David Dobrik apologizes for punching assistant Natalie in viral TikTok

YouTube star David Dobrik has issued a formal apology to assistant Natalie Mariduena after accidentally punching her in the face in a viral TikTok gone wrong.

David Dobrik took over TikTok in early November after uploading a video of himself and the Vlog Squad taking part in the platform’s viral ‘Pen in Cup’ trend.

The trend tasks participants with making a bet with themselves. Whether or not the bet works out in their favor, though, depends on whether or not they can throw a pen into a cup sitting several feet away.

In Dobrik’s TikTok, assistant Natalie Mariduena bet that if she successfully got the pen inside the cup, David wouldn’t get to see the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home movie the day it comes out on December 17.

David Dobrik apologizes to Natalie over viral TikTok gone wrong

In response to this potential occurrence, Dobrik jokingly slapped Natalie across the head — causing her glasses to cut her face, in the process.

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The bloody aftermath quickly took social media by storm, with many critics taking up for Natalie and referencing Dobrik’s past controversies.

Several weeks later, Dobrik brought up the matter in an episode of his VIEWS Podcast, where he explained the situation and even offered up an official apology to his friend on the air.

“I punched Natalie in the face the other day, on accident,” he explained. “And people were like, ‘What the f**k did he just do?’ … It’s weird when you post something that’s between two people, and then people get mad at you. Like people start feeling the way the other person should be feeling.”

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“So yeah, I’m sorry for hitting you in the face, Nat.”

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The response to Dobrik’s apology has been mixed, with some fans laughing off the encounter, while critics accuse the YouTuber of being disingenuous.

Natalie herself has remained in good spirits about the entire debacle — although she’s not above poking fun at Dobrik over his excitement in regards to Marvel films.