Exclusive: 20 years in, this OG YouTube channel is opening a new studio to support its growth

Smosh’s new office will support the growth the growth it’s seen since its original founders returned to the helm in 2023.

Twenty years ago, not too long after Youtube itself launched, Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla started uploading videos to the platform. What started as two teenagers trying to make each other laugh turned into the biggest channel on YouTube. It was the first ever to reach 10 million subscribers. Eventually Smosh was acquired by a company called Defy Media. The company would expand rapidly–more videos, more cast members, even a movie–but then came turmoil and uncertainty for Smosh.