YouTube-famous parents Cole and Sav LaBrant have apologized for a viral April Fools video where they pranked their 6-year-old daughter by pretending they'd take her puppy away. But they're still doubling down on their critics.
On Tuesday, the day after April Fools' Day, the couple posted a video where they told their daughter, Everleigh, that they can no longer care for their pet dog, Carl. It sparked fury online.
"Basically, we're giving Carl away to somebody else because we feel like we can't take good enough care of him at our house," Sav told Everleigh in the video. "We feel like we're always filming or at dance competitions all day or we're busy doing stuff."
The family has 8.8 million YouTube subscribers and posts new vlogs several times a week. They also run a secondary channel, with 2.2 million subscribers, where Everleigh talks about toys.
In their new video, Cole and Sav said the video was a "mistake." But they explained that they love their kids, and said they don't hold the opinions of their critics in high regard. Cole said they weren't even sure if Everleigh was sincerely crying in the first place, since the family members were pranking each other all day.
"We love our kids so much more than any hater or any of you subscribers ever could," Cole said.
Sav said she regrets uploading the prank video in the first place, and that the two were considering removing it from YouTube.
"We want to apologize to the people we did offend, and think we're such bad people for making the video," she said.
Both the original prank video and the apology remain on the platform and are monetized, meaning the couple is making money from them.
The couple also pointed out that Everleigh stopped crying and was fine a few minutes after the prank was over. They said most of their fans recognize that they're good parents, and that the people who are disgusted with them aren't their usual fans anyway.
"90% of you guys are so sweet and had our backs through this thing and know who we are, and know that we don't have bad intentions, and know that we're not bad parents," Sav said. "The majority of people who are upset are grown adults who are parents ... I know all you guys have made mistakes, too, as we have."
Most Americans believe the couple's entire business model is unethical. In an INSIDER poll, 90% of Americans said it was wrong for parents to make money from pictures of their kids on social media, and 51.5% said parents shouldn't post public images of their children at all.
- Read more:
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- Nearly 90% of Americans think it's wrong to make money from photos of children on social media
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