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Overview

DonDRRR and SuperMega Sexual Assault Allegations refers to various social media posts and a YouTube video that were released alleging that Don, the current channel artist for the YouTube channel SuperMega, had previously groomed one person and sexually assaulted another year later. The accusations of sexual assault against Don also name both Ryan and Matt of SuperMega as allegedly knowing about the situation and claim that neither did anything about the situation, choosing to purportedly ignore it. The claims became a prominent topic online in late July 2023 as the controversy spread on social media.

Background

On July 27th, 2023, artist and cosplayer Lex (@niceupdog on Twitter) posted a YouTube[1] video in which they went over several things in length relating to DonDRRR and the alleged sexual assault, as well as Ryan and Matt of SuperMega and what they purportedly did in the aftermath of it on top of other behaviors that she called out (shown below).

Also on July 27th, a shorter, condensed version of the events that listed the main points was posted[2] in picture form across several Twitter posts, culminating in a post purportedly from Don in which he apologized for various things, which Lex's caption claimed was an attempt to be vague and avoid saying what actually happened (shown below).

in November 2021, i was sexually assaulted by Don (@DonDRRR) on the first night that we had met while dating. we were both staying at at Matt Watson's (@MattHWatson) house. he attempted to physically force me to give him oral sex and the only reason it didn't happen was because i was forced to physically resisted him when he didn't listen to my verbal commands to stop i waited to confront Don until Creator Clash 2022 where i could keep it offline and then never see him again, but then Don was invited to Matt's house in LA right before i moved to LA to stay in the house that they use as an office, "the SuperMegaPlex" for SuperMega, Matt and Ryan Magee's (@elirymagee) YouTube channel.
i called them before i got there to tell them what happened so i could avoid being around Don, but they gave me mixed messages; Ryan one of support and two days later Matt, a phone call where he went into lawyer mode and promptly explained to me that "technically Don isn't an employee so we don't have to do anything", how SuperMega is his "magnum opus" and how this would be very bad for them if anyone found out. days later they talked to Don privately at Matt's house where they proceeded to explain to try and get his side of his story, left the conversation with Don saying he didn't know what he did wrong, and Matt and Ryan deciding for me that Don and i just needed to talk things out in person. the day before i get to their office, Matt texted me and told me he sent Don there and i had to hide in the bathroom for him to leave.

during my time at the office, every action was held against us (me and Rav @iamRav) in silent until they felt appropriate to use them to kick us out even though those "things" consisted of leaving to TN while i visited my mom for her birthday even though i bought a car, leaving town to work, Rav's partner having attempted to take their life soon after i arrived and me being still disturbed by what happened with Don and their reaction to it, were all held against us and they used it to gaslight us into being framed as lazy when we were working harder than normal to get the less work done due to having no place to work. any action that wasn't looking for a place or going to see one (aka being faster to going away) was seen as bad when there was no sense of urgency placed upon us to begin with when we arrived.
staying at the office was uncomfortable as they did not want us to be there after this event and we ended up homeless as a result of them icing us out and refusing to communicate to us almost completely despite staying at their job, even about crucial things like concerns about us living there or when they wanted us gone. Matt and Ryan instead delegated this responsibility to their employees, who we saw as friends asking us to help them with chores around the house until they had them correspond in their stead about moving out, upon which we realized what was going on and saw ourselves out before we got kicked out. after this, we had no communication with them, we were robbed on the way out of and back from LA. we lost almost everything we had, and we couldn't get our belongings from the office while living in the car and from hotel to hotel for a while because they weren't talking to us. i felt like i couldn't talk about what was going on with me for the past year because i'd have to explain things that Matt and Ryan clearly didn't want people to know.

Developments

Since the initial post by Lex on July 27th, 2023, a follow-up post was made by Twitter user @iamrav[3] later that same day who was named in the original post by Lex as another firsthand account and receiver of alleged mistreatment by Ryan and Matt. Rav's quote retweet of Lex's added his perspective across several different instances, ending on a note to not harass others who are named or involved (shown below).

Now that Lex has made her statement addressing her situation with SuperMega, I feel the time is appropriate for me to share my perspective on this matter as someone who is both familiar with all the parties involved, and has personal involvement in this situation. In short, I'm inserting myself into this discussion both because I was present during many of the key events, and because having witnessed many of them up close, I feel morally obligated to provide validity to Lex's account. Right out the gate, I would like to make it abundantly clear that I have no desires to drama-farm going into this, and I certainly don't wish to see Matt's or Ryan's career prospects get permanently and irreversibly shattered as a consequence of this story coming out, but I certainly don't believe this is something they are incapable of learning from and overcoming. I do, however, in the same breath also hold firmly that they need to hold accountability for some of their words, actions and inactions in order for them to seriously and genuinely reassess their conduct and hopefully subsequently reform. For those who haven't yet seen Lex's video on this matter, I urge you to do so before going any further. For some context, I was hanging out with Matt and Ryan the evening Lex informed them about the sexual assault incident over the phone. This was when Matt, Ryan and I first learnt of the incident, and the boys consulted me a number of times on the matter from that point onwards. Lex was a mutual friend of all the parties involved, and at the time her and I were planning to move into a shared home together to ease the financial burden of living in LA. The Super Mega boys let me and Lex crash over at their office space (the plex) while we looked for a spot to rent. The boys were still actively working with their then thumbnail artist Don at the time of the revelation. I had previously worked and hung out with Don too, as I used to occasionally hire him for commission work. Beyond this point, I feel it might be more productive for me to highlight some of the key relevant moments than go over every instance in considerable detail. A few examples should hopefully suffice, as my main intention is to provide some clarity. Besides, Lex's account does a good job of outlining most of the key events as is.
One of the most alarming instances during this time for me personally was finding out that Matt and Ryan, after talking to both Lex and Don separately about the incident, urged the two of them to talk things out and reconcile. This is something Matt and Ryan at the same said they told Lex, and Lex also confirmed this to me separately. A victim of sexual assault ought to be nurtured and protected in these kinds of moments, not be told to "make up" with their assaulter. This, in my opinion, is an example of the boys attempting to wash their hands of any responsibility pertaining to the incident, choosing to instead make themselves as uninvolved as possible. It is also in my eyes a failure to appropriately recognize the severity of the situation. Worse yet, they further surrendered their responsibility of dealing with their employee to the victim, by asking Lex whether they should fire Don or not, instead of taking matters into their own hands. For the record, this was also confirmed by all the parties involved. Again, the victim should not be charged with making such decisions - it is incumbent on the employer, whose employee sexually assaulted their friend, to make that call. This reads as another instance of Matt and Ryan attempting to hand over responsibility altogether, rather than step up to their professional and moral duties. One other event that disturbed me similarly was an exchange I had with Matt and Ryan when I confronted them about the two aforementioned points in person around that time. I recall the first words that came out of Matt's mouth were "well, you know, legally speaking, we don't actually have to do anything here," which was certainly shocking. This is apparently something Matt also told Lex in a separate conversation prior, and is obviously not the sort of thing a well-adjusted, empathetic person would say, let alone a good friend. Ryan didn't interject to correct or paraphrase anything at any point either, just to be clear; thoughout it at all, it appeared the boys were operating in agreement with one another. It took Lex a lot of strength and courage to open up to them about her traumatic experience in the first place, and then Matt and Ryan treated her case as an inconvenience/nuisance time and time again. Sure, Matt and Ryan aren't at fault for what Don did to Lex, but they are certainly responsible for the ways in which they dealt with the information disclosed to them, especially as it pertains to their professional associate. The truth of the matter is, we don't get to choose what happens to or around us, but it is up to us how we react to these things. From where I stood, it was clear that they didn't want anything to negatively affect their professional lives further, but their selfish inaction ended up affecting mine and Lex's work instead. Us keeping our silence on this matter has only benefitted them and their brand, but they have yet to reciprocate this in any meaningful way.
Even though I told them both off about much of this last year, there's a part of me that hopes that these kinds of instances don't accurately reflect who Matt and Ryan actually are. At the time, they were going through some stuff both personally and publicly, which may have greatly impacted the ways in which they dealt with everything that came up. Whatever the reason, though, it doesn't justify what they put Lex through during all of this, and it doesn't absolve them of accountability. What in my view Matt and Ryan should have done was fired Don upon concluding that he sexually assaulted Lex, and not allowed him to stay at their office the day Lex was slated to move in. Just some basic decency would've gone a long way. Perhaps Matt and Ryan were paralyzed out of concern of the prospect of having more employee-related "drama" attached to their brand name, but I hold that virtue ought to supersede such concerns. There are always options available beyond utter silence and total ostracism, and yet sadly none appear to have been considered here. There's a number of ways to interpret this kind of thoughtlessness, but it's crucial to acknowledge that ultimately no conclusion will undo the damage that has already been dealt so far. In my closing remarks, I want to make something clear: I understand that it is not up to me to forgive Matt and Ryan. Having known both Matt and Ryan for years now, I like to believe that they are both greater than the sum of their errors, and I hope to see them prove this going forward. It should also go without saying that I of course deeply sympathize with Lex, and feel incredibly frustrated to have watched things play out the way they have until now, knowing just how substantially all of this has affected both of us, but especially her and her work. I hope this marks a time for healing for Lex. No more excuses should be made. Lastly, I recognize that there may be a parasocial desire among some of you to pry further, but please don't harass anyone involved. I hope everyone is given apt space to heal, and that for many this situation inspires reflection. Be kind. Peace! Rav

Don and SuperMega's Response

Later on July 27th, 2023, DonDRRR[4] then responded with his own statement, attempting to counter the things initially claimed in Lex's picture statements and saying that they were purportedly in a relationship that had soured and that he was later cut from working with SuperMega without any prior knowledge or talk. Also that day, Matt Watson of SuperMega responded[5] to the controversy by canceling the last two shows of his concert tour and saying that he would have a response out soon (shown below).

I want to start this off by apologizing to Lex for any trauma she may feel regarding our past relationship and to everyone just finding out about this who feels they were being lied to or kept in the dark. In regards to what happened during november 2021 this is my side as to what happened. Lex and I were invited over by Matt to stay over at his place for a week. We had been intimate since day 1 but on the 3rd night I had asked her for oral sex she at first said no because she had a cold sore. Later I asked her again and she said yes but to be careful not to be too rough. During the intimate act I had pushed down on her head, after which she recoiled and told me that I was being too rough. I then profusely apologized and we ended up watching TV and going to bed after. Things were normal for the rest of the week until the trip was over and we went back home. During this time I was under no impression that anything traumatizing had occurred, however I realize now this was extremely upsetting for her.
Our relationship seemed to have not changed, we were talking on Discord almost daily and planning future trips together, however a couple of months later when we met again during Creator clash. During the trip me and Lex stayed together in an AirBnB and noticed that she was growing very distant towards me. I had asked her about why she was distant and if everything was ok with her but I was not given a straight answer. On the final day, she finally told me why she was so troubled. She told me I was too rough with her last time and that it had reminded her of her Ex's behavior. I had tried to apologize for my behavior and we talked a little bit after. But after the conversation had ended she had broken up with me and I left the AirBnB to stay with other friends.

At this time I had contacted Matt and told him what had just gone down. Matt had offered to fly me to L.A. to stay at his place to figure things out. At his house I explained to him and Ryan what had happened and the details about the November trip and what she had told me after Creator Clash. After that I was staying over at his place for the next couple of weeks. Later, Matt had told me that he had made some arrangements for his friends to sleep over at his place, moving me to stay at the office. A couple of days at the office had passed when Matt called me and said that Lex was on her way to the office. I was given no prior notice that she was going to be there or moving to L.A. It was at this time I decided to leave to stay with other friends in the area.
After a week I had flown back to Germany I was then contacted by Supermega that they were not going to be using my Art anymore. After that they had cut contact with me and I have not heard from them since. Following this I had decided to send Lex another apology via Discord but had gotten no reply from her. At this time I had accepted that I was not going to hear back from Lex or Supermega for the foreseeable future.

Clancy's Allegations

In the wake of the accusations by Lex and statements by Rav, the artist and Twitter user @whitemagemain, known as Clancy, brought up previous allegations[6] against DonDRRR that were made on August 25th, 2020, alleging that Don had used the power imbalance within his Discord to groom or otherwise manipulate Clancy when there was a seven-year age difference between them, with follow-up posts[7] claiming that DonDRRR had a history of allegedly pressuring ex's for nudes and trying to manipulate them (shown below).

Clancy @lvittrs22 13h I wanted to shine a light on a dangerous situation I was in online earlier this year. Please do not attack anybody mentioned here. Thank you for reading. This was very hard for me to talk about, especially publically. My experience with @/DONDRRR twitlonger.com/show/n_1srcgop 26 2 Clancy @lvlttrs22 13h I'm sick and tired of people not being held accountable or their actions being excused just because they're popular or have a nice art style. 27 1 83 234 Clancy @lvlttrs22 6h also, he did not retweet this mockingly. he supported me making this public and wants to take accountability. i just think its important for people to know that someone with a big following did something bad. grooming is a major problem and hiding behind personas online- 27 1 27 17 Clancy @lvlttrs22 6h makes it easier to get away with and go unnoticed. 16 Clancy @lvlttrs22. 1m i realized that some of the information might be vauge so here a little bit mo context: 8
Clancy @lvittrs22 1m in the beginning of the relationship he had told me that he didnt want his other ex to find out that don and i were dating because theyd be jealous and upset. eventually they found out and it put me in a really awkward position. Don had told me that his ex was jealous- 27 1 Clancy @lvlttrs22 1m and wanted to date him again when in reality he was constantly asking them for nudes and if they didnt send him nudes hed ghost them. this already shows his pattern of manipulative ghosting which he did too me after we broke up. wanting space is fine, but he would- 27 1 Clancy @lvlttrs22 1m ghost me without asking for space sometimes which i would become anxious and worried that something happened and fear for his safety... ANYWAY he led me to believe that his ex was a jealous and rude person when in reality they were scared for me that Don was going to- 27 1 Clancy @lvlttrs22 1m try and use me for nudes too. they asked Don to tell me the truth which he said he would but he never did. I didnt find out about ANY of this information until this past week. the whole time i was scared that his ex hated me because i thought they still liked him- 1 22 Clancy @lvlttrs22 - 1m but im reality they wanted to protect me. after we compared our interactions with Don (more details aswell that i havent shared bc idk if im comfortable with it yet) and with all the cards on the table it made Don look really, really bad... 1

Online Reactions

On social media, many people began to react to the controversy and criticize SuperMega as a result of these allegations as they spread on July 27th, 2023. Referencing the then-recent Colleen Ballinger Apology Video, Twitter user @duhkeemeh[8] uploaded a snippet of Matt from SuperMega singing Where Is The Love using a ukulele, earning over 50,000 views in three hours (shown below).

On July 27th, 2023, Twitter user @schmutzigneu[9] uploaded a sketch from Spongebob Squarepants in which Patchy the Pirate gets mad and starts to destroy his Spongebob merch, captioning the video "SUPERMEGA BETRAYED US 😭" as their response to the allegations, earning over 85,000 views in three hours (shown below).

Search Interest

External References

[1] YouTube – Lex

[2] Twitter – niceupdog

[3] Twitter – iamrav

[4] Twitter – DonDRRR

[5] Twitter – Matt Watson

[6] Twitter – WhiteMageMain

[7] Wayback – Clancy

[8] Twitter – Duhkeemeh

[9] Twitter – schmutzigneu



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