[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

Controversial YouTube star Shane Dawson is making a comeback more than a year after getting “canceled” for a slew of problematic behaviors in the past.

The vlogger posted his first video on Thursday, episode one of a three-part series titled, “The Haunting of Shane Dawson,” in which the star and his partner Ryland Adams will ghost hunt in their new home state of Colorado. The content creator didn’t just skip to the haunted happenings though, he had to address his equally haunted past, which included clips using blackface, the N-word, and sexualizing an 11-year-old Willow Smith.

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Getting candid, the 33-year-old spoke directly to the camera, saying he “wanted to leave the internet” and “didn’t want to be part” of the vlogging community when the controversy first hit in June 2020, adding:

“I felt like it ruined my life.”

Dawson claimed he was most frustrated with the scandal because he felt he had already “learned a lot” and changed as a person before the videos resurfaced online, explaining:

“I think part of me was upset because I was like, I made so much growth and now I’m being canceled over things from the past, and that’s not me anymore.”

While he’s still taking accountability for his past actions, he doesn’t want to “focus on what other people think of me” either. The months immediately following his initial cancelation were “really hard,” but looking back, he’s glad it gave him a chance to reevaluate his life:

“I learned a lot, and I feel like I’m so happy it happened.”

He even went so far as to say he’s “grateful” for getting canceled! Not something we hear every day! Shane mused:

“I’m so grateful that I got canceled because it really changed my life. It showed me what I care about and showed me what matters; it showed me I don’t need to be on YouTube all the time. I don’t need to be stressed about what’s next, I don’t need to be trying to think of the next idea, the next whatever to be happy.”

So, does he still feel bad about his inappropriate jokes? Yes and no:

“Yeah, there was bad stuff in those videos, but like the good stuff connected with people and I can’t just throw that away, that’s weird.”

That said, he’s not entering into this new phrase naively. The Not Cool alum continued:

“I’m not going to run from my past, but I’m also not going to stay in it. I feel like it would be unhealthy for me to just constantly think about it.”

Innerestingly, Shane’s claiming that he wasn’t forced to go dark on social media, but that it was HIS decision (and not the fact that he lost monetization on his channels and faced backlash from almost the entire internet).

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The YouTuber admitted his mental health was severely struggling at the time, adding:

“I don’t want to be looked at as somebody who gave up and left and ran away from the internet because they were afraid of whatever. No, I left because I felt like I should, and I left because I needed time, and I left because I wanted to figure out what the hell I was doing with my life and what I wanted to do and why I got to a place where I didn’t want to be alive anymore.”

While Shane’s “so excited” to share his new life with followers, not everybody is as enthusiastic to see the influencer return. One person tweeted:

“Imma just wait for these drama channels to analyze Shane Dawson video cause he not getting a view from me.”

Others seem more willing to give Dawson another chance. If you’re one of those viewers, then check out Shane’s comeback (below).

Thoughts??? How are U feeling about his return, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments (below)!

[Image via Shane Dawson/YouTube]

The post Shane Dawson Returns To YouTube & Says He’s 'Grateful' For Being 'Canceled' appeared first on Perez Hilton.