I’ll have more on this later in the week. Basically this is a weak play caused by financial loss. His behavior is no secret.
Following our announcement on Tuesday – which we felt was imperative to make publicly to ensure transparency – we have been listening intently to the stories and experiences shared by a number of women in our industry. We have been actively collecting and reviewing these vulnerable stories, and it has come to our attention that what we initially knew to be true at YNOT may not be the reality.
In light of new information that has recently come out, I had a very difficult discussion with Jay today and made the necessary decision to permanently remove him from all facets of the business. Jay was in complete agreement that this is the correct choice. We want to ensure the safety and well-being of all individuals in our industry, and YNOT could not, in good faith, claim to act as a safe space for all moving forward if we continued to partake in any relationship or tie with our former co-founder. As previously expressed, it is unacceptable that Jay made others feel uncomfortable through his words or actions, in any capacity.
We wholeheartedly thank you for sharing your concerns with us and are filled with deep regret that those affected have gone through these painful experiences. Some of the information we have learned recently made it clear that Jay had misrepresented himself and the nature of his physical relationships with women in our industry.
However, I do also want to acknowledge my own misstep. Up until now, I was assured that the issue was solely related to overly flirtatious, crude, or inappropriate behavior, so my reactions did not rise to the level that they should have, and my response, due to the incomplete information that I had, was rightfully poorly received.
Over the years i have had multiple conversations with Jay explaining why these interactions were inappropriate and implored him to improve his behavior. Since my eyes have been opened to a more comprehensive understanding of the reality – my reaction today is reflective of my true feelings – that YNOT respects and validates the voices of women and any self-identified victims or silent sufferers in this industry and that we cannot allow this type of behavior to remain in the public realm, or in the shadows. We truly hope that Jay is taking this matter very seriously and is also taking the advice and guidance of professionals so that he can pursue the best path forward to becoming a better person, but more importantly, we have in our thoughts the complex healing journeys of the women he has negatively affected. NOT is committed to being a positive force in our community and is indebted to those who came forward to share their stories so we can ensure nothing like this ever happens again.
Thank you
Connor Young, CEO at YNOT
Jay Kopita
