Former YouTuber James Jackson, known online as Onision, has been accused of using his platform to groom children, according to a civil lawsuit filed Feb. 8.
The plaintiff, Regina Alonso, is also suing Jackson’s spouse Lucas Jackson, and YouTube and Google for benefitting from sex trafficking. Alonso claims the Jacksons used their platform to groom her from the age of 14 to 17, encouraging her to flirt with them and send them pictures of herself naked. According to the lawsuit, Alonso began dating the Jacksons, who intended to solicit sex from her.
“Reliving and rehashing everything out, brings back, like, a flood of memories. And I feel like I’m 15, 16 again, and experiencing everything for the first time,” Alonso told WFTV News.
Jackson continues to deny the allegations. He claims to have never met Alonso prior to the lawsuit.
“It’s so frustrating to have someone you’ve never met, never spoken to, making such a huge deal out of something that you have nothing to do with. And also never happened,” Jackson told WFTV.
Alonso’s case is the first known legal action to be taken against Jackson. Jackson has faced multiple allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct since 2019.
Jackson started the Onision channel in 2006, which reached a peak of over two million subscribers in the mid-2010s. Videos posted to the channel ranged from parody songs to discussions of topics like body image and suicide.
According to the suit, Jackson’s content “appealed to minor females, like plaintiff, who were young, vulnerable, questioning their self image or identity, or were seeking answers and guidance.” It goes on to claim that these minor females were then “invited to the couple’s home with the intent to engage in sexual acts and three-way sexual encounters with the couple, or for additional grooming.”
James Jackson began messaging Lucas in 2012, when Lucas was 17 years old. The two were married later that same year, and Lucas became a prominent presence in the Onision channel’s content. According to the lawsuit, both Jacksons used the Onision forums to connect with younger fans and solicit sexual acts from them.
At least six other women who claimed to have been in a relationship with James Jackson at one point first accused the Jacksons of grooming minors in 2019. Jackson repeatedly denied the allegations on his YouTube channel.
In November 2019, Patreon banned Jackson for posting the phone number of one of his accusers, violating Patreon’s privacy policy.
In January 2021, Discovery Plus released the documentary series Onision: In Real Life. The series, presented by Chris Hansen from To Catch a Predator, investigated the claims against Jackson and featured accounts from Alonso and two other women.
Following the documentary’s series finale in May 2021, Jackson announced he was leaving YouTube, who demonetized his channel.
YouTube and its parent company Google are included as defendants. The suit alleges that YouTube benefited from Jackson’s content by continuing to monetize it, even after being notified of the allegations against Jackson. Even after Jackson’s videos were demonetized, they remained available on the platform, which allowed YouTube to continue to profit from them, according to the suit.“YouTube Partners, such as Onision, acted with impunity and even worse, YouTube contributed to and profited from the enticement, grooming, and exploitation of children while promoting known predator and YouTube partner, Onision,” Lisa Haba, one of Alonso’s attorneys, said in a Feb. 8 press release. “YouTube could have prevented all of this harm, but it inexplicably racked up revenue and provided a sanctuary for Onision to lure, identify and recruit vulnerable children for grooming and ultimately, exploitation.”