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Canadian YouTuber James Somerton, who was accused of plagiarism in December 2023, sparked concerns after supposedly posting an apparent suicide note online Tuesday.
Trigger Warning: This article deals with themes of suicide and mental health struggles, which might be triggering to some. Readers’ discretion is advised.
Reddit user @liloloveyou024 aka LILO shared a screenshot of Somerton’s note posted on his private X account. Somerton, who used to post video essays on queer literature, has deleted his main YouTube channel. In the disturbing note, Somerton wrote:
“If this message is live, it means I scheduled it before ending things. I have videos scheduled to go out over the next couple of days.”
The YouTuber added that he wanted Nick aka Nicholas Hergott, his co-writer’s work portfolio, to be available online.
Somerton explained how he had instructed that The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention should receive any money made from those videos as donation. He added:
“They’ve tried very hard to pull me back, but there’s simply no life for me anymore. I’ve lost everything. … My only friend, my livelihood, my name …And it’s all my own fault.”
James Somerton concluded his note by saying the world would be a better place without him and bid his goodbye.
YouTuber James Somerton sparks suicide concerns amid plagiarism scandal
In December last year, British YouTuber Harris Brewis aka Hbomberguy posted a four-hour long video where he accused James Somerton of plagiarism.
Brewis claimed that Somerton seemingly took passages from other authors’ books, articles and online posts with small rearrangements to make it look like his original work.
After the video gained over 10 million views, Somerton’s subscriber count on YouTube dropped from more than 330,000 to 255,000. He later made most of his YouTube content private and even deactivated his account on Patreon.
Somerton posted an apology video, but it was not well-received by viewers. They claimed that his apology was not sincere enough and that he was only apologetic for getting caught plagiarizing and not for the act itself.
He later deleted his apology video. The YouTuber's latest X post came after the severe backlash he received a few months back.
Netizens grew concerned as they hoped that Somerton would not eventually go through his plan to do something drastic. Some urged others with knowledge of his whereabouts to do a wellness check on him.
Reddit users who came across James Somerton's X post reasoned that his actions were bad, but they were redeemable. Some suggested that even if Somerton's online career took a downturn and it wouldn't likely get better, he could get a job outside social media.
No update has been received on James Somerton's current state yet.
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