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Smosh is an American YouTube sketch comedy-improv collective, independent production company, and former social networking site founded by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox.[‡ 1] In 2002, Padilla created a website named "smosh.com" for making Flash animations, and he was later joined by Hecox. They began posting videos on Smosh's YouTube channel in 2005 and quickly became one of the most popular channels on the site. As of 2024,[update] the channel has over 10 billion views and over 26 million subscribers.
| Smosh | |||||||||||||
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| Medium | Internet | ||||||||||||
| Years active | 2002–present | ||||||||||||
| Genres | |||||||||||||
| Website | smosh | ||||||||||||
YouTube information | |||||||||||||
| Channels | |||||||||||||
| Years active | 2005–present | ||||||||||||
| Subscribers | 26.7 million | ||||||||||||
| Total views | 10.8 billion | ||||||||||||
| Network | Defy Media (2011–2018) Mythical Entertainment (2019–2023) | ||||||||||||
| Associated acts | Shut Up! Cartoons | ||||||||||||
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Last updated: August 8, 2024 | |||||||||||||
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Since 2012, the Smosh brand has expanded to consist of multiple channels, including a Spanish-language channel (ElSmosh), a channel focused on gaming content (Smosh Games), and a variety channel (Smosh Pit), while also expanded to a larger cast featured throughout their content. The Smosh channel has experienced three different spans as the most-subscribed YouTube channel. The first period spanned from May to June 2006, the second from April 2007 to September 2008, and the third span from January to August 2013.[1][2][3]
In 2017, Padilla left the channel to pursue independent ventures and focus on his own separate channel. On November 6, 2018, Smosh's then-parent company Defy Media abruptly closed without warning. Six days later, the Smosh cast released a video announcing that production of Smosh, Smosh Pit, and Smosh Games content was still ongoing, and that existing videos would be finished and other content would be released independently on those channels. Smosh subsequently joined Mythical Entertainment after the company was purchased by Rhett & Link on February 22, 2019. After four years of ownership under Mythical, it was announced in June 2023 that Padilla had returned to the channel, and that he, along with Hecox, had bought the company back from Mythical, re-establishing Smosh as an independent entity.
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Formation and lip sync videos (2002–2006)
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The franchise began when Anthony Padilla built a website in 2002, smosh.com,[‡ 2][4][5] and made several different Flash animations.[4] He has stated that the name "Smosh" came from an incident where he mistook a friend explaining a mosh pit as a "smosh pit".[6][‡ 3] Padilla created the website's logo through juxtaposing a fast-forward sign and the letter "S" from a Linkin Park-based text font.[‡ 4] Later, his friend, Ian Hecox, joined the venture; Padilla and Hecox first met in the sixth grade.[6] They became friends, and quickly discovered their knack for comedy.[6][7] On November 19, 2005, they joined YouTube and made several videos together, lip syncing the theme songs to Mortal Kombat, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers, the last of which was their first video uploaded to the website.[8] At first, these videos were not intended to be posted online, but after they sent them to their friends, they started a YouTube channel.[‡ 3]
One of Smosh's earliest videos, "Pokémon Theme Music Video", was released on November 28, 2005. It followed the same style as their other earlier videos, featuring the duo lip-synching the original English theme song for the Pokémon anime.[9][10] However, the video instantly became much more popular than any of their other videos. Over the course of its lifetime, it gained over 24 million views, becoming the most-viewed video on all of YouTube at that time.[9][11][12][13][14] This held that title until being dethroned by Judson Laipply's "Evolution of Dance". It was later removed for copyright infringement.[13]
The success of their Pokémon video and other videos led Smosh to be featured in the "Person of the Year: You" issue of Time, published December 13, 2006.[12] Due to the channel's continued success, and Smosh's partnership with YouTube, the two recreated the video in November 2010, this time changing the words to be critical of The Pokémon Company taking down the Pokémon theme video.[15]
Initial YouTube success (2006–2011)
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Over the course of the next few years, Smosh began to diversify. They started making short YouTube skits, such as their annual video series Food Battle, which shows Hecox using a pink-frosted sprinkled doughnut and Padilla choosing a variety of foods voted on by fans,[16][17] and That Damn Neighbor, which were primarily filmed in and around a house in Rosemont, California.[‡ 4][18] According to a 2012 interview with New Media Rockstars, Smosh's process for making sketch videos involved Hecox and Padilla brainstorming ideas for sketches, with Hecox writing their ideas into an outline and the duo expanding them into a full script. The duo described their editing and writing skills as primarily self-taught.[19]
In January 2010, Smosh launched the "Smosh Pit" feature, a blog that consists of various pieces of pop-culture trivia, and written comedy.[6] In addition, 2010 saw the channel launch three different Smosh-based web series: Ian Is Bored, which started as a collection of comedic videos by Hecox, but then turned into both Hecox and Padilla making vlog like videos, and renamed Smosh Is Bored;[19] Ask Charlie, where people ask Charlie, from their January 2010 Charlie the Drunk Guinea Pig video, random questions;[20] and Lunchtime with Smosh, a comedy series featuring Smosh getting and eating food from various places, and answering Twitter questions from their fans on Twitter.[10] Some of Smosh's most popular video series include Pokémon in Real Life and If X Was Real.[7][21] The If X Was Real videos see the duo parody various video games, films and pop culture media while questioning their realism.[10]
Defy Media and Padilla's departure (2011–2018)
In 2011, Smosh was acquired by Alloy Digital (later rebranded to Defy Media), while also enjoying a 40% boost in viewership.[13][22] In 2012, the duo started three new YouTube channels, ElSmosh, with Smosh videos dubbed in Spanish, Shut Up! Cartoons, with various animated videos,[23][24] and Smosh Games, with gaming-related content hosted alongside Mariko "Mari" Takahashi, David "Lasercorn" Moss, Matthew Sohinki, and Joshua "Jovenshire" Ovenshire.[25][26] The pair also ventured into music, creating comedic songs for licensed media such as The Legend of Zelda and Assassin's Creed 3, among other original compositions.[20][27] These songs (along with other original songs) have been released in four albums to date – Sexy Album (2010), If Music Were Real (2011), Smoshtastic (2012), and The Sweet Sound of Smosh (2013).[20] In January 2013, the Smosh channel surpassed Ray William Johnson in subscribers to become the most-subscribed YouTube channel for the third time.[3] Following the achievement, Smosh collaborated with Johnson on a video of his "Equals Three" series.[28] They held this position until August 2013 when they were surpassed by Swedish Let's Player PewDiePie, who also collaborated with the duo shortly after reaching the position.[29][30] During this period, Smosh participated in YouTube's Comedy Week in May 2013.[31][32]
In March 2015, Smosh re-launched the Smosh Games Alliance, a multi-channel network where fans join to enjoy network benefits in exchange for a percentage of the ad revenue.[‡ 5][33] That same year the duo announced Noah Grossman, Keith Leak Jr., Olivia Sui,[34] Courtney Miller and Shayne Topp[35] as new regular cast members for Smosh videos. They began appearing in sketches such as the Every (Blank) Ever series.[36][37]
In January 2016, a web sitcom was launched on the main Smosh channel. Part Timers is a comedy-drama which takes place at a fictional children's arcade and pizza place called Pork E. Pine's, which takes inspiration from Hecox's first job at Chuck E. Cheese's.[38][39] Each episode presents a challenge that the team must overcome to keep the business going. The series features regular Smosh cast members, Grossman (as Pete), Hecox (as Ian), and Padilla (as Anton), in addition to Cat Alter (as Mads), Jade Martz (as Ella), Casey Webb (as Dinger), and Natalie Whittle (as Lori).[40] The series was released every Monday on the Smosh channel from January to May 2016.[40] Also that year, the Smosh cast streamed a live sketch show on YouTube on August 26. Compared to Saturday Night Live, the 90 minute show featured improvisational sketches and fake TV commercials, which Hecox and Padilla stated was an adjustment from their typical scripted comedy. Regarded as the first live sketch show on YouTube, the stream reached 55,000 concurrent viewers and over 1.3 million views.[41][42]
On June 14, 2017, Padilla announced he would be leaving Smosh to pursue independent video ventures due to a "lack in creative freedom".[43][44] Hecox stated he would remain with Smosh, adding "I'm really looking forward to taking Smosh to the next phase, and we can't wait for people to see what we have coming up."[45]
Under Mythical Entertainment's ownership (2018–2023)
On November 6, 2018, Defy Media abruptly announced they were shutting down and laying off all its employees.[46] Hecox said that Smosh was not "going away" and that plans were underway to find Smosh a new home.[‡ 6][47] Padilla released a video the following day which went into more detail about his departure from Smosh and his issues with what Defy was doing with their employees and Smosh. He said that he and Hecox sold Smosh to Alloy Digital (which later became Defy Media) for stock, which had no monetary value because the company never went public. Padilla also expressed dissatisfaction with how Defy treated its employees and stated the company exploited them financially, took over his Facebook page, tried to take over his Twitter account, prevented him from joining the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and that they had pressured them into starting a fundraiser for Food Battle: The Game before it had even been conceived, something that had at the time led to accusations of exploitation being leveled against himself and Hecox. He also explained that he had not previously shared this information because of worries that it would threaten the job security of his friends.[48][49][50] On November 12, Smosh released an update video reaffirming that Smosh was searching for a new owner, and that in the meanwhile, content would continue to be released independently by the Smosh team. The cast clarified that they still had a significant amount of content from before Defy Media's shutdown in post-production. They also did not rule out the possibility of filming new content and releasing it independently, calling such an idea "old school", alluding to YouTube's early days when content was less commercialized.[‡ 6]
On February 22, 2019, Smosh was acquired by Mythical Entertainment, a production company founded by fellow YouTube comedians Rhett & Link.[51] A majority of the Smosh cast and crew returned to the company following the acquisition.[51] During this time, Smosh operated out of Mythical Entertainment's Los Angeles office, though later moved into a specially built studio space in Burbank.[52] Smosh also created a new weekly podcast, "SmoshCast", following the announcement.[51]
Smosh created another live show in a similar manner as their 2016 stream, named "Under the Influence". The stream featured the cast performing sketches alongside reenacting several of their segments, "Try Not To Laugh" and "Eat It or Yeet It", while under the influence. The stream aired on June 30, 2022.[53][54]
Padilla's return and Smosh as an independent venture (2023–present)
On June 20, 2023, Hecox and Padilla announced the latter's return to Smosh after the duo had decided to repurchase a majority stake in Smosh from Mythical Entertainment to become an independent entity again, with Mythical maintaining a minority stake and maintaining involvement in an advisory capacity. With this change, Padilla promoted Alessandra Catanese, the COO and executive producer from his own company Pressalike Productions, as CEO of the new Smosh entity, It was stated that the main Smosh channel would return to a more sketch-oriented output, moving away from the pivot to more improv-based content in the years prior. However, the unscripted Smosh Pit and Smosh Games channels would remain as they were.[52][55] Following Padilla's return to Smosh, the main channel returned to the sketch comedy format primarily featuring the duo, including revisiting past sketches such as their "Stop Copying Me" video and Food Battle.[56][17]
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Smosh
Smosh is the original and main channel created in November 2005, with current output focusing around the show Bit City.[57]
Smosh Pit
The Smosh Pit channel uploads every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The videos mostly consist of a variety of unscripted formats including game shows and challenges involving the cast.
Smosh Games
The Smosh Games channel uploads every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The videos consist of playing video games, board games, and card games, with various recurring games and series.
SmoshCast
Smosh's podcast channel currently comprises two shows:
Smosh Mouth, which is hosted by Shayne Topp and Amanda Lehan-Canto. Each episode usually features a distinct theme and a guest from amongst Smosh's cast and production crew.
Lunchtime with Smosh, a more ad-hoc podcast that features Ian and Anthony chatting about what's on their mind while joined by Erin, a member of Smosh's production crew.
ElSmosh
ElSmosh uploads new Smosh episodes that have been dubbed over in Spanish. The videos are mostly from the main Smosh channel. It was originally created by a fan who dubbed Smosh videos in the language, and Hecox and Padilla hired them.[6]
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App and game development
Smosh has branched out into various ventures related to digital media, including app and game development.[6][58] In February 2013, they released the Super Head Esploder X video game for iOS, which became the most downloaded game in the App Store within its first week.[59][60] The same year in July, they also started an Indiegogo campaign for an iOS and PC game, Food Battle: The Game, which was based on their characters and the foods used in their annual Food Battle series.[61] Lasting for 33 days from July 22 to August 24, the campaign raised $259,247 in total over a $250,000 goal, with Hecox and Padilla donating 10% of the funds to the "DoSomething", "Child's Play" and "FEED USA" charities.[62] An action RPG inspired by games such as The Legend of Zelda and The Witcher 2, the game was released in 2014.[63]
In early 2010, Smosh created the "iShut Up App" for Android phones as part of a Google sponsorship; it eventually made its way to the iTunes app store.[20] Smosh released another mobile app in February 2014 to access Smosh videos and other content from their website, and an Xbox One app later the same year.[58]
Books
In 2013, Smosh created Smosh Magazine which consisted of comics, interviews and behind-the-scenes content. The magazine ran exclusively in the United States for two editions.[20][60] Throughout 2015 and 2016, Smosh partnered with Dynamite Entertainment to publish a comic book and graphic novel series.[64] Titled "Super Virgin Squad", the six-issue series chronicles the titular group as super-humans. The first issue was released in May 2016.[65]
Films
On September 18, 2014, it was announced that a feature-length film starring the duo was in development by AwesomenessFilms;[66] it would be later titled Smosh: The Movie, and was released direct-to-video on July 24, 2015, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, with Netflix acquiring the film's streaming rights.[67][68] Directed by Alex Winter from a screenplay by Eric Falconer and Steve Marmel, it stars both Hecox and Padilla as fictionalized versions of themselves, alongside fellow YouTube personalities Jenna Marbles, Grace Helbig, Harley Morenstein, Mark Fischbach, Dominic Sandoval, and the Smosh Games crew, with Shane Dawson appearing in the Unrated version.[69][70]
Smosh created the film Ghostmates for YouTube Red that was released on December 14, 2016.[71][72]
Appearances in other media
Smosh has appeared in various installements of YouTube Rewind.[73][74] Hecox and Padilla also had voice roles in the 2016 animated film The Angry Birds Movie (with the latter returning in its 2019 sequel),[75] and appeared in an episode of the Epic Rap Battles of History web series.[76]
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| Performer | Time on Smosh |
|---|---|
| Ian Hecox | 2005–present |
| Anthony Padilla |
|
| Keith Leak Jr. | 2014–present |
| Olivia Sui | 2015–present |
| Noah Grossman | |
| Courtney Miller | |
| Shayne Topp | |
| Damien Haas | 2017–present |
| Amanda Lehan-Canto | 2020–present |
| Chanse McCrary | 2022–present |
| Arasha Lalani | |
| Angela Giarratana | |
| Tommy Bowe | 2024–present |
| Trevor Evarts |
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Their videos have received a positive reception from several outlets. Likening them to Saturday Night Live, Grossman opined that "[t]heir genius... is in their unswerving, unwinking commitment to idiocy."[12] Matheson claimed that their humor worked for its seditious and crude, yet inoffensive nature. She also praised Smosh for Hecox and Padilla's lack of embarrassment or fear, and their enjoyment of "mucking around" as a reason for retaining their viewership.[20] Several outlets highlighted their exaggerated acting style and penchant for juvenile, yet appealing humor.[6][7] Borden noted their acting style emphasized their personalities over finesse,[6] while Petersen asserted that if one "find[s] their humor juvenile, you're missing the point: It's not for you."[7] Kennedy Unthank of Plugged In praised the channel's nostalgic value and longevity alongside the duo's friendship. However, he raised concerns of their use of profanities, sexual humor and death in their sketches.[77] Smosh's various cast members have also received praise for their acting style and character work.[78][79]
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Personalities such as Jenn McAllister and Logan Paul were among the YouTubers inspired by Smosh.
One of the first personalities to gain popularity on YouTube, Smosh has been regarded as among the most popular channels on the website, and an early example of an Internet celebrity.[58][80] They have also been credited as pioneers and innovators of the platform, with some noting their fortuity in getting their start as YouTube began to take off as a platform.[81][82][83][84] News outlets have referred to the brand as a media empire.[6][7][83] Their authenticity was recognized as a factor for their popularity.[60] BuzzFeed News and Variety both observed their relatability among audiences and their relationship among their fans.[7][60] Compared to traditional celebrities, Smosh and other Internet personalities were typically deemed as more engaging and authentic among adolescents.[6][85] Troy Dreier of Streaming Media Magazine ascribed their fan base's affinity of the duo to their image "as likeable (if crazy) guys next door."[13] However, author Aaron Duplantier stated that their videos eschewed intimate self-expression, instead focusing on skits.[86]
Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly opined that their success on YouTube "reshape[d] the site into a vast entertainment entity that produces so much more than Web-based novelty acts."[87] Their 2006 video Feet for Hands, which featured the Zvue audio player as part of a promotional deal, was cited as an early example of influencer marketing by journalist Chris Stokel-Walker.[88] Author Kelli S. Burns credited the duo with popularizing the lip-synch video genre in her 2009 book Celeb 2.0.[81] YouTubers Jake and Logan Paul were inspired by Smosh to create their first channel, Zoosh, in 2006.[89] Jenn McAllister was likewise inspired to create her channel, writing in her autobiography that their 2007 Spiderman, Spiderman sketch was the first YouTube video she watched.[90][91] Musician and YouTuber Emma Blackery also regarded Smosh as an influence.[92]
Both Fast Company and Tubefilter highlighted the brand's diversification and expansion into other areas as a way to stay relevant, while other early YouTubers have since faded into obscurity.[83][93] A 2017 Mashable article remarked on their lasting popularity in comparison to other YouTube content creators; writer Saba Hamedy claimed that the duo "still haven't fallen out of the internet's favor. Ten years in and that's saying something: viral stars don't often survive their fan's short attention spans."[8]
Various commentators noted Smosh's legacy following Padilla's return to the channel. NBC News listed Smosh as among the original YouTube channels to return in 2023, noting fan enthusiasm for the return of "classic Smosh".[56] Morgan Sung of TechCrunch claimed that their reunion as an independent entity was "setting the precedent for creators to own and define their contents' legacy", and regarded it as a victory for content creators.[94] TheGamer's Jade King similarly considered Smosh's return to be a "rare victory" for both YouTube and the Internet, reflecting on the duo's friendship and the brand's history.[95]
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Smosh has been awarded various accolades throughout their career. In a 2014 survey from the University of Southern California published by Variety, they were ranked the #1 most influential personality among U.S. teenagers, listed ahead of celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio.[96] They would place #5 in a similar survey the following year.[97] The same year, they were believed to be the first American digital-based celebrities to obtain sculptures from the Madame Tussauds wax museum.[6]
In addition to once holding the most-viewed video on YouTube with their Pokémon theme song,[6] Smosh has held multiple records on the site. In 2017, they were listed in the Guinness World Records book as the most-subscribed comedy channel.[98] They have held the record for the most-subscribed YouTube channel in three periods – May to June 2006, August 2007 to September 2008, and January to August 2013.[4] Smosh was the first YouTube channel to reach ten million subscribers, and received the YouTube Diamond Creator Award.[99] From 2006 to 2017, it was the only channel to consistently remain within the top-ten most subscribed list.[93]
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| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 2007 YouTube Awards | Comedy | "Smosh Short 2: Stranded" | Won | [100][101] |
| 2009 | 2009 Webby Awards | Experimental & Weird | "Sex Ed Rocks" | Nominated | [102] |
| 2010 | 2010 Webby Awards | Viral | "If Movies Were Real" | Nominated | [103] |
| 2013 | 3rd Streamy Awards | Best Comedy Series | Smosh | Nominated | [104] |
| Audience Choice for Personality of the Year | Smosh | Nominated | [104] | ||
| Best Animated Series | Oishi High School Battle | Nominated | [104] | ||
| 2013 Webby Awards | Branded Entertainment Short Form | "Ultimate Assassin's Creed 3 Song" | Nominated | [105] | |
| 2013 Social Star Awards | Most Popular Social Show | Smosh | Nominated | [106][107] | |
| North American Social Media Star | Smosh | Won | [108] | ||
| 2014 | 4th Streamy Awards | Best Comedy Channel, Show, or Series | Smosh | Nominated | [109] |
| Best Gaming Channel, Show, or Series | Smosh Games | Won | [109] | ||
| 2015 | Seventh Annual Shorty Awards | YouTube Star of the Year presented by A&E | Smosh | Won | [110] |
| 5th Streamy Awards | Show of the Year | Smosh | Nominated | [111] | |
| Best Gaming Channel, Show, or Series | Smosh Games | Nominated | [111] | ||
| 2016 | 2016 Webby Awards | Gaming (channel) | Smosh Games | Won | [112] |
| 6th Streamy Awards | Gaming | Smosh Games | Nominated | [113] | |
| Food | Put it in My Mouth | Nominated | [113] | ||
| 2017 | 7th Streamy Awards | Live | Smosh Live | Won | [114] |
| Gaming | Smosh Games | Won | [114] | ||
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Comedy [115][116] |
US Heat. [115][116] | |||||||||
| Sexy Album |
|
11 | — | |||||||
| If Music Were Real |
|
5 | 26 | |||||||
| Smoshtastic |
|
3 | 27 | |||||||
| The Sweet Sound of Smosh |
|
4 | 33 | |||||||
| Shut Up! and Listen |
|
4 | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||
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