Fashionable YouTuber Cody Ko steps down from his podcast community following allegations that he had intercourse with an underaged influencer

Cody Kolodziejzyk, the commentary YouTuber higher generally known as Cody Ko, will probably be stepping away from day-to-day operations at TMG Studios, the podcast community he co-founded, following allegations that he had intercourse with an underaged influencer when he was 25.

The information was introduced in a publish to paid subscribers of the podcast community on Friday night. The six exhibits presently below the community’s umbrella haven’t posted new episodes up to now week as scheduled. 

In June, influencer Tana Mongeau, 26, alleged that Kolodziejzyk, 33, had intercourse along with her when she was underage. Kolodziejzyk has not made an announcement addressing the allegations, however he has confronted mounting backlash in current weeks. He has misplaced round 250,000 subscribers within the final 30 days, based on the social media analytics web site Social Blade. 

Representatives for Kolodziejzyk didn’t reply to a number of requests for remark.

The content material of the departure publish was initially despatched as an e-mail to TMG Studios workers on Friday morning. The publish, which NBC Information reviewed, is behind a paywall for TMG Studios subscribers. 

“As we enter into this subsequent section of the studio, we needed to let that Cody won’t be concerned within the day-to-day operations at TMG Studios,” the publish mentioned. “What has transpired over the previous few weeks is a private situation for him, and Cody needs to take away any effect that is having in your skilled and private lives and the work you and our different hosts have executed to make TMG Studios so profitable.”

The publish additionally acknowledged that co-founder Noel Miller, Kolodziejzyk’s longtime artistic and enterprise accomplice, would proceed to steer the community. The exhibits will resume “within the coming weeks,” based on the publish. Beneath TMG Studios, Kolodziejzyk co-hosts the “Tiny Meat Gang Podcast” with Miller. He additionally has his personal present referred to as “Insanely Chill.”

The information comes almost per week after podcasters Drew Phillips and Enya Umanzor, whose present “Emergency Intercom” was acquired by TMG Studios in Might, introduced they might be leaving the community amid the criticism towards Kolodziejzyk. In a July 19 Instagram post, they introduced that the podcast could be “produced independently by us” shifting ahead however didn’t instantly deal with the allegations in opposition to Kolodziejzyk.

Representatives for Phillips and Umanzor didn’t reply to a request for remark. 

Kolodziejzyk, 33, rose to prominence in YouTube’s strong commentary space and has almost 6 million subscribers on his principal channel. 

Mongeau addressed hypothesis about her expertise with Kolodziejzyk in varied podcasts printed in June. The podcasts got here after a clip of her saying she had intercourse with the YouTuber when she was 17 went viral that very same month. 

On a June 21 episode of her podcast “Cancelled,” Mongeau mentioned that Kolodziejzyk was 25 when the incident occurred. She described the encounter as a “crime.”

“To be 100% truthful, once I look again on the Cody state of affairs, I positively am like, why was he doing that?” Mongeau, who not too long ago turned 26, mentioned within the episode. “You already know what I imply? And there have been so many conditions, there was a state of affairs with [influencer] Gabbie Hanna at a [YouTuber convention] Playlist Stay the place she pulled him apart and instructed him like, ‘Yo, she’s 17.’ And we nonetheless went and connected.”

A consultant for Mongeau declined to remark additional when requested by NBC Information. Representatives for Hanna didn’t reply to a request for remark. 

Mongeau went on to say she “doesn’t affiliate or maintain it with trauma” as a result of “so many worse issues have occurred” to her. 

Mongeau additionally went on Trisha Paytas’ podcast “Just Trish” and mentioned that she had seen feedback making an attempt to discredit her due to her popularity as a controversial personality. 

“After they’re not a popular particular person, [audiences] are so right down to get on that bandwagon and be like ‘f— them,’ however should you’re saying one thing s—– occurred with a popular particular person, it’s loopy the way in which it may be perceived,” she mentioned on the “Simply Trish” podcast. 

Mongeau beforehand alluded to having intercourse with Kolodziejzyk when she was a young person. Mongeau had talked about “hooking up” with varied folks together with Kolodziejzyk when she was 17 or 18 years previous in a December 2021 episode of “Cancelled.” 

After weeks of silence from the broader commentary group on YouTube, the floodgates seemingly opened after creator D’Angelo Wallace, who has over 1.6 million subscribers and creates in-depth movies on on-line controversies, called out Kolodziejzyk in a video posted on July 14. 

After the discharge of Wallace’s video, a number of distinguished creators — together with commentary YouTuber Jarvis Johnson and TikTok star Brittany Broski — shared statements condemning the alleged act. 

Johnson, a fellow commentary YouTuber, shared a statement on July 15 urging Kolodziejzyk to reply to Mongeau’s allegations. 

“It’s completely mandatory for us to take heed to victims interval,” Johnson mentioned within the assertion. “Platform or not, and no matter private emotions in direction of them, we should deal with claims like this severely.”

Broski, the distinguished TikTok star whose actual title is Brittany Tomlinson, additionally shared an announcement in regards to the situation on her Instagram Tales on July 15. Tomlinson and Kolodziejzyk have collaborated on varied podcast episodes and YouTube movies.

“I’m crushed to be taught in regards to the Cody allegations,” Tomlinson wrote. “If it’s confirmed to be true then that’s extraordinarily upsetting as a collaborator and longtime fan. I discover all of this disturbing, inappropriate and simply flat out disgusting.”

TMG Studios was based in 2021 and contains the “Tiny Meat Gang Podcast,” “Brooke and Connor Make a Podcast,” “Obsessive about Brooke Averick,” “The Zach and Wahlid Present,” “Firm Lot,” and “Insanely Chill.”