A YouTube star has blamed his wife for the breakdown of their marriage by suggesting she forced an open marriage on him, days after she accused him of infidelity and of being emotionally abusive.
The popular video blogger Jared ‘ProJared’ Knabenbauer, who has some one million subscribers and appears regularly on other high profile channels, was accused of soliciting nude photos from fans – including at least two people who were underage.
But the video game reviewer defended himself today, claiming his now-estranged wife sought other sexual partners, and even encouraged him into an extra-marital relationship because she ‘knew they were interested in each other.’
His remarks came after his wife, Heidi O’Ferrall, revealed on Twitter that he was sleeping with fellow YouTube artist Holly Conrad, in a bombshell post that was shared thousands of times.
A YouTube star has blamed his wife for the breakdown of their marriage by suggesting she forced an open marriage on him, days after she accused him of infidelity and of being emotionally abusive (Jared ‘ProJared’ Knabenbauer and his estranged wife Heidi O’Ferrall)
She said: ‘I recently learned that my husband has been f******g Holly Conrad behind my back for months. I have no idea what announcement he just made because he blocked me.’
But in his statement on Friday night, Knabenbauer said it was O’Ferrall’s idea to have an open, polyamorous relationship, accused his wife of being the emotional abuser in the relationship and said that she threatened to expose him if he left the marriage.
‘When I did, things changed with Heidi,’ Knabenbauer wrote. ‘She became angry and vindictive… She called me a ‘cheater’ and claimed that I was destroying the marriage because of my ‘affair’- even though she continued to have other relationships with other partners.’
Knabenbauer added that O’Ferrall threatened ‘to destroy my career and to harm others if I left’ the marriage.
Adding: ‘I want everyone to know that any other interactions I may have had with any other women were known to, and encouraged by, Heid and were had with only the purest and lawful intentions.’
His remarks came after his wife, Heidi O’Ferrall, revealed on Twitter that he was sleeping with fellow YouTube artist Holly Conrad (picture), in a bombshell post that was shared thousands of times
He alleged O’Ferrall had been involved with several casual partners during their marriage and has enjoyed a serious relationship with someone else since 2017.
Knabenbauer’s post went on to say that things took a bad turn after his wife told him to tell Conrad he didn’t see her as just a fling.
‘When I did, things changed with Heidi,’ Knabenbauer wrote. ‘She became angry and vindictive… She called me a cheater and claimed that I was destroying the marriage because of my ‘affair’—even though she continued to have other relationships with other partners.’
He alleged that despite the rough patch, O’Ferrall continued her own intimate relationships outside of the marriage.
Knabenbauer say he had couple’s and individual therapy in an attempt to mend the marriage despite loved ones telling him to end the toxic marriage.
Knabenbauer released a statement saying that people may ‘see a lot of rumors, speculation, and gossip going around’
Alleging he was not the abuser but the one abused, he described it as a time of being ’embarrassed, scared and broken’ as she threatened to destroy his career every time he tried to split from October 2018.
‘I want everyone to know that any other interactions I may have had with any other women were known to, and encouraged by, Heid and were had with only the purest and lawful intentions,’ he said, adding that he paid for initial deposits after finding a new place for her to live, and purchased a car to help her be independent.
His remarks drew a quick and angry response from O’Ferrall, who denied the idea that she wanted an open marriage and that he was gaslighting her.
She wrote: ‘He says he only acted with my approval and this is nothing short of bullshit,’ she said.
Social media star tweeted he tried to leave many times since October 2018 but she made him feel ’embarrassed, scared and broken’
He told followers he paid for her to move and bought her a car when they split. But she claims he made her financially dependent
‘It’s legitimately insane. I told him in no uncertain terms that I was not comfortable with polyamory after he proved he could not be transparent with me. Countless people can corroborate this.
‘It’s true that I knew from the start that he and Holly were interested in each other. I called them out in January 2018. I said, “Address this because I’m not blind and I’m not an idiot”
‘I wasn’t comfortable with it. I was just trying very, very hard to accept my husband.’
In addition he told followers that when he filed for divorce May 13, he told his lawyers to give her what she’s entitled to from his earnings during the time they were together.
She wrote: ‘Holly is the REASON our ‘open relationship’ didn’t work. Because she told Jared that she ONLY had feelings for him, despite being married at the time.’
YouTube personality Jared Knabenbauer (left), also known as ProJared, said wife Heidi O’Ferrall (right) pushed for an open relationship but O’Ferrall hit back at his claims as ‘lies’
In the days before Knabenbauer’s Twitter statement O’Ferrall had been tweeting that she was glad she pursued her own career over the course of their marriage as she only felt like ‘Jared’s wife’ in many situations.
But she accused him of making her financially dependent on him and unable to move out without his help.
Addressing his sharing of finances she told her followers that it’s not a sign of generosity and simply what she’s entitled to.
After accusing him of ‘gaslighting’ her she addressed his inappropriate conduct with followers.
‘I was COMPLETELY unaware of him having sexual interactions with fans after late 2017. And the reason I thought it ‘ended’ then was because I demanded he end it. Because it’s unacceptable.’
O’Ferrall said he regarded her attempts to make him accountable for his actions as threats.
The popular gamer who amassed more than 1.3million subscribers on YouTube is alleged to have solicited sexually explicit photos from his underage fans.
A Twitter user known by the handle ‘Chai’ alleges that 33-year-old Knabenbauer, ‘knew I was 16’ when he requested nude photos of him on Tumblr.
Chai alleges that the two even exchanged explicit photos.
‘We spoke sexually,’ Chai wrote on Twitter.
‘He sent me pictures of him in cosplay with his d*** very visible.
‘He told me details about his sexual life and fantasies.
‘Eventually, he sent me a d*** pick…We didn’t speak every day, but most.
‘I sent him many actual, real nudes.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to Knabenbauer for comment.
Chai tweeted that Knabenbauer ‘knew I was a big fan of his, and that I was underage, and still continued to talk sexually to me.’
Another Twitter user who goes by the name ‘Charlie’ also posted allegations against Knabenbauer.
Charlie claims they began communicating with him in 2016, when he or she was either 15 or 16 years old.
Charlie writes that they sent Knabenbauer nude photos, and that he answered by thanking them.
‘Thrilled by the acknowledgement and validation from someone whom I admired so much, I didn’t stop,’ Charlie writes.
Charlies then claimed to have received an invitation to join a ‘secret’ blog known as ‘SinJared.’
‘On it, he posted nudes that his followers submitted to the blog and posted some of his own,’ Charlie wrote. ‘He encouraged me to submit some as well, but I wasn’t comfortable.’
Charlie and Chai said they spoke and compared their experiences with Knabenbauer. They then said they wrote an email to NormalBoots, a gaming collective that counted Knabenbauer as one of its members.
NormalBoots provided a statement to The Verge confirming that it was made aware of the allegations against Knabenbauer last month.
Another Twitter user known by the handle ‘Bren’ told The Daily Beast that Knabenbauer’s Tumblr account consisted of him answering ‘questions from fans, who he called ‘his sinners,’ about his sexual life.’
‘He also made a lot of ‘send nudes’ comments (on his public Tumblr too), which seemed like just a joke at first, but on SinJared he actually was asking for nudes, and encouraging fans to submit them,’ Bren told The Daily Beast.
Asa, who got to know Knabenbauer’s online fan community through the game Asagao Academy: Normal Boots Club, also claims that Knabenbauer’s Tumblr account was filled with explicit content.
‘One of the chat members shared a link to us,’ Asa said. ‘He asked if I was over 18, and I said yes, mentioning that my birthday was scarcely a few months prior.
‘He said that he was honored I would want to ‘use’ my newfound legality with him.’