YouTuber Gabbie Hanna is being criticized for a new video in which she claims Jessi Smiles is her “abuser,” with many viewers calling Gabbie’s comments “disgusting” and “delusional.”
Issues arose between content creators Gabbie Hanna and Jessi Smiles in 2014 after it was claimed that Gabbie continued to engage with Jessi’s alleged rapist, Curtis Lepore, following charges that were filed against him.
This result in several public instances of drama over the years, which came to a head on June 7, when Jessi said via Twitter that Gabbie had spoken with Curtis on “at least three separate occasions,” and released parts of a phone call with the YouTuber from 2020.
Gabbie and I had a phone call last summer. I never planned to release it. In fact, there’s nothing I want more than to never talk or think about Gabbie ever again. But her continued lying about my trauma has officially broken me and I don’t know what else to do. pic.twitter.com/RLwPjYmcOS
— Jessi Smiles (@jessismiles__) June 7, 2021
On July 1, Gabbie uploaded a YouTube video titled ‘About The 3 Hour Jessi Smiles Phone Call,’ in which she responded to the leaked footage, saying “Jessi has been targeting and attacking [her] online since 2015.”
Alongside her video she included a link to the full 3-hour phone call, saying she asked her editor to censor names, and remove a “traumatizing and humiliating” story that she didn’t want in the public eye.
When speaking about a BuzzFeed article in which she spoke about Jessi, Gabbie explained: “I have a career in entertainment, I do press, I am allowed to talk about my life. This is something that has become a huge part of my story — much to my dismay.
“But it’s not right for you to be able to say whatever you want, and then I can’t be asked about it, I can’t respond about it, I can’t defend myself, I can’t share my side of the story. I was asked about her because since 2015 Jessie has made it her mission to align me with her rapist, and finally in 2019 it worked, and that’s been my life ever since,” she continued.
She later went on to say, “I’m saying this with my whole f**king chest, and I’m past the point of needing or wanting people to believe me, I’m saying it for me. This is the truth. Jessi is my abuser.”
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Gabbie claimed that since 2015 she has been the victim of “narcissistic abuse, blackmail, harassment, stalking, slander, smear campaigns, gaslighting, threats of physical violence, and online harassment.”
However, her video has been met with a largely negative response. Commenters called her claims “disgusting” and “delusional,” and called her out for portraying herself as the victim.
Others wondered by the YouTuber isn’t taking a step back from the drama.
On Twitter, Jessi wrote in response to the video: “I want to throw up. Filming tonight. This needs to end.”
I want to throw up. Filming tonight. This needs to end.
— Jessi Smiles (@jessismiles__) July 1, 2021
Jessi is not the only one Gabbie is currently involved in drama with. As part of her new series, she’s been addressing various different controversies from throughout her career, and creators like Joey Graceffa and Daniel Preda have come out in droves to call her out.