This article mentions suicide. Please read with caution.
UPDATE 2: It appears that James Somerton is indeed alive:
UPDATE: This is an unverified message that purports to be from someone on Somerton’s team saying, in response to a query about his status, “there’s nothing to worry about”.
This is by no means confirmation that all’s well with Somerton, but in the absence of any official announcement, it’s the best information we have.
Original article follows:
YouTube essayist James Somerton was considered one of the most prominent queer cultural critics on the streaming platform up until Dec. 2, 2023. On that day Harry “Hbomberguy” Brewis posted a nearly four-hour-long video exposing plagiarism on the site, going on to prove Somerton had plagiarized almost all of his content from other creators.
In the wake of the video’s release Somerton deactivated his channel, his social media and his Patreon. His response came in the form of an apology video on Dec. 20 in which he claimed that following his exposure he had “been in the hospital for a little over a week” after “trying to do something stupid”.
Now it appears there’s been a dark new development. A now-deleted post on Somerton’s X account reads very much like a suicide note, claiming to have been scheduled before he “ended things”:
At present there is no firm confirmation on what has happened. On r/Hbomberguy his producer Kat has posted an update that they’re “attempting to call in a wellness check on him” but there appears to be no official word one way or the other. That said, it is confirmed that the troubling post was indeed made on his account, which is now locked pending an update on his status.
Elsewhere on social media debate is raging over the situation. Some argue that Somerton’s situation was entirely of his own making and that he only had himself to blame for the destruction of his YouTube career. Others believe that Somerton was “dogpiled” for his actions and internet plagiarism is not the most serious thing in the world.
We will update this article if and when there is an official confirmation of Somerton’s wellbeing.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. A list of international crisis resources can be found here.
