Apology video

An apology video is a video in which a celebrity or influencer apologises for, or addresses, public criticism or backlash—often in an insincere manner.

Overview

It is common for Internet celebrities to apologise or respond to criticism or backlash in the form of a video. Apology videos, especially from YouTubers, have been described as a genre and are an Internet meme on the platform. Most are purposefully orchestrated to elicit sympathy from viewers; individuals filming an apology video may choose to not wear makeup, untidy their hair, or pretend to cry in order to show either relatability, authenticity or sincerity to their audience. A forced sigh, especially at the start of the video, is also common. Regarding the filming location, many may wish to avoid showing any affluence in their videos and use poor or natural lighting in order to generate a more authentic look and feel. By doing this, the person filming the apology video wishes to show vulnerability and establish a level of trust with their audience.

On YouTube, apology videos greatly range in length from a single minute to almost an hour, and are titled vaguely. Bettina Makalintal, writing for Vice, cited Logan Paul's "So Sorry", PewDiePie's "My Response", the Labrant Fam's "Addressing All the Hate We've Received" and Raw Alignment's "everything i had wish i said a long time ago" as examples of this, demonstrating also that the titles can be either wordy or brief. The thumbnail of these videos usually show the YouTuber in question with a sincere, teary-eyed expression while wearing minimal to no makeup; the latter is especially common for beauty YouTubers. Not all apology videos feature a person apologising, however; the individual filming an apology video may justify or explain their actions, allege that they are a victim of cancel culture, or simply apologise insincerely for the sake of retaining a positive reputation.