YouTube megastar Shane Dawson said last night that he was thrown out of an event held in conjunction with Sundance Film Festival for holding hands with his boyfriend — fellow YouTube host Ryland Adams.
In a series of now-deleted tweets, Dawson said that he was kicked out of an event dubbed Remind The Nation, according to The Daily Dot, which aims to share the stories of war veterans. It was hosted by the polarizing conservative TV personality Tomi Lahren. Dawson initially claimed that it was Lahren who’d had him booted from the event — whereupon security tried to break his leg. In the now-deleted tweets, Dawson also claimed to have video footage of the incident, and said he’d reported it to police.
Check out a clip culled from Dawson’s Snapchat below.
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#IStandWithShane Shane & Ryland this is what happens guys pic.twitter.com/q5pnBoYyn6
— eviey evie (@duhitzevie) January 24, 2017
Almost immediately, the incident blew up on social media with the hashtags #IStandWithShane and #TomiLahrenIsOverParty, according to the The Daily Dot.
However, Lahren denied Dawson’s account of the events, writing in a Facebook post that Dawson and Adams asked for a picture with her, then jumped in front of her and started kissing one another. “They were there to instigate and make a spectacle,” she writes, adding that security then escorted them out for causing a scene.
Dawson apologized to Lahren for accusing her of kicking them out of the event, but still maintains that he was the victim of discrimination. “I’m not trying to be dramatic and I don’t use that to get views. I make content I’m proud of and I don’t talk about this stuff,” he tweeted. “But I am really sad about what happened and at some point I need to explain everything. But right now I’m overwhelmed. But I’m okay. Thanks, guys.”
Check out his apology to Lahren right here:
.@TomiLahren u may have had nothing to do with what security did to me tonight & i really don’t want to cause a thing. i’m sorry for (cont) — Shane Dawson (@shanedawson) January 24, 2017
@TomiLahren (2/2) bringing your name into this. i was just really sad & shocked. i don’t want to cause a thing. i hate it. love and peace.
— Shane Dawson (@shanedawson) January 24, 2017