James Jackson

**James Jackson** (born **Gregory James Daniel**; November 11, 1985) is an American entertainer, YouTuber, musician and author. He is known professionally by his online alias **Onision** (/oʊˈniːsiːɒn/). His primary YouTube channel, "Onision", features sketches and satirical clips; videos posted to his other channels focus on personal stories covering topics such as suicide and self-harm as well as discussion with his viewers. His online content has attracted controversy and criticism from online media outlets and viewers alike.

As of November 2019, Jackson's main Onision channel has received over 2 million subscribers and over 330 million video views; his secondary channel "UhOhBro" has received just under 2 million subscribers and over 370 million video views; and his vlog channel "OnisionSpeaks" has received over 1.6 million subscribers and over 550 million video views. A music video titled "Banana Song (I'm a Banana)", written and performed by Jackson, is his most-viewed video; as of April 2020, it has garnered over 80 million views.

## Contents

* 1Early life
* 2Online career
	+ 2.1Video content
	+ 2.2Reception
* 3Controversies
	+ 3.1Event and platform bans
	+ 3.2Allegations of abuse and child grooming
	+ 3.3Other controversies
* 4In media
* 5Bibliography
* 6Discography
* 7See also
* 8References
* 9External links

## Early life[edit]

Jackson was born Gregory James Daniel on November 11, 1985 in Auburn, Washington. Jackson has told fans his mother raised him and his older sisters in a rural environment and that they were Seventh-day Adventists. Additionally, in his 2014 self-published *Facts About Onision (Story Time)* video, Jackson states that his mother "filed for divorce once it was made clear his father was a child predator". During his teenage years, Jackson composed music and worked on web and graphic design.

## Online career[edit]

### Video content[edit]

Jackson created his channel in 2006 but did not upload any content until October 2007. His earliest clips featured a character named Chibi, whom fans interpreted as a parody of Fred Figglehorn. In 2019, *Insider* wrote that Jackson was "best known for his objectifying content and controversial reputation", and detailed that "he rates pictures that women submit to him, gives his opinions on their bodies, and comments on other YouTubers".

In 2009, Jackson uploaded "Banana Song (I'm a Banana)", which went viral. The video featured Jackson "jumping around screaming in a banana suit", as well as his first wife, Skye Tantaga. "Banana Song" was featured on Comedy Central series *Tosh.0* as the "Viewer Video of the Week" in 2010.

In 2011, Jackson posted a number of clips with his then-girlfriend Shiloh Hoganson. The clips were scripted but presented in a manner many fans interpreted as unscripted.[*citation needed*] In some of them, however, Hoganson is seen apparently experiencing transient amnesia; Adrienne Jourgensen, an ex-girlfriend of Jackson's, published a letter stating that Jackson believed Hoganson was lying about her memory loss. Jackson and Hoganson later stated that she was pregnant but suffered a miscarriage. In 2019, a video featuring Hoganson resurfaced online; in it, Jackson is heard telling her, "You know this video is never going to be online, right? No one will ever know how much I abuse you", before hurling candy corns at her and laughing.

### Reception[edit]

Jackson's on-camera and off-camera activity has received criticism from online media outlets as well as from fellow online content creators. In 2010, *Tubefilter* listed Jackson as one of "5 YouTubers On Their Way Up", alongside Shane Dawson and the Fine Brothers. The outlet described Jackson's channel as frequently updated with a "very rough, in-your-face R-rated style" and called Jackson "the most controversial YouTuber." In 2012, *The Daily Dot* described Jackson as "known for his militant vegetarianism, sex appeal, comedic skits, and controversial views on topics like circumcision." The publication has also criticized his content on multiple occasions; in 2013, James Cook wrote for the outlet, calling Jackson "YouTube's most troubled star".

In 2018, Jackson was included on a *Daily Dot*-published list of six YouTubers "worse" than Logan Paul. The outlet opined that "[Jackson's] videos these days [2018] are just as obnoxious and irritating as they were nine years ago when he first struck YouTube gold with a truly terrible song about being a banana." Jackson has also received criticism from fellow YouTubers, notably Daniel Sulzbach (known online as "MrRepzion" or "Repzion") and Blaire White. In a 2019 email to *Insider*, Jackson shared that "People hated me, with a passion, for my opinions I openly held."

## Controversies[edit]

### Event and platform bans[edit]

Jackson was banned from VidCon 2012 due to a video in which he stated that, since Jourgensen slept with more than 20 people before she was with him, she is a "slut" and therefore cannot be "raped". The video then received backlash from viewers outside of Jackson's core audience, as noted by *NewMediaRockstars* and *The Daily Dot*. VidCon co-founder Hank Green issued an email to Jackson stating "if it is possible that you will not be safe, we will not let you come [to VidCon]."

In November 2019, Jackson was banned from Patreon after posting the phone number of fellow YouTube creator Billie Dawn Webb, who claimed she had been groomed by and manipulated into a sexual relationship with Jackson. At the time, Webb was among several women who had accused Jackson and his spouse of harassment, manipulation, and abuse. Patreon confirmed in a statement to *The Verge* that they had banned Jackson "as he violated our Bullying and Harassment [policy] as it relates to doxing." In response to the ban, Jackson uploaded a video of him seemingly contorting himself, screaming, pouring kombucha on himself, and shouting, "What am I going to do now?" Jackson subsequently opened a new web site where his supporters could re-donate. In a video soon after, Jackson announced that the site was shut down shortly after its launch.

### Allegations of abuse and child grooming[edit]

In 2019, allegations of child grooming and abuse were levied at Jackson and his spouse, Kai Avaroe. Jackson responded by stating that "the grooming stuff is absolute nonsense." As aforementioned, Webb also made allegations of abuse by Jackson and Avaroe, stating that she was sent texts asking her to "be chained to [the] basement wall for a week with a sign around [her] neck that says 'I'm sorry for lying.'"

When reached by *Insider* for a comment in response to these allegations, Jackson requested $10,000 for an interview and stated: "I do not want to participate in this circus without compensation, I should be paid to endure to [*sic*] stupidity of the current state of outrage/online culture."

On January 9, 2020, Jackson called 9-1-1 on American television journalist Chris Hansen and his law firm, Mike Morse, for knocking on his door. He described Hansen and his crew as "YouTuber stalkers... Yelling things at [him] through the door", although footage taken by Hansen's crew on the day of the incident showed no such incidents taking place. He had previously asked Hansen for $350,000 in order to be interviewed. Morse stated that, "It concerns me that he [has] two kids in the home," and that he, "really didn't like hearing about this guy on *Have a Seat with Chris Hansen*." Jackson and Avaroe have since filed two petitions for an order of protection from unlawful harassment conduct, one (also on behalf of their children) against Hansen and the other against Sulzbach, who has hired a criminal attorney for the case, which was on January 24 at the Pierce County District Court in Washington state, according to their court database. There, it turned out Jackson had served the wrong Chris Hansen and had requested to dismiss both petitions because he was advised to consider an "alternative, more effective legal action against both defendants". This dismissal request was granted.

### Other controversies[edit]

In 2019, Jackson was fined $90,000 by the Planning & Public Works Department of Pierce County, Washington for disturbing a wetland area. As of December 2019, Jackson claimed to have paid the fee and that he was currently replanting the area.

In early 2020, a police report detailing an incident from September 2019 was leaked, in which Jackson's two-year-old daughter had fallen from Jackson's second-story window onto their concrete driveway. The report further states, however, that the incident was deemed accidental and judged insufficient for Child Protective Services to get involved. Police reported the child is recovering well.

## In media[edit]

A documentary about Onision titled "Onision: In Real Life" was broadcast on January, 4 2021 during the launch of Discovery+, with Chris Hansen as producer and host.

## Bibliography[edit]

**Novels**

* *Stones To Abbigale* (2015)
* *This Is Why I Hate You* (2015)
* *Reaper's Creek* (2018)

## Discography[edit]

**Albums**

* *Young Eye* (2009)
* *Onision* (2012)
* *Explicit* (2012)
* *Flucking Blitch* (2013)
* *Black Ink* (2014)
* *The Puppet* (2018)
* *Shut Up* (2018)
* *With Character* (2018)
* *The Banana Man* (2019)
* *I'm a Meme* (2019)

**Singles**

* *I'm a Banana* (2010, re-released in 2020)

## See also[edit]

* Lyldoll, current stage name of Jackson's former girlfriend Shiloh Hoganson