After YouTube channel DaddyOFive, owned by Mike and Heather Martin, was accused of child abuse and deleted its entire video history, many probably thought that that would be the end of the story.
But nope.
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On Monday, a video emerged on YouTube announcing that two of Mike and Heather Martin’s children featuring in prior DaddyOFive videos, namely Cody and Emma Martin, were handed back to their biological mother, Rose Hall. The video also features Hall’s lawyer, Tim Conlon.
“Emma and Cody are with me,” Hall announces in the video.
“I have emergency custody. They’re doing good. They’re getting back to their playful selves,” she adds.
The two children in question were the subject of some of DaddyOFive’s cruelest pranks.
Memeburn’s Julia Breakey explains one in a previous article:
In the most talked-about video, Martin and his wife spilled invisible ink and accused Cody, their son, of doing it. Cody grew visibly upset as his parents screamed and cursed at him, until his face was bright red and he screamed at them to stop. Only once he’d calmed down did Martin let him know it was a prank — to which Cody did not respond.
In another clip, Mike Martin told Cody that he was adopted being put up for adoption.
The DaddyOFive YouTube saga has taken another turn, with two of the owner’s kids now in the custody of their biological mother
Hall explained that seeing her children in the videos were “heartbreaking and disturbing”. That’s sentiment shared by many on YouTube, especially those commenting on her video.
“The only people that defend DaddyOFive are stupid kids that enjoy watching other kids scream and cry. No sane adult would want those kids back with Mike,” one user states.
“Take good care of those kids Rose, they deserve it more than anything,” another urges.
Others are more sympathetic towards the Martin family.
“Heather and mike raised those kids and they are not abusive at all, y’all damn haters,” one commenter notes.
“I am sorry but I feel so sorry for the parents,” another writes.
Mike and Heather Martin did issue an apology for the videos late April, suggesting that “there were mistakes made that caused our family some pain”.
“Our children are safe. Off camera and out of character, they are normal, happy kids who play sports and love being with their family and friends,” they add.
YouTube didn’t buy it.
The video, currently the only clip available to watch on the channel, has been viewed over 1.6-million times, features 28 000 likes, but close to 130 000 dislikes.
Prior to deleting its entire video library, DaddyOFive boasted around 750 000 subscribers.
Additionally, a New York Magazine article suggested that Mike and Heather Martin accrued over US$200 000 per year from the channel.
Edit: added further clarification regarding DaddyOFive’s adoption prank involving Cody Martin, in addition to the Martin’s apology published to YouTube last week.
