There are few things in life that are worse than posting something you regret on the Internet. Many of us have learned the hard way that once it goes viral online, it’s hard to ever live it down.
However, one YouTube star has managed to reinvent himself in a way that sustains his popularity—but, this time, in a positive light.
If you have children, or you like to browse YouTube in your spare time, there’s a solid chance you’ve heard of Blippi.
Who is Blippli?
Essentially, he’s a more fun-loving, colorful, excited Mr. Rodgers for kids in the 21st century. Dressed as a clown of some sorts, he does fun, interactive adventures for kids all across YouTube and teaches them a thing or two along the way.
While it seems a bit juvenile, the academic clown has racked up over 3.5 million subscribers on the network—and, many of his videos reach over 10-15 million views. In short, he’s an advertisement company’s wet dream.
His channels—combined—have fans into the billions. Not only does John have his “Blippi” channel, but he also has a Spanish-speaking channel and a toy review channel. On top of the channels that take in ad revenue, he also has merchandise that ranges from dolls to clothing to bikes to glasses.
But, while Blippi may seem like your average, mommy-complex comedian who couldn’t make it in real comedy and had to settle for a life of kid’s toys—there is more than meets the eye. Blippi, in fact, is played by a comedian who was well known across the web as “Steezy Grossman.” Played by real-life Stevin John man, he created low-budget comedy videos out of Los Angeles and posted them on the web.
Blippi Controversy
In 2013, however, John made a grotesque video that BuzzFeed describes as a man “pooping all over his friends,” because, he literally takes a hot, steaming dump on his friend. The video, posted in 2013 to the tune of “Harlem Shake”—which, at that time, was a viral sensation—showed John taking a dump on his friend’s bare ass.
The Harlem Shake went viral in 2013, as people were making viral meme videos and dance routines to the music and the hit song. People tried to one-up every video that went viral online and, John was no different.
At the time, John decided that in order to gain attention, getting naked and sh*tting on his friend—who is also naked—would be a great idea. Here’s a play-by-play, thanks to BuzzFeed:
In “Harlem Shake Poop,” set in the interior of a sparse bathroom with a shower stall, you see him sitting on the toilet, pants down around his ankles. He’s wearing a tank top, sunglasses, and, for some reason, a bicycle helmet. He gently shrugs his shoulders, rolling his arms to the beat.
The beat drops, and suddenly the video cuts to Steezy standing sideways on top of the toilet seat, fully nude now except for the helmet and sunglasses.
On the floor, a friend — whose identity is not known — leans against the wall in a contorted shoulderstand, his head and neck on the floor, his hips in the air, his legs dangling down. He is also fully nude except for goggles and a swim cap. A black bar has been edited over his genitals, blocking out not just his penis and scrotum, but also the full taint and b-hole.
After a few seconds of dancing on the toilet, it happens. Steezy emits an explosive stream of shit, a cacophonous eruption that sends feces splattering across the room in a shotgun-like spray of poo pellets. Shit hits the wall, the glass shower door, the floor. And a sizable chunk hits its intended target: the spread-cheeked ass of his friend.
Steezy giggles and continues dancing, as does his friend — for a few seconds, until you can hear the unmistakable sound of gagging, though he never stops attempting to wiggle his legs in a dancing motion.
At the time, John was into it and proud of the popularity, appearing on several podcasts and bragging about all of the views and traction. But, now, in a statement with BuzzFeed, he says he regrets allowing himself to partake in that kind of degrading humor.
At the time, I thought this sort of thing was funny, but really it was stupid and tasteless, and I regret having ever done it. I’ve grown up a lot since then, and I trust people will see me as the person I am now, not the idiot I was back then.
h/t: BuzzFeed.