out the multiple allegations of abusive behavior and grooming against Onision. Onision has previously denied allegations of predatory behavior and grooming.
The documentary itself has also been controversial. Much of the criticism of it has revolved around Chris Hanson's involvement. Hanson, best known for his now-defunct "To Catch A Predator" series on NBC, was filmed in on-camera interviews for the project.
According to Mashable's Morgan Sung, several women who accused Onision of predatory behavior were interviewed on Chris Hansen's YouTube live stream called "Have a Seat with Chris Hansen" in late 2019. Numerous questions were raised by journalists and subjects about the production of Hansen's show, eventually resulting in the firing of one of Hansen's producers.
Sung wrote, "While his series undoubtedly alerted a wider audience to Onision's alleged predatory behavior, many in the YouTube community have expressed reservations about Hansen's intentions in bringing the story to a mainstream distributor like discovery+."
The documentary was still released, and after the first three parts were aired, YouTube decided to demonetize the controversial YouTuber's videos. In January 2021, he uploaded a video to YouTube and spoke about the email he received from the platform. In the email, YouTube notified him he would no longer be a part of the YouTube Partner Program, enabling creators to make money from the ads in their videos.
"Responsibility is our number one priority at YouTube, and it's important for us to ensure that creators are empowered to use their influence responsibly in the YouTube community and beyond," the email from YouTube said. "With that in mind, we recently reviewed your channels (Onision, OnisionSpeaks, and UhOhBro) and took action on content that violated our Community Guidelines."
Feitosa previously covered the drama surrounding the documentary on social media.
-Def Noodles (@defnoodles) January 22, 2021
While the decision to demonetize Onision shocked many within the creator community, many, including the experts in the documentary, felt that the move wasn't enough being that he's still allowed to post videos on YouTube. Feitosa was one of the critics of YouTube's initiative.
"I don't think that demonetization solves the problem," Feitosa said in the new episode set to stream on Thursday. "He could easily set up a website and have his fans pay him directly. There are definitely options out there if he wants to stay on the internet."
Maggie Mabie, an attorney at the Marsh Law Firm who also appears in the fourth docu-series episode, said, "I think the fact that Onision was demonetized and not de-platformed makes it so clear that YouTube isn't listening to the victims."
Feitosa did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.