“Shameful”: BookTube Crisis Deepens As SA Accuser Unknowingly Confirms Consent

On February 11, the online book community faced an unexpected, sudden shift when YouTuber Naomi King accused well-known BookTuber and internet personality Daniel Greene — for misconduct and sexual assault — but it turns out these claims aren’t as true as many of her supporters believed. 

The 31-year-old first posted an emotional 34-minute-long video on her channel a little over a week ago—one that’s since been archived. She went into the details of her relationship with Greene, from the moment they met to the alleged incident that permanently changed their dynamic.

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of sexual assault.

Daniel Greene was accused of sexual assault on February 11 when Naomi King released a video that blew up among the book community

Person in a cozy library, wearing a dark hoodie, surrounded by shelves filled with bookshelves, related to BookTube crisis.

Image credits: dgreene101

“Two years ago, YouTuber Daniel Greene threatened to wipe me off social media. So if I disappear, you’ll know who did it,” she began. 

Things first started in 2023 when King and Greene planned to meet up with one another for the first time in Las Vegas, as reported by SK Pop. Since she landed before him, she “spent the day getting baked by the pool,” and looked forward to hanging out with the Fantasy News creator as nothing more than just friends.

But upon his arrival, Greene allegedly forced her into sexual relations, despite the fact that it was past midnight and King was anything but in her right mind. 

“He turned up at midnight, sober and awake, and pressured me, half asleep and on drugs, into sexual things that he and I had agreed beforehand would not happen,” King accused in her video. “I repeatedly asked him if we could just sleep and talk in the morning. I was halfway through a sentence when he pushed me over and shoved his tongue in my mouth.”

Person in a dimly lit room, wearing a dark fur coat, highlighting BookTube controversy.

Image credits: naomikingofficial

She continued to describe Greene’s attempts to have sex without her consent before doing other explicit acts and talking “about how long he’d dreamt about it.”

“It was f–cking disgusting,” King choked through tears. 

The next morning, she claimed that the two decided the alleged incident should never have happened, setting the boundary to just remain friends — only for Greene to reportedly go back on his word and assault her as soon as they were alone.

After getting home from Vegas, King contacted Greene’s then-fiancée and now-wife about what had happened.

Things first started when the two met in Las Vegas

Image credits: Naomi King

“I needed her to know that I didn’t want it,” she said. “I needed her to know that he was sober and wide awake and I was half-asleep and on drugs. Which he knew.”

To her, Greene was nothing but “a lying, cheating piece of sh–t,” noting other instances where the Internet personality had been accused of rape. 

About a month after King’s trip to Vegas, she posted a video titled A Conversation about Manipulation, Consent, and Assault, where she detailed how a “friend that turned out not to be a friend” had sexually harassed her.

While she never explicitly mentioned Greene, his legal team sent her a cease and desist letter eight days later, saying she had to take down the video within 24 hours or face a lawsuit for “slander and defamation.”

Person in colorful jacket, seated indoors with decor, reflecting BookTube crisis theme in a casual setting.

Image credits: Naomi King

It’s no surprise that the backlash against Greene immediately followed King’s accusations just over a week ago, according to Fandom Pulse.

Long-time collaborators with the BookTuber cut ties with him instantly.

One Piece Podcast wrote on X, “In light of recent events we will not be inviting Daniel Greene back on the show for further guest appearances. Additionally, we have removed his past appearances from our podcast feed, YouTube, and Patreon.”

Dragonmount, a Wheel of Time fansite, also addressed the situation, saying, “In this house, we believe survivors of sexual assault and stand with you,” and provided resources for help. 

The book community erupted with noise, with many long-time fans of Greene pointing accusatory fingers at him.

Image credits: Daniel Greene

“I can’t believe this. He did it twice to her. Jesus Christ,” one person said in disbelief. “You never know people. The fact that she knew she had to be airtight with the receipts, which are pretty damning, hurt me because I know people will still try to blow holes in her case. F–cking hell.”

Another added, “This is a tough watch as a long-time viewer of Daniel. The behavior she describes is gut-churning. The fact that his attorney sent a cease and desist letter in the first place is telling, not even getting into the messages she showed.

“Unfortunately, I can’t even muster up surprise. I just feel disappointed. If he makes a response video, I’ll watch it. Otherwise, I don’t see myself watching his regular content going forward.”

Initially, the backlash was all directed at Greene

Woman discussing BookTube crisis, sitting in a cozy room with plants and lights, wearing a black top.

Image credits: Naomi King

And a response video is exactly what followed.

On February 13, Greene broke his silence and came forward with a minute-long story of what happened between him and King, from his point of view.

“Hello. My name is Daniel Greene,” he introduced himself. “This is an important message in response to various false allegations made against me by Naomi King of alleged sexual assault in a campaign launched on YouTube and more.

“Let me be clear. I had consensual sex with Naomi King. Yes, it was an affair.”

Happy couple smiling in front of a decorated Christmas tree, related to BookTube crisis.

Image credits: dgreene101

While he did not bring up any evidence, he promised that would come later. First, he planned to take legal action against King and sue her for libel. And that was that.

Four days later, on February 17, things came to an abrupt halt as King seemed to walk back on her allegations — causing those who were following the scandal to backtrack.

After mocking Greene for his scripted statement, King explained that she was a “sugar baby,” meaning she provided the ‘girlfriend’ experience to men without commitment, in exchange for money.

Greene came out with his own response video, saying that although he was cheating on his then-fiancée, the sex with King was completely consensual

Person emotionally reacting in a room with musical instruments, related to BookTube crisis discussion.

Image credits: Daniel Greene

Contrary to what she said beforehand, King stated that the two reportedly took the drugs together while in Vegas before sleeping with one another, admitting that she undressed in front of him because she “always sleep[s] naked.”

Greene was apparently coming off “really f–cking strong” and discussed money before King agreed, “I could do that.”

“I will acknowledge that I did not fight him off,” she said, which was a complete 180 from the claims she had made in her video on February 11.

Person discussing BookTube crisis in a library setting with a microphone.

Image credits: Daniel Greene

Image credits: Daniel Greene

She apologized to any victims or survivors of sexual assault for trivializing the issue but did not offer any sort of sentimental statement towards Greene.

The BookTuber soon recognized how the tables had turned and clarified two things on the same day: Yes, he cheated on his then-fiancée. No, he did not sexually assault King because the sex they had was 100% consensual. 

The entire back-and-forth of the whole situation has caused online communities to flock to Reddit threads to share their thoughts.

The majority of the book community has since turned against King

Person wearing a colorful fur coat with hands together, amid BookTube crisis discussion.

Image credits: Naomi King

“What an absolute sh–t show. Well damn I learned something new as I completely bought Naomi’s story… it seemed so legit and real,” one user admitted. “Man this entire situation is definitely going to make some not believe victims which ain’t the way it should be but teaches us all that we need to wait before vilifying someone.

“What a mess,” they concluded.

Others didn’t hesitate to turn on King, labeling her as a “genuine psycho.”

This is currently an ongoing story, and not all details — especially those pertaining to legal cases — have been revealed.

From the beginning, there were “red flags,” according to commenters

Comment discussing intentions and accusations, related to BookTube crisis.

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Text reaction to BookTube crisis and its impact on victim credibility, expressing disbelief and lessons learned.

BookTube comment by MafuLeTrekkie discussing potential legal action.

Comment on BookTube crisis discusses pressing charges and impact on livelihood.

User comment expressing concern over false accusations affecting careers and credibility.

Comment from ButIDigr3ss expressing frustration, related to BookTube crisis discussion.

Text discussing BookTube crisis and the controversy around consent revelation.

Text discussing the BookTube community, addressing issues of support and content deletion.

Online comment highlighting BookTube crisis, mentioning a fianceé dealing with public scrutiny.

BookTube crisis text discussing false SA allegations and toxicity.

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BookTube crisis comment: 'This has been a wild rollercoaster.

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