"Do better": Viewers call out Marques Brownlee aka MKBHD for going 60 over the speed limit in a children's zone

YouTuber Marques "MKBHD" Brownlee has made a significant name in the tech review world. His videos have become a go-to for regular consumers over the years, as he has a reputation for pumping out high-quality, articulate, and structured reviews. Recently, the YouTuber released a video on his main channel titled How My Video Gear is Changing! that caused some backlash online.

In the video, MKBHD expressed his wish to change his filming format, and to adopt a more "freestyle" way of recording videos. He intended to show how he would go about doing this using an action camera, specifically the "Osmo Action 5" by DJI, the video's sponsor.

To provide an example of the camera's versatility, Marques recorded himself from a POV perspective, zipping through a narrow road in a Lamborghini. Viewers noticed that the YouTuber was going well over the speed limit during this segment while approaching a school zone.

User @PlaygamerThree posted screenshots from the video on X, depicting a 35 mp/h speed limit sign that MKBHD sped past. In addition, as the clip cut out, a yellow "School Zone" sign was visible as the speedometer crossed 90 mph. In the post, @PlaygamerThree wrote:

"MKBHD going 100 mp/h in a 35 zone with signs warning children are in the area AND you're approaching a school zone...You even tried to hide it by blurring the speed in the video. Do better."

User @plainrocktweets compared Marques to controversial streamer Jack Doherty, who was banned on Kick for driving his McLaren while reading messages on his phone. This distracted driving, combined with speeding on a wet road, led to him losing control and crashing into a guardrail:

"MKBHD = The new Jack Doherty??"

In reactions to MKBHD's latest upload, many claim the YouTuber was being too reckless (Images via @geerlingguy/X)

Others, like @bits4meee, claimed money has gotten to the YouTuber's head:

"What happens is when you get so big that you now have payroll, you have to start worrying about that money and make sure it keeps rolling in."

Many across Reddit and X criticized the video for being sponsored. Here's what @indubtablist had to say:

"I stopped watching him. Seemed like taking money for favorable reviews but he'd throw a minute flaw in to say he's fair."

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"MKBHD has gone down-hill": Marques Brownlee criticized for his latest sponsored video

This isn't the first time Marques has been under fire online in 2024. In September, the internet criticized him for releasing a wallpaper app, dubbed Panels, that required users to pay a $50 subscription fee.

@l0gix5 claimed that this was the beginning of a downfall for Marques:

"MKBHD has gone down-hill since the wallpaper app… I don’t know, just not good content anymore."

Apart from the reckless driving, another major talking point for users was the video's sponsorship. Some claim that Sponsorblock, a browser extension designed to skip unwanted segments in YouTube videos, deemed the majority of the YouTuber's latest upload to essentially be an advertisement.

On YouTube, @michaelchen2718 expressed disappointment in MKBHD's latest upload being sponsored, stating that this goes against what the content creator previously stood for:

"Wow. I cannot believe this. I remember a time when Marques Brownlee said he would never make a fully sponsored video. Now here it is, an entire 9-minute video that is just a sponsor."

Overall, the reception of Marques' latest upload has been overwhelmingly negative. As of this writing, the YouTuber has yet to release a statement addressing the backlash.

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In other news, MKBHD acknowledged the criticism surrounding his Panels app and expressed his commitment to addressing user concerns.