Target is removing Shane Dawson's books from stores after Willow Smith's family called him out for an old video where he appeared to sexualize her as a minor

• Target confirmed to Insider that it would no longer carry Shane Dawson's books, saying in a statement that it was "removing these books from our assortment."
• The news comes after a flurry of controversy surrounding Dawson and other YouTubers. A recently resurfaced video seemed to show Dawson pretending to masturbate to a photo of a then-11-year-old Willow Smith.
• People are calling on other brands like Morphe to cut ties with Dawson.

Target is removing Shane Dawson's books from its assortment, the company confirmed to Insider on Monday. The YouTuber published two collections of essays, titled "I Hate Myselfie: A Collection of Essays by Shane Dawson" and "It Gets Worse: A Collection of Essays."

The news that the retail giant would no longer carry Dawson's books was first reported by the YouTuber Sanders Kennedy. Target told Insider it would no longer carry Dawson's books, providing the following statement:

"We're committed to creating an experience in which all guests feel welcomed and respected. We're in the process of removing these books from our assortment."

Dawson is under fire regarding some of his old content, with one resurfaced video appearing to show the YouTuber pretending to masturbate to a picture of a then-11-year-old Willow Smith. Both Jaden Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith called Dawson out on Twitter, with Jada Pinkett Smith tweeting, "To Shane Dawson ... I'm done with the excuses."

—Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) June 27, 2020

Dawson recently posted a lengthy video apologizing for past content in which he did blackface, said the N-word, and made jokes about pedophilia, saying that he was willing to "lose everything" in the name of accountability.

There have also been calls for other brands to stop working with Dawson, with one petition addressed to several beauty companies including Morphe, which carries Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star's Conspiracy Palette, and calling on "brands to cut ties with Shane Dawson & jeffree star." At the time of publishing it had more than 11,000 signatures.

• Read more:
• Jaden Smith shamed Shane Dawson for a resurfaced clip where he pretended to masturbate over an 11-year-old Willow smith
• Shane Dawson aggressively called out 'dramatic gurus' in the beauty community after speculation over his role in the explosive feud between James Charles and Tati Westbrook
• A beauty guru says he's cutting ties with Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson after feeling like he was 'being used as a Black boy' and being 'manipulated'