A popular YouTuber has been accused of grooming his ex-girlfriend, after they met when she was 14 and he was 21.
Zach Justice, 28, co-host of the hit podcast Dropouts, who has more than 1.27 million subscribers on YouTube, has come under fire for his past relationship with musician Indiana Massara, 21.
Both have vehemently denied the allegation that there was anything romantic going on before she turned 18, but social media users have still commented that they are still “disgusted” by the situation.
The pair are understood to have dated sometime between 2020 and 2022, before splitting, but they kept in touch as friends and even made content about being exes together.
In March, Indiana, originally from Australia, appeared on Abandonments -of which she was also a presenter- to discuss how her relationship is seen.
Zach Justice, 28, co-host of the hit podcast Dropouts, who has more than 1.27 million subscribers on YouTube, has come under fire for his past relationship with musician Indiana Massara, 21. Pictured: aged 20 and 27 while they were dating.
She explained that the couple met when she was 14 and he was 21 because her mother hired him to edit her videos.
“He was working for, I guess, my mother at the time,” she said.
‘He edited my YouTube videos and in return he got a room in my mother’s apartment.
‘I literally can’t even tell you how little that happened.
—Yeah, I hope you weren’t 14, Zach added.
Indiana continued: ‘There’s been a lot of stuff… comments, Reddits, TikTok videos, everything.
‘Saying that I’m that victim, saying that Zach set me up, all that stuff, and I’d like to set the record straight.
‘First of all, I’m not a victim. Every time you guys keep making up these stories about this stupid thing that happened when I was 14, you’re constantly devaluing the real victims and the real people who have been in these situations.
Both have vehemently denied the allegation that there was anything romantic going on before she turned 18, but social media users have commented that they are “disgusted” by the situation. Pictured are the pair as friends when she was 15 and he was 22.
The pair are understood to have dated sometime between 2020 and 2022, before splitting, but have kept in touch as friends and even created content about being exes together.
‘I’ve been in those situations with some horrible people and Zach is not one of them.
“I’ve been in abusive relationships. I’ve been in situations with older men taking advantage of younger women in California, and that didn’t happen, it never happened.”
“I edited for her mom for a couple months, whatever, and then I didn’t do it (Indiana) for years,” Zach added.
Indiana confirmed that they didn’t hook up until two and a half years later. Old Instagram photos show Zach going to the movies with her when she was about to turn 16 and he was 22.
In March, Indiana, originally from Australia, appeared on Dropouts (which she also hosted) to address what her relationship looks like.
The pair then recounted how, at that moment, they realized they worked well together on video and were encouraged to make more content together.
Zach said he expressed at the time, ‘The only way I do this is if it’s bro content, because I don’t want anyone to think we’re anything because we’re not.’
Indiana added that she also had a boyfriend during this period and that she did not see Zach from a romantic perspective.
She also spoke about being in an abusive relationship as a teenager and has since been known to have obtained a restraining order against her ex-partner, which Zach helped her heal from.
“You were in an abusive relationship with someone and you came to me as some sort of friend,” he said.
The pair have said how, at that time, they realised they worked well together on video and were encouraged to create more content together. They are pictured together at Indiana’s 19th birthday party.
Despite the couple denying any allegations of harassment, viewers have slammed Zach as a “pervert” and a “predator.” The couple in 2020
“And I just talked to you and I wanted to be there for you like a big brother…”
It’s unclear when the couple officially began dating, but online accounts have speculated that Indiana was in her early 20s.
Zach, who had 5.5 million followers on TikTok, also denied dating Indiana when she was “just 18” in a podcast episode.
Photos on her Instagram show the couple in couple photos, hugging, from around 2021, when she would have been 19 and Zach, 26. However, it is not confirmed if they were together back then.
In a 2020 podcast episode of The world of Wesamwhen they were still just friends, and said they met when Zach edited her videos and stayed with Indiana’s family for a few months.
It is not known exactly why Zach and Indiana broke up. According to reports DistractIndiana was struggling with her mental health and suffered frequent panic attacks, while Zach claimed he had “never been treated worse in a relationship than he was with her.” The couple are believed to have split in late 2022.
Although the couple denies any allegations of harassment, viewers have slammed Zach as a “pervert” and a “predator.”
It’s unclear when the couple officially started dating, but there are online accounts speculating Indiana was in her mid-20s. Zach has also denied dating Indiana when she was “just turning 18” in a podcast episode. Pictured in January
In a 36-minute video earlier this month, the creator Cooper movie She recounted the signs of bullying and compared them to the duo, saying that old images of the pair being close and affectionate when Indiana was a teenager now seem awkward.
TikTok creator Zina (@zinaaweemaa) also commented that Zach would constantly leave comments and like Indiana’s posts when she was a teenager.
“It’s obvious that this is a joke, a flirtation,” he said. “For example, what right do you have, at 22, to be on this 15-year-old girl’s Instagram?”
Zach commented on the video, saying, “I would never actually do that because I’m a respectable human being. Twisting things to make someone into a villain is a weird hobby.”
“We hope you can figure out your life. We support you.”
in a Follow upZina then said: “Can we explain how this is okay? How is it logical for a twenty-year-old to meet a girl for years until she turns 18 and then date her?”
She then referenced jokes Zach made about another influencer friend of his, Tara Yummy, 24, whom he jokingly called a “pedophile’s dream” on a podcast because she’s “small and delicate.”
Zina also shared direct messages Zach sent her insisting he wasn’t in the wrong, but she continued to step up her content and emphasized that influencers need to be held accountable.
Indiana representatives told MailOnline they had “no comment at this time”.
MailOnline has also contacted Zach for comment.
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