Since the creation of YouTube, drama is something that has always been a part of it. When two creators are beefing with one another, it creates one constant: attention spikes. But does that spike lead to long-term damage or growth? Let’s unpack it using famous feuds as examples.
Jake Paul vs. Logan Paul
A blast from 2017. When it comes to this particular beef, it’s hard to tell what was real and what was made specifically to shoot for more YouTube views. For the majority of that year, brothers went back and forth playing pranks on one another, which started relatively harmless until they delved into a more ‘savage’ territory.
At one point Jake accused Logan of ‘stealing his girl’ (fellow creator Alissa Violet) and plastered the face of his brother on Melrose (photoshopped to look ugly, of course). Logan responded with diss tracks, where he pretended to kiss Alissa Violet. Fans took sides. The internet devoured every moment.
What it did: To this day, it’s not entirely clear whether or not the beef was staged. It was chaotic and entertaining and did wonders for both channels. Logan gained over 2 million subscribers in a single month, while Jake’s daily vlogs rode the wave of popularity.
Long-term impact: Previously both Paul brothers were known for their ‘Disney-fied’ image. This drama marked the beginning of them ‘maturing’ as creators and the beginning of their controversial adult personas. Logan later rebranded after the Japan scandal; Jake leaned into the heel role.
PewDiePie vs. T-Series
This ‘feud’ was also among the lighter ones for the ‘most subscribed channel’ spot on YouTube back in 2019. At the time it wasn’t personal, it was more of a meme in the YouTube community, where independent creators started rallying behind PewDiePie, a channel who won the first Diamond Play Button.
The gist of the beef was in the subscriber count. Large Indian music company T-Series started gaining followers fast, catching up to PewDiePie, which turned into a joke-y digital battle over whether T-Series would overtake PewDiePie in the number-one spot.
The meme grew bigger than predicted, accidentally becoming one of the biggest events in YouTube history with the ‘subscribe to PewDiePie’ meme making an appearance at the Super Bowl, Times Square, and all the similar places. In March 2019 it finally happened and T-Series surpassed him, which led to PewDiePie’s sarcastic and iconic diss track “Congratulations”.
What it did: The impact on the internet culture was immaculate. The memes, music videos, and overall mobilization behind a singular YouTube creator. Even MrBeast bought billboards. His subscriber base surged by over 20 million in months.
Long-term impact: Despite the fact that a big company overtook him, the cultural victory was his. It framed him as the face of YouTube’s creator community. And it proved the power of collective creator action.
KSI vs. Logan Paul
Another iconic drama, but the one that eventually turned into a business model. In February 2018, KSI fought another YouTube creator Joe Weller and was awarded with the “YouTube Boxing Championship” Belt.
And, of course, KSI didn’t stop there, he immediately jumped into beef with Logan Paul. What started as an exchange of diss tracks back and forth between the two eventually escalated into two boxing matches watched by millions. DAZN deals, prime sponsorships, and a whole creator boxing scene followed. Despite the fact that the ‘one of the biggest YouTube events’ was a resounding success among the audience, an UFC fighter Michael Bisping still called the whole thing a mockery of the serious sport.
What it did: The first fight sold over 1 million pay-per-views. The rematch became a professional bout, licensed by the California State Athletic Commission. Each gained millions of followers.
Long-term impact: KSI and Logan made millions, diversified into Prime and music, and increased their subscriber counts. Moreover, it started the YouTuber's boxing scene and more fights since followed.
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Colleen Ballinger vs. Adam McIntyre
This YouTube drama is among the recent well-known ones. It is also a more serious one. But how can we omit talking about the most entertaining internet tea without delving into this? The whole thing was beautiful.
In 2023, Colleen Ballinger (more known as Miranda Sings) was accused by former fan Adam Mclntyre of inappropriate behavior, which included sending him underwear as a joke when he was a minor. He alleged that, besides this incident, there were many more cases of Colleen violently crossing the boundaries in their relationship.
She responded with a musical passive-agressive ‘apology’, which only worsened the situation and made her into an internet meme.
What it did: The moment she whipped out that ukulele it was over for her. Overnight, brand deals vanished. Netflix removed her content. Fans who’d grown up with her felt betrayed.
Long-term impact: Colleen’s case struck at the core of creator-audience boundaries. Her future in entertainment remains uncertain. Safe to say, after this one she lost a lot of subscribers and was officially ‘canceled’.
James Charles vs. Tati Westbrook
Let’s go back to another serious drama that shook YouTube (and the entire internet by extension) back in May 2019, when Tati Westbrook uploaded a ‘Bye Sister’ video. It was a 43-minute takedown of James Charles, citing betrayal, manipulation, and overall predatory behavior.
There were lots of back-and-forth videos between James and Tati, where both exposed a lot of each other’s dirt. Things got complicated. The majority of people took Tati’s side and ever since that incident, James has gotten into more and more controversies.
What it did: It reset the rules of creator accountability. For the first time, fans weren’t passive, they were unsubscribing from James en masse, which set a new record of the speed of subscriber count going down.
Long-term impact: James recovered partially, but the trust damage lingered. Tati later backtracked, but her own credibility took a hit. Both brands became polarizing. Neither has returned to their pre-drama influence.
Overall, beefing with other fellow YouTubers can have different consequences both for your image and popularity. Things can turn out great, but at the same time you can lose everything you’ve built thus far.
Just like any action on YouTube, feuding must be done in a way that’s entertaining and non-harmful.