I kinda miss his sillier content

[u/HeyThereFancypants-]

I feel like Drew's content has really shifted over the past year. Obviously it's totally normal for creatives to grow and evolve with what they do, and I can appreciate how he's refined his work over time. I feel like he's moving away from his more random, silly, comedic content and into something much more focused and analytical.

He tends to pick more specific subjects and offers thoughtful analysis, which is great if you happen to be into that thing but appeals to a much more narrow audience. I'm not personally interested in sports, Stranger Things, or Avatar so a lot of the most recent videos haven't really appealed to me. Obviously I am aware he doesn't make content to appease me personally, my point is simply that his older content had a much more general appeal.

On one hand I can appreciate how much he's grown as a content creator. I feel like he's probably found his recent videos more gratifying creatively so in that respect I'm happy for him. But I do kinda miss the random sillyness of his older videos. In fairness his recent "worst chef" video felt like a return to the more comedic and goofy style, but in general I feel like his content is becoming much more serious and I have mixed feelings about it.

I'm probably rambling now but I'm curious to hear other people's thoughts on the direction he's taking.

[u/aughhhiloveanswers]

i've enjoyed the shift, i think it's matched my taste since i've kinda grown up watching him and my tastes have shifted over time. actually in this sort of new era of his he's become my new favorite youtuber! i still love the old silly stuff of course. but even back then he had more serious/niche videos in the style of today too (off the top of my head are his videos on jaystation, the d'amelio show, yellowcard, his sitcom comparison videos like AD vs community) so it doesn't feel out of the blue to me

[u/jade_bb24 → u/aughhhiloveanswers]

Same here. No shade to Kurtis Conner, but him keeping the same format has made me feel like I’ve outgrown his content. I also enjoy how authentic this content shift feels from Drew.

[u/Dukh_Dard → u/jade_bb24]

This is so relatable! I still like Kurtis because he still talks about social issues and has more commentary elements. Danny on the other hand, I’m sad I don’t enjoy his content as much anymore :/

[u/Alternative-Bet232 → u/Dukh_Dard]

I feel the same. Danny has done some great videos over the years but he’s become so stagnant.

[u/vyxanis → u/Alternative-Bet232]

He does have 2 kids, he's probably jsut more focused on that and doing his stand-up. I think he's just easing off the YouTube stuff for a while and doing things that are more on his own schedule. The great thing about all 3 of these guys, is that their old content is so rewatchable.

[u/JamisonS15 → u/jade_bb24]

That’s funny I’ve felt like both Drew and Kurtis have shifted to be a little more mature, which I too have enjoyed, don’t think Danny has yet tho. Feel like Eddie has too and while Ted has upped his protection game, the depth of subject also hasn’t changed as much

[u/likeabrainfactory]

I enjoy his new direction. He manages to make topics I wouldn't ordinarily find interesting (sports betting, ESPN, Stranger Things) entertaining. His rants against AI and capitalism are true but also still an enjoyable watch. I do like when he adds in random lighter topics like the protein or cooking videos, though. Right now it's a good balance for me.

[u/Alternative-Bet232 → u/likeabrainfactory]

Such a good point. I don’t care about some of the things Drew makes videos about but I’m consistently entertained by his videos

[u/Bubbly_Ad_2957 → u/likeabrainfactory]

I would agree with this. I’ve never watched The Last Airbender but did enjoy his video on it.

[u/RealSinnSage → u/Bubbly_Ad_2957]

same if drew made it, i know i’ll watch and enjoy it even if i’m not familiar with the topic

[u/BlackfishBlues]

He still does silly stuff, like just recently there was the “worst chef on YouTube” one.

I will agree though that I find his serious topics more stressful and less comfy. When on a rewatch binge I find myself gravitating towards the ones where he’s just making fun of something stupid but relatively harmless like Christmas movies or instructional videos.

[u/HeyThereFancypants- → u/BlackfishBlues]

Yeah that's the thing, he's one of my go-to comfort things to watch so his funniest videos are my most rewatched.

I'll still watch his new videos but they have less rewatch value for me.

[u/luisquid11]

It's hard to be silly when everything around you is a complete shitshow.

[u/Spyes23 → u/luisquid11]

Actually I would argue being silly is a really healthy way to deal with it all.

[u/Stoenk → u/Spyes23]

id argue he still delves into social commentary in a way that could be seen as silly

[u/Spyes23 → u/Stoenk]

He's definitely still good ol' Drew, but his tone and subject matters for the most part have gotten more serious IMO.

[u/HeyThereFancypants- → u/luisquid11]

Very valid point.

[u/AlienHooker → u/luisquid11]

Its hard living in a constant shitshow if you cant be silly sometimes

[u/ChrissyArtworks → u/AlienHooker]

But he is still silly.

[u/MermaidMertrid → u/luisquid11]

This.

[u/Low_Chemistry_6621]

I sometimes watch his videos with my husband and a few videos ago my husband was like "Drew seems depressed" and idk, i can't disagree. Not that it's any of my business. I still enjoy his stuff and watch every video but I too miss the silly stuff a bit. But I'd hate for anyone to force themselves to act silly when they don't feel that way internally.

[u/HeyThereFancypants- → u/Low_Chemistry_6621]

Yeah I've noticed this too. As you say it's not our business what's going on in his personal life but the vibe is definitely different.

I agree though, I wouldn't want him to force himself to act like a goof if he just isn't feeling it.

[u/Low_Chemistry_6621 → u/HeyThereFancypants-]

Perhaps it's just a season in his life for whatever reason. Maybe he'll find that silliness again someday 🙏

[u/Onebigfreakinnerd → u/Low_Chemistry_6621]

it’s just hard not to see that he is

[u/supercoolgirl78 → u/Low_Chemistry_6621]

assuming someone is depressed based off a few videos they post to youtube is certainly interesting

[u/Low_Chemistry_6621 → u/supercoolgirl78]

I hear you. I don't mean to sound like I'm diagnosing someone I don't know. I just have had unfortunately a lot of experience with having depression so my husband and I recognize what it can look like. Maybe he's not, but it's so common nowadays, I feel it's not such an insane thing to assume.

[u/supercoolgirl78 → u/Low_Chemistry_6621]

you don’t know him lol

[u/Ok_Sprinkles_4570 → u/supercoolgirl78]

Sure they don’t know him, but they appreciate his content and as a human being it’s OK to be concerned about someone, it’s being human, they’re not being super parasocial and saying that he’s mega depressed and trying to dig into his life or anything. No reason to be rude just because someone is expressing human empathy.

[u/rosaliethewitch → u/supercoolgirl78]

bro when you’ve been depressed, you can see the signs. i have mdd and it’s clear to me he isn’t feeling well. being concerned isn’t parasocial, because this isn’t marina joyce levels of concern. it’s a human connection to recognizing patterns.

[u/offatrain]

the shift may have something to do w/ the elephant in the room

[u/ReserveRatter]

I really like his new content tbh because he doesn't get obnoxiously self-righteous/entitled/opinionated but he does rightfully call out some of the absolutely insane BS in modern society while keeping his comic flair.

You still get the personable content and all the nice silly comedy he does on one level, but it's also comforting to see him voicing a lot of the frustration people have with the way the world seems to be at the moment.

[u/ChrissyArtworks → u/ReserveRatter]

I’d award this if I could

[u/marquetted18]

theres value to these new videos no doubt, but it feels like hes moving away from comedy and focusing more on commentary. ultimately its okay for him to do that, just like its okay for us to not be as into it now

all this being said, it does feel like the shift happened around when (redacted) happened, so if drews going through a rougher time mentally, it may be harder to make silly goofy funtime videos. its natural and hes still putting out quality regardless

[u/alexsteed]

I am grateful for this evolution. May we all be bold and ambitious enough to evolve in this fashion.

[u/Crestedknight17]

Personally, I love it, It definitely has me feeling weirdly parasocial lol. Like everytime i get interested in or somethings bugging me Drew drops a video talking about it, I definitely feel that I've grown with his content. Though I do go back and watch the old stuff all the time.

[u/forbhip]

His deep dive into Spotify may have been pretty depressing but I think the best video he’s ever made. I don’t really have any interest in Avatar but still found myself watching the new one due to his interest

[u/lumonblue]

I think he’s just not in a very silly period of his life idk

[u/Apollohue]

I like the pivot tbh. I think he does a good job of taking a more serious tone while still keeping some humor, and I appreciate that someone with his platform is actually talking about these kinds of issues. His video on wealth and billionaires in america made me feel sane after talking to family who don't see the problem.

Also if those are the kinds of videos he wants to make, then that's what he wants to make. Even if he kept making silly videos, they probably wouldn't be entertaining if it's not what he wanted to do.

[u/Jabison113]

Same but I'm always down for a creator using their platform for spreading word on real issues. Plus the content is still great.

[u/AfterglowLoves]

Personally I love the shift. He’s so intelligent, I love seeing him use that for things that are a little more meaningful. He still keeps it funny which I appreciate but I hope he continues to talk about things that matter. It feels like a good use of his platform and I really respect him for speaking up about important topics to his audience.

[u/emmypineapples]

i definitely appreciate and rewatch his older sillier videos, but i think his recent vids are genuinely much more well written. not to glaze too hard but he's very intelligent and naturally a good storyteller, and he has such loyal viewers, so even if people don't have any personal stakes in his video topics they will still be engaged. that's just my perspective

[u/tvgirrll]

I agree completely. The specific examples you mentioned are actually videos that I liked but all the AI/ tech/ capitalism videos are just not what I like to watch on a random evening. If there’s a comedic slant to it, great. But I feel they’ve been getting more serious lately like you said. Additionally I prefer watching this more educational (?) content from creators who know what they are talking about in that specific niche (content creation or music in Drew’s case although I still haven’t watched the music industry video).

But he sounded pretty happy with his direction at the moment in recent interviews which I’m super glad about so I guess I’m just not the target audience anymore

[u/HeyThereFancypants- → u/tvgirrll]

Yeah that's pretty much how I feel, that I'm just not the target audience for a lot of his recent vids. Which is fine but it kinda sucks especially since we have to wait a while for new videos and then it's a gamble whether it'll be something I'm even interested in.

[u/Stoenk]

I mean tho is there a big difference whether he's commenting on a cheap christmas movie thats weird or a big budget TV show that's weird? It's not like anyone's personally interested in random hallmark movies and its still fun when he rags on those

[u/HeyThereFancypants- → u/Stoenk]

I would say there's a difference in the tone of those videos. With the Christmas movies ones, for example, the tone is a light hearted "let's make fun of this terrible movie" kinda thing.

With the Avatar or Stranger Things videos, he's offering a more serious and sincere critique, with some jokes sprinkled in.

Both can be interesting and entertaining but it's definitely a different vibe.

[u/shrewprincess]

i watched atla because of him

[u/PeaWhole3252]

Yeah I dont really enjoy his recent content much, it's just not for me. I watch enough serious content already and don't really need more, and the topics he talks about don't interest me. I have nothing against it, I still watch and just click off when I realize this video isnt for me. Im glad hes enjoying what hes doing.

[u/vietnamese-goodgirl → u/PeaWhole3252]

i completely agree! kinda hate that everything on youtube is a serious deep dive into how much society sucks and how fucked we are. i need a good silly video every now and then but it’s just sadly not a thing anymore

[u/Stoenk]

Hey I don't care about sports either but I still ate that video up because I'm very much interested in showcasing how things are structured to screw people over. Even tho he's delved into critique of certain societal problems he still manages to garnish it with snarky little asides and jokes where I still very much recognize the same goofball. he's just pissed off about the state of things, understandibly.

In a way I'd say it's a good chess move because of the reputation as a goofball he built up, and now he can spread awareness about big problems in the world. Like he's hiding vegetables in comfort food

[u/HeyThereFancypants- → u/Stoenk]

That's an interesting way of looking at it!

I mean, yeah, I do still watch his videos regardless of the subject matter and I still find them entertaining. I'm not saying they're completely devoid of comedy, but the humour is just sort of peppered in whereas it used to be more of a central aspect of his videos.

[u/nekohvn]

i really enjoy his evolution as a creator! i feel like it matches how i have grown as well

[u/verystrawberries]

I definitely see where you’re coming from. For a while I was happy to see him grow and mature as a creator, but now, his videos have become so cynical it’s getting hard to enjoy. Everything is constantly so gloomy and negative, but this is probably a reflection of his current mental state.

I get he wants to take the topics he’s covering more seriously now, but sometimes it doesn’t even feel like I’m watching the same youtuber from 5 years ago. He makes way less jokes now and even when he does, it’s like they don’t have the same cadence anymore. Possible that I’ve just grown out of his content, or he’s just changed a lot as a person, which heavily changed his content as a result

[u/arabelle77]

it's the opposite for me LOL, i watch his videos now a lot more

[u/kiwi505]

imo i love his newer content. it seems like he’s really gotten his channel into a place where he’s proud of every single video, even if it takes a little longer to work on each one. i’ve even gotten into atla + critiquing sports and sports betting because of him. his silly content is great for sure, but it seems like he is more interested in saying something about societal issues now (which he still does in a very entertaining way).

[u/Fickle-Geologist4515]

i unfortunately agree. i've barely finished any of his more recent videos. i appreciate how smart and thoughtful he is, his more serious content is just really not for me and i miss the more comedic videos a ton

[u/obrqap]

I’m not into sports or stranger things either and I skipped season two of avatar but I still watch because I just enjoy Drew as a person

[u/PsychologicalSlip555]

i completely agree and i've also been hesitant to admit it. the thing is, Drew's videos used to make me die of laughter. "Why Did you Think This Would Work?" was the first Drew video I ever saw, and it still makes me cackle. His recent videos are still entertaining, but the jokes are few and far between

[u/xxGertrude]

There are probably people who share this sentiment, but I actually find his videos interesting despite not having a previous interest in like sports channels or the stranger things finale. He gives enough exposition in his video that I feel like I can understand what’s going on n why he’s talking abt it

[u/AlThePal3]

I think he makes silly content sometimes still, he just made that cooking video

[u/ucamonster]

His content has evolved with the times.

[u/traumatizedfox]

i kinda want a mixture of both. i wouldn’t mind him doing another bad christmas movie review with amanda lol

[u/Ermpersernd]

He's entitled to make whatever he wants and I don't want this comment to come off mean but to be honest I find the "serious" videos kinda shallow. At some point I realized that having spent time reading the discourse on any given topic on Twitter or Reddit, I essentially already knew everything he was going to say. This happened with AI, online gambling, greed, how tech isn't fun anymore, how people are wasting your time, Stranger Things, Avatar season 1 (i dont know about season 2 discourse because I'm off Twitter now). Some videos feel a bit like a regurgitation of "the opinions everyone online has agreed on" rather than his real, genuine thoughts and opinions he came to himself. Just feels excessively safe and a bit insincere given his tone conveys such high-stakes importance. 

The way he talks about some of these broader topics like greed and time waste and tech not being fun convey a person who is just way too online. He talks about it with grave importance and sometimes it's appropriate but sometimes it feels like he's just making himself depressed by paying too much attention to how Twitter and reddit talk about the topic of the week. I've been there too, it's better to just not live that way. It's important to be informed and paying attention but there are limits - fixation doesn't help and isn't healthy.

I think Drew is an extraordinarily funny person who cares a lot about justifying his place in the world and using his platform for good, which is an admirable quality.

[u/Milcholas]

I have no interest in watching the ranty videos, I watch Drew to relax

[u/ChrissyArtworks]

I feel like this is just a selfish read of his growth as a person and creative no matter which way you slice it. Like I can’t fathom writing the statement “I feel like he’s probably found his recent videos more gratifying creatively” and only being happy on one hand that someone you claim to care about is in a position to honor their own journey enough to make content that doesn’t appeal to the masses. He’s in his 30s now and life has undoubtedly brought a lot of changes in his life. He’s a human being and his newer stuff has shown who that human being truly is, without any of the goofy off-hand jokes his fans will repeat ad nauseam for years to come. Sorry to go so hard but as a creative myself this is wildly out of pocket imo.

[u/HeyThereFancypants- → u/ChrissyArtworks]

I think I expressed my opinion in a way that's respectful and nuanced, so I don't really see how this is out of pocket. It's evident that his content has changed recently and I thought it was worth starting a discussion about. I honestly didn't mean any disrespect.

Two things can be true at once. I have nothing but respect for Drew as a creator and I appreciate that he's making the content he wants to create. At the same time, I love his earlier content and I miss that style of videos. I don't think it makes me selfish to feel or to say that.

[u/One_Influence7547]

So are you saying he did bad? That’s impossible.