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Jeff Wittek

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Jeff The Rock Wittek
Personal information
Born
Jeffrey Wittek[1]

(1989-12-15) December 15, 1989 (age 34)
New York City, U.S.
EducationSusan E. Wagner High School
Occupations
YouTube information
Channel
LocationLos Angeles, California, United States
Years active2011–present
GenreComedy
Subscribers3.07 million (Jeff Wittek)[2]
Total views356.4 million (Jeff Wittek)[2]
Associated acts
100,000 subscribers
1,000,000 subscribers
Last updated: 3 April 2024

Jeffrey The Rock Wittek (born December 15, 1989) is an American YouTuber, professional barber, and podcaster.[3][4][5] Wittek owns Jeff's Barbershop, an online haircare store, and hosts a YouTube series of the same name. He is the host of podcast, Jeff FM.

Early life

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Wittek was born and grew up in Staten Island, New York, where he attended Susan E. Wagner High School.[6] As a teenager Wittek worked in a local barbershop, out of which he also sold drugs at the same time, and was arrested multiple times for selling marijuana.[6][7][4] He continued selling drugs after relocating to Miami, Florida, and was eventually arrested in 2011 at age 21 for possession of marijuana, cocaine, and a controlled substance, as well as illegal drug trafficking.[4][8] The charges were dismissed for lack of an apparent search warrant, after which he moved to Los Angeles.[4]

Career

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2010: Bad Girls Club Season 5

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Jeff made an appearance on Bad Girls Club in multiple episodes of Season 5.[9] He was introduced as the crush of one of the contestants, Erica.

2012–16: Early YouTube and 1600 Vine

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Wittek started his YouTube account in 2011, but first became known for the Tumblr account he started in 2012, Behind the Cuts, where he styled the hair of celebrities like Mac Miller and Pauly D. He also posted hair styling and party pictures on Instagram.[4]

Wittek's fame increased after his 2014 move to 1600 Vine, a Hollywood apartment building known for housing internet celebrities like Jake Paul and Lele Pons.[10] There he met the Vlog Squad. For three years starting in 2015, he dated actress Cierra Ramirez.[11]

2017–19: The Vlog Squad and Jeff's Barbershop

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He started filming episodes for his online talk show Jeff's Barbershop in 2019, and gained enough popularity to become a brand ambassador for Old Spice.[12]

2020–present: Accident, Don't Try This at Home, Patreon, and Lawsuit

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In June 2020, Jeff Wittek was injured in Utah while filming a stunt with David Dobrik and the Vlog Squad.[13][14] Dobrik was operating an excavator in a shallow lake while Wittek swung from a rope attached to the end of the excavator's arm. Dobrik spun the rope too fast and then abruptly stopped,[15] causing Wittek to hit the excavator and fall into the water upside down with his foot stuck in the rope. Wittek's injuries included a fractured skull, a fractured left eye socket, a broken hip and foot, and torn ligaments in his leg. Despite these injuries, Wittek continued filming his series, Jeff's Barbershop, without addressing them publicly.[4]

In April 2021, Wittek released a docuseries titled Don't Try This at Home, comprising five episodes in which he explained the circumstances surrounding the injury and described his recovery. He also discussed the impact on his relationship with Dobrik.[4][7][16][17][18] After releasing the first episode, Wittek pivoted to Patreon because the footage of his injuries was deemed too graphic for YouTube. His Patreon account gained 37,000 followers in the first 10 days, making him one of the most-followed creators on that platform and the highest-paid creator of 18+ content on the platform at the time.[19][20]

In March 2022, it was revealed in leaked footage from an upcoming documentary by fellow YouTuber Casey Neistat and in an episode of Dobrik's Views podcast that David Dobrik was evidently blaming Jeff Wittek for the accident. Dobrik allegedly stated that the accident involving the excavator was the idea of Wittek and that he should be taking more responsibility,[21] which Wittek quickly denied in a response video on the JEFF FM YouTube channel.[22] Within his response, Wittek asserted he refused to appear on an episode of Dobrik's Views podcast, claiming that Dobrik would attempt to manipulate his words and editing into blaming Wittek for his physical and emotional trauma, along with a sense of discomfort around the individual that caused such suffering.[22][dubious – discuss]

In June 2022, it was revealed that Dobrik was being sued by Jeff Wittek in relation to the 2020 accident. The lawsuit does not detail specifics for the myriad of injuries Wittek experienced, although in his 2021 docuseries, it was heavily mentioned that he faced the possibility of losing his eye, which is included in the suit.[23][24][25] This is after claiming in February 2022 that he "almost died" the day of the accident.[26] Dobrik responded by asserting that Wittek knew the risks of the stunt and requested the judge dismiss the complaint.[27]

Personal life

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In 2024, Wittek starred in the third season of the H3 Podcast series The Bach3lor, in search of finding someone to settle down with.[28] Spanning five episodes, Wittek ultimately chose Australian contestant, Verica (pronounced [ʋêrit͡sa]) from Brisbane, Queensland, from twenty bachlorettes.[29]

Awards and nominations

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Streamy Awards

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The YouTube Streamy Awards are an award show presented by Tubefilter which recognizes and honors excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented takes place in Los Angeles, California.[30]

Year Category Nominated work Result Ref(s)
2020 Unscripted Series Jeff's Barbershop Nominated [31]
2021 Documentary "Don't Try This At Home" Won [32]

References

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  1. ^ "What Happened to Jeff Wittek?". Distractify. April 22, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "About Jeff Wittek". YouTube.
  3. ^ Weiss, Geoff (April 29, 2021). "Jeff Wittek's Patreon Account Gets 37,000 Supporters In 10 Days With Docuseries Rollout". www.tubefilter.com. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Asarch, Steven. "How the Vlog Squad's Jeff Wittek found fame through controversy, from his 'drug dealer' past to the David Dobrik accident". Insider. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  5. ^ Sands, Mason. "You Should Be Paying Attention To 'Little Black Mirror' (Even If You Can't Watch It) (Updated)". Forbes. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Priola, Victoria (April 21, 2021). "Jeff Wittek launches 'tell-all' YouTube docuseries about meeting David Dobrik, growing up on Staten Island". silive. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Twersky, Carolyn (May 5, 2021). "Jeff Wittek Reveals There Was a Time He Thought David Dobrik Hurt Him 'On Purpose'". Seventeen. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  8. ^ Nambiar, Prerna (March 22, 2021). "Why did Jeff Wittek go to jail? A look back at his arrest". HITC. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  9. ^ Catya vs. Jeff Wittek - Bad Girls Club (Season 5), September 5, 2020, retrieved January 8, 2022
  10. ^ Barragan, Bianca (January 2, 2018). "The Hollywood building where social media stars live". Curbed LA. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  11. ^ "Vlog Squad Member Jeff Wittek Dated Actress Cierra Ramirez for Three Years". Distractify. September 29, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  12. ^ Priola, Victoria (March 4, 2020). "Is Staten Island native Jeff Wittek the new face of Old Spice?". silive. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  13. ^ Dodgson, Lindsay. "Vlog Squad member Jeff Wittek revealed he injured his eye while swinging from an excavator David Dobrik was controlling". Insider. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  14. ^ Vulpo, Mike (April 22, 2021). "YouTuber Jeff Wittek Shares Shocking Details on How David Dobrik Caused His Near-Fatal Accident". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  15. ^ "Jeff wittek excavator footage #justiceforjeff". YouTube. April 22, 2021.
  16. ^ Gonzalez, A.F.; Campione, Katie (April 22, 2021). "Vlogger Jeff Wittek Opens Up About Accident Involving David Dobrik That Almost Killed Him". People.com. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  17. ^ Vallejo, Justin (April 27, 2021). "YouTuber Jeff Wittek says David Dobrik stunt 'made me resent him'". The Independent. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  18. ^ Smith, Georgina (May 1, 2021). "David Dobrik explains his side of life-threatening Jeff Wittek vlog accident". Dexerto. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  19. ^ Weiss, Geoff (April 29, 2021). "Jeff Wittek's Patreon Account Gets 37,000 Supporters In 10 Days With Docuseries Rollout. That's At Least $2.2 Million In Annual Revenue". tubefilter. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  20. ^ Mendez II, Moises (May 20, 2021). "Jeff Wittek responded to claims that his eye injury documentary was a 'cash grab,' joking 'I lost my vision but 60Gs is 60Gs'". Insider. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  21. ^ DISCUSSING WHAT HAPPENED, March 8, 2022, retrieved March 15, 2022
  22. ^ a b DISCUSSING WHAT *REALLY* HAPPENED | JEFF FM | Ep. 40, March 9, 2022, retrieved March 15, 2022
  23. ^ "YouTuber David Dobrik Sued for $10 Million Over Excavator Stunt That Resulted in Life-Threatening Injuries". Vanity Fair. June 23, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  24. ^ Mohammed, Leyla (June 24, 2022). "David Dobrik Is Being Sued By Jeff Wittek Over The Near-Fatal Excavator Stunt That Almost Caused Him To Lose An Eye". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  25. ^ "David Dobrik Sued for $10 Million by Jeff Wittek Over Stunt Injury | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. June 23, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  26. ^ "YouTuber Jeff Wittek No Longer Speaks to Former Friend David Dobrik". Peoplemag. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  27. ^ "David Dobrik Says YouTuber Jeff Wittek Knew Excavator Stunt Gone Wrong Was Risky". TMZ. September 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  28. ^ Jeff Wittek Is Your Bach3lor - Episode #1 - OTR #104. Retrieved March 28, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  29. ^ The BacH3lor Ep. #5 - A Beach Picnic With Verica (Ft. Jeff Wittek). Retrieved March 28, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  30. ^ "The Streamy Awards will recognize the best online T". Los Angeles Times. December 19, 2008.
  31. ^ "2020 Streamy Awards: The Complete Winners List | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. December 13, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  32. ^ "WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE "2021 YOUTUBE STREAMY AWARDS"". creatorsfaire.com. December 13, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
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