Smosh Creators Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox Buy Company Back

By Cade Onder

YouTube channel Smosh is making a grand return after years of ups and downs. YouTube is one of the biggest platforms on the entire planet, allowing anyone to make a video and upload it for 0 people to see or tens of millions to see. You can turn it into a career and form a community via your passions. It's a very interesting piece of the internet and has dramatically shaped our culture since its inception. One of the first major YouTube channels was Smosh, a channel made by two guys named Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. They became popular for their absurd skits, but started to expand in big ways in the 2010s once they were bought out by Defy Media. They hired more employees, created additional channels, and expanded their content.

However, as is what usually happens with any buyout, the original feeling and vision for Smosh dwindled and resulted in Anthony Padilla leaving. Eventually, Defy Media went under and Smosh was acquired by Mythical Entertainment. However, a new video reveals Anthony Padilla has returned to Smosh with Ian Hecox still at his side and the two have bought Smosh back. The aim is to bring Smosh back to its roots with sketches starting as soon as next week and it will be independently run, meaning fans can directly support them through YouTube memberships, eliminating the need for suits to micromanage things. The content that has been produced in recent years, such as Smosh Games, will also continue, so it doesn't sound like fans are going to be losing anything. You can view the video below.

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Whether or not this is what fans are looking for remains to be seen. YouTube has changed a lot since Smosh's earlier days, Ian and Anthony have grown up, and so on. Only time will tell if it keeps that same magic, but it is great to see creators taking back what is theirs regardless.

What do you think of Smosh's grand return? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

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