David Dobrik is spoiling VIEWS’ success by sidelining Jason Nash

Alice Hearing
Opinion overlay over Jason Nash and David Dobrik on VIEWS podcast

After almost a year hiatus from creating content for YouTube, David Dobrik recently returned with a vlog showing off his new home, and a brand new look for his podcast VIEWS with Jason Nash.

However, after the latest episode from his pimped-out studio in his brand new home, thousands of fans were upset with the apparent exclusion of Vlog Squad member and David’s co-presenter Jason Nash – and rightly so.

The latest episodes of VIEWS see David and Jason chatting to international superstars such as Diplo, Dillon Francis, Halsey, and Madison Beer. But much of the focus throughout is dedicated to the banter between Dobrik and the guests. Nash appears to only chime in occasionally to laugh or make a witty joke.

David Dobrik VIEWS podcast studio
David Dobrik’s new VIEWS podcast studio is built into his new house, marking a huge change from the show’s previous audio-only format.

Fans were particularly furious after the episode with Diplo and Dillon Francis, airing their frustrations in the comments below. “This podcast isn’t entertaining without Jason, and David’s laugh is like Jimmy Fallon’s,” one user wrote. “He is laughing so hard at something that isn’t that funny.”

“This is supposed to be a podcast between Jason and David,” another commented. “It’s turning into David’s talk show while Jason sits in the background. If David wanted a talk show, he should have made it separate from the podcast.”

VIEWS has totally transformed itself in recent weeks. The podcast was first launched in 2017, focusing on the age disparity, strange friendship, and witty banter between Jason and David who would occasionally invite guests – often their friends, vlog squad members, or internet stars. It rose rapidly in popularity and at points reached no.1 and no.2 in the iTunes chart.

While the audio has previously just been uploaded to YouTube alongside pictures of the pair recording. It is now filmed in a studio set-up with a desk where David sits and a sofa for the guests, appearing less like a podcast and far more like a late-night talk show.

Dobrik expressed his desire to eventually become a late-night talk show host in an interview in February, noting how the podcast offers him a chance to maintain his own studio, book his own guests and practice hosting celebrities — suggesting that it would be a path toward late-night hosting for content across television and digital media. He described his latest talk-show concept, which remains a work in progress, as “Jackass meets late-night.”

Jason Nash deserves more credit

With the new studio in full use, David is living out his dream, but perhaps not the dream of his co-host Jason. David is the star of the show seated behind the desk while Jason is seated either on the sofa or on a chair on the other side of the screen to David. In the latest episodes, so much of the focus is on David or the guests, that Jason is rarely seen at all.

It’s pretty clear that Dobrik is very comfortable with celebrities, having previously spoken about his interactions with the Kardashians, and hung out with John Stamos, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kevin Hart among others. Clearly, the YouTuber would be a very natural talk show host, but compromising VIEWS in order to make that dream a reality is not in fans’ best interests.

The slow erasure of Jason Nash is evidently neglecting what initially made the podcast so popular – fans found the friendship between Jason and David hilarious and fascinating, enjoying the insight into the life of a YouTube while being entertained by the unique way both men bounced off each other. With the focus on celebrities, the dynamic is now wildly different.

Ultimately, Jason deserves more credit and attention than he is given as an original vlog squad member and an integral part of VIEWS’ success.

About The Author

Alice is a former writer at Dexerto based in London, covering online entertainment. Alice specialized in influencer culture on TikTok and YouTube as well as news and trends across prolific online platforms.