YouTube star Andrew Callaghan has apologized and said he would seek treatment on Sunday after two women came forward accusing him of sexual coercion and sexual assault.
Callaghan, a freelance journalist known for the YouTube shows “All Gas No Brakes” and “Channel 5,” spoke for more than four minutes in a video on his Instagram page. He told his followers that he had “serious work” to do with himself in light of the allegations against him.
“So I’m going to start therapy sessions almost immediately,” Callaghan said. “Also, I don’t blame the alcohol, but I truly believe that the alcohol was a contributing factor to my poor decision-making. And I think alcohol in general has had a devastating impact on my life. So I think I’m going to make the decision to join a 12-step program for Alcoholics Anonymous.”
Caroline Elise, the first woman to publicly accuse Callaghan, said in a TikTok video earlier this month that she allowed Callaghan to stay at her home, but was “very clear about the fact that we weren’t connecting.” Elise alleged that Callaghan got into her bed and kept pushing her until she agreed to “do things she wasn’t proud of”.
Elise said that although Callaghan was ultimately given his consent, it was only “because he wore me out.”
A second woman, who goes by Dana online, alleged that Callaghan once began touching her without consent as she was driving him home. She alleged that he touched her inner thigh, kissed her neck, and tried to reach into her pants.
Dana, who did not respond to a request for comment, said she previously had consensual sex with Callaghan but did not want to have sex with him again.
Callaghan did not address the allegations specifically, but described his own actions as a type of “sexual pest behavior” that he believes has become normalized among boys and young men.
“I thought, you know, going home from the bar just made you a loser,” he said Sunday. “I thought persistence was a form of flattery. And I thought, you know, if someone was reluctant at first, you know, they’re playing hard to get, just try harder.”
Although Callaghan insists he always took the word “no” for the final answer, he also said he takes responsibility for not understanding “what enthusiastic, two-way consent looks like.”
Callaghan’s legal representative released a statement about the allegations against him last week.
“Conversations around pressure and consent are extremely important and Andrew wants to have these conversations so he can continue to learn and grow,” the representative said.
“Andrew promises to be better in this regard, while reminding his audience that while one concerned partner is too many, there are always multiple sides to a story. Andrew is fully committed to working with the appropriate professionals to better understand himself and the ways in which he can grow and improve as a human being, especially with his growing platform and the vulnerabilities that come with it.”
Callaghan rose to fame with “All Gas No Breaks,” in which he interviewed people from underserved communities, including Bigfoot hunters, porn stars, and the Proud Boys. The show debuted in the fall of 2019 in partnership with social media company Doing Things Media. Callaghan later started “Channel 5”, a YouTube spin-off series.
He recently directed a documentary on the Capitol riot on January 6, titled “This Place Rules.” The film, made in collaboration with production company A24, premiered on HBO Max just days before the first prosecution video was released.
Diana Dasrath contributed.