Channel Awesome is imploding.

Recently, video review aggregate Channel Awesome (aka. home to the Nostalgia Critic) has been facing incredible backlash. Starting with former contributors to the site filing a list of grievances in a Google doc under the #ChangetheChannel movement, and the bad PR damage control to follow.

You can check the docs out here for the full story, but for the short version...

CEO Mike Michaud has a habit for being a colossal asshat, constantly breathing down the neck of contributors, and all in all just making terrible decision after decision (we can also add misogyny to that list, in light of what’s come out). That came out as early as Alison Pregler’s (Obscurus Lupa) unceremonious banishment, which led other high profile producers like Lindsay Ellis and Kyle Kallgren to follow suit and leave. Pregler made her case public knowledge following the scandal, but it never went anywhere.

However, as early as March, contributors both former and current (including Linkara, who has since left) started reaching out to each other, and sharing their own stories of neglect, abuse, and total unprofessionalism. Their stories all totaled up to that aforementioned Google doc reaching 70 pages in length. Largely it concerns Michaud’s terrible choices behind the scenes, and the bullying he subjected those contributors to.

Channel Awesome is a company business, but has no idea how to run like one. Contributors to the site weren’t payed employees, but paid in exposure, in which the site would embed their videos, and the site would earn money from ad revenue, and the contributors from clicks. But rather than shine the light on these lesser known contributors, the site would place all the emphasis on Doug Walker and the Nostalgia Critic, and they, along with Rob Walker, had a terrible track record with producer communication. Not to mention during anniversary crossovers, Michaud insisted that those contributors sign over their video earnings to fund those movies (when they were working for free, and had to keep a consistent content schedule).

Speaking of which, the production of those anniversary crossovers - including Doug Walker’s four hour dirge To Boldly Flee - were horrendous. Walker initially laughed off Lindsay Ellis’ suggestion of having craft services on set as diva behavior, despite being told it was essential for film shoots to have them. Performers were working under stressful conditions, some were injured in stunts gone wrong (with contracts made up exempting them of responsibility, and when one woman was hurt, Rob Walker had to coerce her into signing since she was a last minute stand in), some passed out and went without water, and Doug refused to eliminate an implied rape joke despite protests. Not to mention firing their HR head who worked non-stop even through holidays a day after surgery, the failed promises of their Indiegogo campaign, and several instances of alleged sexual harassment t.

With all of this in the air, Channel Awesome decided to pull some damage control posting an “apology” in response. They had a chance to prove that they could get better, that they could win back the graces of heir audiences, and the producers they hurt. But instead, they just dug their heels in throwing thinly veiled attacks, refusing to accept any responsibility for their poor handling of sensitive issues, their exact words being “we sincerely regret you feel that way.” This backfired on them tremendously, showing to those people that they have learned nothing, and will likely never change. Oh, and apparently they scaled back their proposed epic ten year anniversary special, without telling the other contributors - who were ready to fly out to Chicago - about it (great communication there). In response, another exodus occurred, leaving only ten contributors left where there was 40 in March.

And apparently, it’s not easy to simply fire Michaud, since he owns the Nostalgia Critic brand, which would lose the Walkers that character.

I do not care about Channel Awesome in the slightest. I use to enjoy Doug’s Shtick back in the day before his repetition bored me, and I gravitated towards the other producers who wanted to branch out, which was the only reason I kept coming back as the NC kept regressing rather than evolving. After the Obscurus Lupa fiasco, I gave up on the site altogether. Michaud’s childish tyranny was no surprise to me, but this reflects just as badly on the Walkers too. Even if he’s not mentioned much in the docs, and may not have done such awful things as Michaud and his brother, there’s no way Doug can be excused since he had to know this was going on, and he turned a blind eye to it. This just reflects poorly on him, and everyone in that circle, especially when he’s already perceived as narcissistic, egotistical, and extremely thin-skinned. It’s stuff like this that make me feel vindicated for avoiding his insufferable vanity projects ever since.

UPDATE: And things have only gotten worse. On their website, they’ve posted a response directly taking aim at the site’s former contributors and their former HR head. No apology, no sincerity, no hint of regret whatsoever. It all devolved into arrogant, defensive, remorseless finger pointing and victim blaming. As a result, only three - three, where there used to be forty in March - contributors remain linked to the site.