ICYMI, Shane Dawson (yes… the Shane Dawson) just announced the pilot of his new series CANCELLED and let me tell you… it’s something. Years after the YouTuber stepped away from social media, it seems as though he’s soft-launching himself into the spotlight with a new project.
The words “Shane Dawson” and “cancelled” have appeared together before the announcement of this pilot, though. In case you forgot, Dawson was under fire in 2020 once old videos of him resurfaced depicting him being inappropriate towards minors, as well as making racist content featuring slurs, Blackface, and more insensitive content. And in classic 2020 form, he addressed his controversies in a YouTube video titled “Taking Accountability,” where he owned up to all of his past mistakes. “At this point, realizing how many people I’ve hurt or how many people I’ve inspired to say awful things or do anything awful, to finally just own up to all of this and be accountable is worth losing everything to me,” he said in his video addressing all of his controversy.
Now, in 2025, Dawson seems to be reclaiming the word in a new way. Dawson first mentioned his pilot in early December 2025, ominously posting about a project he’s “dreamed about” on his Instagram Story. And on Dec. 18, Dawson finally announced the pilot (which has Jacob Sartorius in it?) on his Instagram feed, including details, plot, and more. Buckle up, bestie — I’ve done the research so you don’t have to. Here’s everything we know about Shane Dawson’s pilot, CANCELLED.
What do we know about Shane Dawson’s new series?
Spoiler alert: Dawson’s series has yet to be picked up by a streaming service. “I wrote and directed this hour-long pilot in the hopes that a streaming service will see the heart and the story and want to give us a chance at making a full season,” Dawson wrote in his Instagram caption. Without a streaming service, it’s clear that the future of his series depends on whether a streaming service decides to pick up his show. But whether Dawson is going to release the pilot itself independently or wait until a streaming service does so is still in the air right now.
Starring Lilly Vandermeer and Derek Kahoa, the pilot is about an A-list actress who gets “cancelled” the night before the Oscars, where she meets a struggling director on the verge of giving up on his dreams. Using his platform to spotlight smaller actors, Dawson’s pilot also includes Jacob Sartorius, Sally Pressman, and the one and only Ryland Adams — Dawson’s husband.
Dawson also expressed hope that he would be able to finish the project in time. “I’ve never felt this proud of something I’ve created and I’m so grateful for every single person who put their hearts into making it a reality. I have faith that we will be back on set soon to make the rest of the season. I can’t wait for you guys to see what we’ve made,” he wrote.
As of right now, the pilot release date is still unknown, so we’ll see if it goes anywhere.
The internet has… thoughts
Now, is Shane Dawson really famous if he doesn’t have the internet in a complete spiral about his series? Some fans suspect that Dawson titled his series CANCELLED so that when someone looked up “Shane Dawson Cancelled,” they’d be directed to links about his pilot, and not his past with cancel culture. Other fans connected this to Taylor Swift’s “CANCELLED!”, wondering if Dawson plans on using it in his theme song.
While some fans found the irony funny, others still think he doesn’t deserve a place in the spotlight given his past.
But there are also some fans supporting Dawson’s new project. In his post announcing the pilot, CANCELLED cast member Lilly Vandermeer wrote, “You are such a wonderful director and you wrote the most incredible pilot. I’m beyond grateful for this magical experience.” Additionally, a fan commented, “Been watching you since I was 9 and I’m literally crying bc I’m so f*cking proud of you ❤️ we all love you so much Shane and I can’t wait to watch it with my mom who also watches you with me like everyday!!”
IDK about y’all, but I’m going to use this as an excuse to go down a rabbit hole of 2019 YouTube conspiracy videos while I wait patiently for updates on Dawson’s pilot.