Nicole Arbour is a YouTube star you may have heard of for all of the wrong reasons. The online personality, who is a former cheerleader for the Toronto Raptors, has also dabbled in acting, dancing, singing, choreography, and comedy, but she is most known for her online controversies.
Arbour first drew online criticism in September 2015 when she uploaded a viral video titled “Dear Fat People.” The video endorsed fat-shaming and was temporarily removed from YouTube. Many prominent figures spoke up about the nature of the video and used it to open up about their own bullying stories. Arbour’s video led to her firing from a job where she served as a choreographer for an anti-bullying video for kids.
She defended the video by claiming it was simply “satire.” She said during an interview with TIME, “I find seeing someone’s head being blown off offensive … I find children starving in a country with more than enough food offensive. I find women’s bodies being mutilated for religious purposes, that is offensive to me. But words and satire I don’t find offensive.”
Arbour was also the subject of domestic abuse allegations from fellow YouTube personality Matthew Santoro, who claimed he had been in a physically and emotionally abusive relationship.
Most recently, Arbour gave her spin on the popular Childish Gambino “This Is America” video.
The video drew criticism for colonizing Gambino’s powerful video and important message which detailed the struggles of the black experience in America. Many people wondered why Arbour felt the need to give her perspective on the narrative and downplay the serious race issues the video addressed.
#ThisIsAmerica Women’s Edit NOW LIVE!!! https://t.co/BoNDyuJ5OF pic.twitter.com/FbJEyPbwq7
— Nicole Arbour (@NicoleArbour) May 13, 2018
Arbour was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1985.
