Cody Ko is still going viral, and not for his YouTube this time. Instead, it’s for sexual misconduct allegations. Although none of the main parties involved has yet directly responded to the wave of comments on the controversy, there’s been an interesting twist of circumstances. The Cody Ko debacle has led to some talk in relation to the laws surrounding statutory rape, and the age of consent in California.
The Exposé
D’Angelo Wallace, another popular commentary YouTuber known for dissecting controversies, is responsible for setting off the chain of events that have shone the spotlight on Cody Ko’s alleged past behavior. He did this when he released a now-viral YouTube video titled “An Uncomfortable Conversation about Cody Ko” on July 14th.
The 15 minute video, which has now been viewed over 1.5 million times, doesn’t exactly make new allegations against Cody Ko, but seems to be a call-out of his past behavior with controversial YouTuber Tana Mongeau. Wallace pointed out how Cody Ko had been called out on multiple occasions by Mongeau for having sex with her when she was 17, a story which was inadvertently corroborated by Gabbie Hanna. Hanna had allegedly witnessed the two together, and had tried to stop Cody Ko from doing what he did.
California Suin’: Is Cody Ko a criminal?
The age of consent varies across different states in the United States, and California has one of its own, too. One major arguing point from the furor kicked up by some who support Cody Ko is that he is a native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where the age of consent is 16. Some also argue that Mongeau was old enough to choose at 17.
However, the incident reportedly took place at a Playlist Live event held in California nine years ago. The age of consent in Florida, and California still remains 18 years old. This means that Mongeau, being under the age of 18, could not legally engage in sexual activities with the adult Cody Ko (who was 25 at the time), unless they were married, which they were not, or fell under specific exemptions (such as close-in-age exceptions).
It’s essential to recognize that consent is not just about age; it also involves understanding, willingness, and the absence of coercion. Even if someone is of legal age, consent must be informed, enthusiastic, and freely given. Instead, Tana Mongeau has been quoted multiple times stating that she felt like what Cody Ko did was a crime.
Reactions and the fallout
The Cody Ko allegations ignited a firestorm of opinions across social media platforms and has finally triggered comments from some of the biggest YouTubers, such as Moist CritiKal. Other content creators who seem to be in support of Tana Mongeau include Trisha Paytas, who was one of the few people to first interview Mongeau on the topic, and Gabbie Hanna, who recently tweeted a Bible passage, covertly referring to the topic.