Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee is facing backlash after driving a Lamborghini at 96 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone, despite signs that advised drivers to watch for children near the road.
Marques Brownlee is one of YouTube’s premier tech influencers, boasting over 19 million subscribers thanks to his viral reviews of up-and-coming devices like electric cars, AI tools, smartphones, and more.
However, Brownlee — also known by his handle, MKBHD — is now facing scrutiny from critical viewers after they noticed a specific moment in a video he uploaded on November 11.
The video included a short snippet that showed Brownlee driving a Lamborghini supercar at high speeds. A closer look showed that the YouTuber was going 96 miles per hour, with a sign on the road announcing a 35-mile-per-hour speed limit. Another sign also signaled to watch for children nearby.
The clip was mere seconds long, but viewers were quick to point it out, taking to the comments section to ream the creator for unsafe driving.
“155km/h in a 50km/h zone,” one wrote. “Ouch, that’s an instant auctioning off of the vehicle in many European countries and up to four years in prison.”
“Not the video proof of him speeding in a 35mph zone after a ‘children in the area’ sign,” another commented.
“Damn, 60mph over the speed limit is wild,” yet another said.
That wasn’t the only reason fans were upset with him, though. Still others complained that his entire video was merely an advertisement for the DJI Osmo Action Camera 5 Pro, despite the upload’s title, ‘How my video gear is changing,’ suggesting a personal vlog.
It wasn’t long before the driving segment was edited out of MKBHD’s video completely, which the creator addressed in a comment on November 12.
“Cut out the unnecessary driving clip that obviously added nothing to the video,” he wrote. “I hear all your feedback on sponsored videos, too.”
Despite his explanation, fans continued to lash out at him across social media with takes like, “I remember a time when Marques Brownlee said he would never make a fully sponsored video. Now here it is, an entire nine-minute video that is just a sponsor.”
While laws vary from state to state, going anywhere from 15 – 35 miles over the posted speed limit is considered reckless driving in many American states, and punishments vary depending on where the crime occurs.
In California, for instance, reckless driving is considered a misdemeanor, and can result in a fine and points off your driver’s license. In Florida, however, it can be considered a felony depending on if any, and how much, damage is done to property.
MKBHD lives in New Jersey, where there are no specified laws determining reckless driving. According to NJ’s Lento Law Firm, “there is no one specific action on the road that will result in a reckless driving charge. Each case is viewed independently to determine what the driver’s mindset and actions were.”
Marquess Brownlee issues apology for speeding
About an hour after posting his YouTube comment, MKBHD published a tweet addressing the situation and apologizing to fans, explaining why he’d decided to delete the clip of him driving.
“There’s no reason to leave that clip in (there was no reason to include it in the first place) and I would never want to make it seem ok by leaving it in the video,” he wrote. “I’m well aware of the Streisand effect, and I know everything on the internet lives forever, but I think that’s the best decision right now.
“All I can do apologize and promise never to do anything close to that stupid again. That’s a terrible example to set and I’m sorry for it.”
This isn’t the first time MKBHD has gotten on viewers’ bad side this year. In October, the YouTuber came under fire for his Panels wallpaper app, which left fans furious over the price and monetization for a simple mobile wallpaper service.