Onision

James Jackson (born Gregory James Daniel; November 11, 1985), known professionally by his online alias Onision (), is an American YouTuber. His primary YouTube channel, "Onision", featured sketches and satirical clips; videos posted to his other channels focus on personal stories covering controversial topics as well as discussion with his viewers. His online content has attracted controversy and criticism from online media outlets and viewers alike, as well as many allegations of misconduct in his private life.

As of June 2022, Daniel's main Onision channel had received over 2 million subscribers and over 330 million video views; his secondary channel "UhOhBro" had received just under 2 million subscribers and over 370 million video views; and his vlog channel "OnisionSpeaks" had received over 1.4 million subscribers and over 550 million video views. A music video titled "Banana Song (I'm a Banana)", written and performed by Daniel, is his most-viewed video; as of October 2022, it had garnered over 91 million views.

Early life

Daniel was born Gregory James Daniel on November 11, 1985, in Auburn, Washington. Daniel has told fans that his mother raised him and his older sisters in a rural environment and that they were Seventh-day Adventists. Additionally, in his 2014 self-published ''Facts About Onision (Story Time)'' video, Jackson states that his mother "filed for divorce once it was made clear that his father was a child predator". During his teenage years, Daniel composed music and worked on web and graphic design.

Online career

Video content

Jackson created his YouTube channel in 2006 but did not upload any content until October 2007. His earliest clips featured a character named Chibi, whom fans interpreted as a parody of Fred Figglehorn. In 2019, ''Insider'' wrote that Jackson was "best known for his objectifying content and controversial reputation", and detailed that "he rates pictures that women submit to him, gives his opinions on their bodies, and comments on other YouTubers".

In 2009, Jackson uploaded "Banana Song (I'm a Banana)", which went viral. The video featured Jackson "jumping around screaming in a banana suit", as well as his first wife, Skye Tantaga. "Banana Song" was featured on Comedy Central series '' Tosh.0'' as the "Viewer Video of the Week" in 2010.

In 2011, Jackson posted a number of clips with his then-girlfriend, Canadian singer Shiloh Hoganson. The clips were scripted but presented in a manner many fans interpreted as unscripted. In some of them, however, Hoganson is seen apparently experiencing transient amnesia; Adrienne Jourgensen, an ex-girlfriend of Jackson's, published a letter stating that Jackson believed Hoganson was lying about her memory loss. Jackson and Hoganson later stated that she was pregnant but suffered a miscarriage. In 2019, a video featuring Hoganson resurfaced online; in it, Jackson is heard telling her, "You know this video is never going to be online, right? No one will ever know how much I abuse you", before throwing candy corn at her and laughing as Hoganson cried.

Reception and criticism

Jackson's on-camera and off-camera activity has received criticism from online media outlets as well as from fellow online content creators. In 2010, ''Tubefilter'' listed Jackson as one of "5 YouTubers On Their Way Up", alongside Shane Dawson and the Fine Brothers. The outlet described Jackson's channel as frequently updated with a "very rough, in-your-face R-rated style" and called Jackson "the most controversial YouTuber". In 2012, ''The Daily Dot'' described Jackson as "known for his militant vegetarianism, sex appeal, comedic skits, and controversial views on topics like circumcision." The publication has also criticized his content on multiple occasions; in 2013, James Cook wrote for the outlet, calling Jackson "YouTube's most troubled star".

In 2018, Jackson was included on a ''Daily Dot''-published list of six YouTubers "worse" than Logan Paul. The outlet opined that " ackson'svideos these days 018are just as obnoxious and irritating as they were nine years ago when he first struck YouTube gold with a truly terrible song about being a banana." Jackson has also received criticism from fellow YouTubers, notably Daniel Sulzbach (known online as "MrRepzion" or "Repzion"), Strange Æons, and Blaire White. In a 2019 email to ''Insider'', Jackson shared that "People hated me, with a passion, for my opinions I openly held." In late 2019, ''Insider'' called Jackson "one of YouTube's most reviled personalities".

Controversies

Event and platform bans

Daniel was banned from VidCon 2012 due to a video in which he stated that since his then girlfriend Adrienne Jorgensen slept with more than 20 people before she was with him, she is a "slut" and therefore "cannot be raped". The video then received backlash from viewers outside of Daniel's core audience, as noted by ''NewMediaRockstars'' and ''The Daily Dot''. VidCon co-founder Hank Green sent an email to Daniel stating "if it is possible that you will not be safe, we will not let you come o VidCon"

In November 2019, Daniel was banned from Patreon after posting the phone number of Billie Dawn Webb, a fellow YouTuber. Webb was one of several women who claimed Daniel and his spouse had groomed and manipulated them into a sexual relationship or otherwise engaged in harassment and abuse. Patreon confirmed in a statement to ''The Verge'' that they had banned Daniel "as he violated our Bullying and Harassment olicyas it relates to doxing." In response to the ban, Daniel uploaded a video of him seemingly contorting himself, screaming, pouring a bottle of kombucha over his head, and shouting, "What am I going to do now? I'm covered in kombucha, and I have no more patrons!" Daniel subsequently opened a new web site where his supporters could re-donate, but shut it down shortly after its launch.

In January 2021, following the release of ''Onision: In Real Life'', Daniel's channels were suspended from the YouTube Partner Program.

Allegations of abuse and child grooming

In 2019, allegations of child grooming and abuse were leveled at Daniel and his spouse, Kai Avaroe, formerly known as Lainey. Jackson responded by stating that "the grooming stuff is absolute nonsense". As aforementioned, Billie Dawn Webb also made allegations of abuse by Daniel and Avaroe, stating that they were sent texts asking them to "be chained to hebasement wall for a week with a sign around heirneck that says 'I'm sorry for lying.'"

When reached by ''Insider'' for a comment in response to these allegations, Daniel requested $10,000 for an interview and stated: "I do not want to participate in this circus without compensation, I should be paid to endure to stupidity of the current state of outrage/online culture."

In January 2020, Daniel apparently called 9-1-1 on American television journalist Chris Hansen and lawyer Mike Morse in response to them knocking on his door. He described Hansen and his crew as "YouTuber stalkers". Morse, referring to Daniel, stated that "It concerns me that he astwo kids in the home," and that he "really didn't like what I was hearing about this guy".

According to a February 2020 article by ''The Daily Beast'', Hansen's investigative team alleges that Daniel has exploited his online fame for nearly a decade by grooming young fans and "coercing them into sexually and emotionally abusive relationships".

In media

A documentary about Onision titled ''Onision: In Real Life'' was broadcast on January 4, 2021, during the launch of Discovery+, with Chris Hansen as producer and consultant.

Bibliography

Novels
*''Stones to Abbigale'' (2015)
*''This Is Why I Hate You'' (2015)
*''Reaper's Creek'' (2018)

References

External links

*
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*YouTube channels:

Onision

OnisionSpeaks
*

{{Authority control

1985 births
Living people
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century American male writers
American former Christians
American atheists
American YouTubers
Comedy YouTubers
Critics of religions
Entertainers from Washington (state)
Former Seventh-day Adventists
Internet-related controversies
Internet memes
Place of birth missing (living people)
United States Air Force airmen
Vegetarian-related mass media
Video bloggers
Writers from Washington (state)
YouTube channels launched in 2006
YouTube controversies