What is Smosh and Why Should You Actually Care?

Given what a huge presence YouTube is in our lives today, it's hard to believe that at its dawn some fifteen years ago, it was a minor, relatively niche video-sharing website whose content consisted mostly of video game streams and short funny videos.

Smosh, the US-based sketch comedy-improve collective and independent production company, dates back to those early days of YouTube and beyond. Anthony Padilla actually launched his own website in 2002, smosh.com, where he shared short flash animations. Ian Hecox soon joined him, and when YouTube launched in 2005, they started a channel there. Today, their names are inseparable from YouTube.

As YouTube pioneers, Padilla and Hecox quickly gained popularity with viewers who enjoyed their sketch videos. Smosh soon became one of the most popular channels on the platform. And in 2022, it got a whopping 10 billion views total, amassing an audience of 25 million, and the numbers keep trending up.

What makes Smosh special is that Padilla and Hecox essentially defined early YouTube and created an entire genre of silly video sketches. Furthermore, some argue the duo were the voice of their generation, seeing how popular they were with the teenage demographic at the time. Smosh achieved that by creating content specifically targeted at teenagers who didn't have many shows to choose from on TV because all major networks mostly catered to adult tastes.

The videos on Smosh are hardly profound, but most content on YouTube today emphasises entertainment over substance, and Padilla and Hecox are partly the reason why. The comedy duo inspired many other content creators specialising in videos for kids. 2012 saw Smosh launch several other channels on YouTube and hire actors and other staff to create more skits and other video content.

Smosh changed owners several times in the 2010s. Padilla left in 2017 due to a 'lack of creative freedom'. That was followed by several other changes in ownership, cast and crews and pivots in types of content offered on the channels. On 20 June 2023, Padilla announced he was returning to Smosh and that he and Hecox would be repurchasing a majority stake, making it an independent entity again. It was also announced that the main Smosh channel would return to mostly sketch-oriented output.

Smosh pretty much defined YouTube in its early days, and it looks like it's back again. We can only wish Padilla and Hecox every success in their courageous endeavour to give those pesky TikTokers a run for their money.