Elijah James Washington/ The Cougar
YouTube personality Shane Dawson is scheduled to premiere his television pilot “Cancelled” on Oct. 29 at Cullen Performance Hall, drawing criticism from some UH students over his history of controversial content.
“Cancelled” focuses on an actress who experiences a scandal the night before the Oscars.
Dawson, a longtime influencer previously dubbed the king of YouTube, was demonetized by YouTube in 2020 following public backlash over past videos that included racist jokes and content criticized for sexualizing minors.
For some students the appearance of a figure like Dawson, who has a history of racial controversies, on campus has raised concerns at UH- a University known for its diverse student population.
“There are people of color here, and I’m Latino as well, it’s not a good look for UH,” said biology junior Felix, who requested to be identified only by his first name.
Students believe the jokes made by Dawson in his older videos, that have racial undertones and humor centered around bestiality, are not suitable for any audience, especially at UH.
“I want to be associated with a respected university,” said biology sophomore Sebastian, who also requested to withhold his last name. “So when UH invites people like that, it kind of tarnishes the name in a way.”
CPH is a public venue that may be booked by external parties for concerts, standup comedy, theatrical shows and other events, said a University spokesperson in a statement to The Cougar.
“The upcoming event is organized by an external party and is not sponsored by the University,” a UH spokesperson said. “UH does not endorse the views or conduct (past or present) of individuals or organizations who perform or hold events at CPH, simply by providing a rental venue for their event.”
Some students have also connected their concerns about Dawson’s appearance to other controversies involving the University this year.
The conversation has shifted deeply from Dawson’s past controversies to other, more recent UH controversies that have affected their college experience.
In September, an adjunct professor was removed from campus over child abuse material allegations. That same month, a UH football player was also charged with assaulting a pregnant woman, though ultimately he was not indicted.
“I personally think that the support from UH is shocking, as well as the continued (non-support) of those who have been attacked here on campus,” said hospitality junior Brooke Baker. “Not even just with the football player and the assault that happened in the parking garage, but furthermore, of just safety for people on campus.”
Baker is referring to a 2025 incident in which a student was sexually assaulted in a parking garage on campus, sparking protest from the student body.
“I think that it just shows the general rhetoric that we’re experiencing with colleges today of not holding accountability from their students in regards to past actions, not just at universities, but nationwide,” Baker said. “The level of care towards a soul or anything in those regards is not a priority to our government and clearly not a priority to our school.”
Felix, who believes in having motivational and positive speakers instead, is not set on the idea of any change coming to CPH’s schedule in the future.
“I feel like people just forget, especially since he’s going to many campuses,” Felix said. “Life goes on, so people are just gonna forget about it. Which is really sad, honestly.”
Other students call for more drastic measures. For Sebastian, the lack of a response about the event and its negative reactions thus far is a form of disrespect to the student body itself.
“A university should respect its students, and when a majority of students don’t want an event to happen like that, I think they should cancel it,” Sebastian said.
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