Loading summary
Ian Hecox
How to have fun anytime, anywhere.
Ryan Seacrest
Step one, go to chumbacasino.com chumbacasino.com Got it.
Ian Hecox
Step two, collect your welcome bonus.
Courtney Miller
Come to papa.
Ryan Seacrest
Welcome bonus.
Shane Topp
Step three, play hundreds of casino style games for free.
Ryan Seacrest
That's a lot of games.
Courtney Miller
All for free. Step four, unleash your excitement.
Ian Hecox
Woo hoo choo choo choo choo Chumba. Chumba Casino has been delivering thrills for over a decade. So claim your free welcome bonus now.
Shane Topp
And live the chumba life.
Ian Hecox
Visit chumbacasino.com no purchase necessary VGW group.
Shane Topp
Void where prohibited by law 21 plus terms and conditions apply.
Courtney Miller
And it's an email saying that we've all been effective immediately laid off. People were smashing defy mugs with baseball bats.
Shane Topp
I know, I know.
Ian Hecox
That Jake Paul calls former Smosh YouTuber Anthony Batilla an imbecile.
Courtney Miller
Imbecile.
Shane Topp
We were all. We were all single on Valentine's Day.
Courtney Miller
I know, dude. Hey, everybody. Welcome to the first ever smoshcast. Whoa. Well, it's already off to a great start.
Ian Hecox
Who are you?
Courtney Miller
Oh, that's. Oh, Jesus. My name is Ian Hecox.
Ian Hecox
I'm Courtney Miller.
Shane Topp
I'm Shane Topp.
Courtney Miller
We are some of the people that are on a YouTube channel called Smosh.
Shane Topp
Yeah, yeah, you might have heard of it. Maybe.
Ian Hecox
It's been around for a few years.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, there's a lot of things to talk about. I guess the big thing on people's minds, and probably. We probably clickbaited the title something like, you know, who I don't know yet, is where the heck have we been in the past three, four months? All over the place and back.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, it's been hell, it's been a journey.
Courtney Miller
Geez, let's just take us all the way back to November. Was it November? Was it October?
Shane Topp
November. It was like November.
Ian Hecox
Early November.
Shane Topp
It was the first couple weeks of November.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. So we were all working at our parent company, Defy, which most people know by now and everyone's in love with them.
Shane Topp
Oh, yeah, they're the best company to have ever existed.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, they have a great reputation.
Shane Topp
I would say they're up there with the greats like Enron.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. And the Devil Corporation.
Shane Topp
Devil. Devil Corp. You know, Satan Corp, Oscorp.
Courtney Miller
Okay. Yeah, that one's.
Shane Topp
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ian Hecox
For the nerds out there.
Courtney Miller
You're so nerdy.
Ian Hecox
Wow.
Shane Topp
Whichever corporation made the Terminators.
Ian Hecox
Apple. Terminators. Apple product.
Shane Topp
Well, there goes our Apple sponsorship.
Ian Hecox
Sorry, sorry.
Courtney Miller
So back in November or October, who knows? Because this feels like an Eon ago. Yeah. We got a lovely. And this is completely out of the blue. We did not.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, we were in the middle of a writers meeting or something when it happened.
Courtney Miller
And, like, there were, like, rumblings around the office that things weren't too great and there were people that were starting to trickle out of the company. Yeah.
Shane Topp
Mind you, for the past year before that, every couple months there'd be just massive layoffs and, like, 30 people would lose their job, and we'd all be like, oh, my God, this sucks. Our budget kept getting cut and cut until we were like, we're shooting sketches with nothing.
Courtney Miller
So basically we were just hanging out, and then all of a sudden we get this email that's like, everyone get on the phone in 30 minutes.
Ian Hecox
Emergency meeting. That's what it's called.
Courtney Miller
And so we were like, oh, that probably can't be good.
Shane Topp
I don't think I realized the gravity of it. But our head writer immediately was just.
Courtney Miller
Like, well, all right, start packing up your things.
Shane Topp
He literally was like, it's over. And I was like, whoa, it's just a phone call. We don't know that, but, boy, did he call it.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. Yeah. So we got on the call and they were like, well, by California law, we have to let everyone know that we're giving you a 60 day notice.
Ian Hecox
Yeah. So we had till January 2nd.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. Something like that. To. To, you know, find your work till then and you find another job. So everyone's like, gosh, that. That really sucks. But at least we have till January to figure out, you know, two months roughly. And that was a Friday.
Ian Hecox
Yep.
Courtney Miller
So we can. Happens. Obviously not. Not a good weekend.
Shane Topp
Nobody sleeps.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. And Monday comes around and we're still sort of working, you know, trucking along. I'm writing a script and. And then we get an email. I remember exactly what I was doing. I was in the writers room with Matt Robb and a couple other people. I think it was like some smosh games people. And we get this email and it shows up on Matt's computer and he's like, did you guys see this email? And it's an email saying that we've all been effective immediately. Laid off.
Shane Topp
Yeah. Everybody at once.
Ian Hecox
Everybody, like, go get your paycheck in this office right now. Goodbye.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. So the funny thing was, because, I don't know, I felt like it was a moment that I needed to remember. I was like, selfie.
Ian Hecox
Oh, my God. I remember that.
Courtney Miller
I took a photo, some dark humor, and like, I think you're in the photo. And you're just like, I wasn't there, actually. What?
Ian Hecox
He wasn't there yet.
Shane Topp
I was. I was working. I was filming on the Goldbergs, and I got home, and I got the text. I saw the text as soon as I got home of like, hey, everybody got laid off.
Ian Hecox
It's over.
Shane Topp
And I was like, oh, my God. And I quickly got all my stuff together, and I drove all the way to the office, and by the time I got there, all the sadness had dissipated, and now the party started.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. Yeah. So there. There was an immense amount of delirium after. After the layoff, so nobody knew what to do. I was writing a script, so I was like, well, I don't think Smosh is really going to be over, so I guess I might as well finish this script. So I just kind of sat there and finished the script.
Ian Hecox
Which script do you remember?
Courtney Miller
I forget now. It's. These past couple nights have been a blur.
Shane Topp
Yeah.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, a little bit.
Courtney Miller
So some people went out and got. Got a fair amount of booze, and we. We were supposed to shoot the very next day. So we had a whole bunch of crafty and snacks and stuff.
Ian Hecox
We were supposed to shoot every Dominoes ever.
Shane Topp
Yeah, we had a bunch of Domino's.
Ian Hecox
A bunch of pizza from.
Courtney Miller
Still gotta shoot that.
Shane Topp
Yeah, we gotta.
Ian Hecox
Still gotta shoot that.
Shane Topp
But, yeah, there was tons of food laid out. Whatever I brought. I think I brought some beer. Full disclosure, I was like, all right, I'm gonna grab a six pack, bring it over to the office. And, yeah, people were sad, but it was one of those things. It was kind of like. Kind of felt like a high school graduation or a college graduation where it's like we had spent so much time here together doing crazy stuff, and then it was over immediately. I was expecting to continue to work there for a long time, and suddenly. And, you know, yeah, there was that optimism in my head, and all of us were saying, like, oh, it's not over. It's gonna come back. But at the time, really thinking back on it, it very likely could have been completely over at that point.
Ian Hecox
I think there was still some hope, because when that first the termination of everyone happened, all of us kind of gathered in the smosh room, and everyone was really down. A couple people had speeches. I do have footage from that moment. I feel very bad that I was like, I'm gonna film this right now. I just felt. I was just like, that'd be so weird to have footage of this moment. And Matt Robb of Smosh games was like. He came in and Gave this amazing speech. I almost wish I had filmed that. But, like, we were like, this isn't over just because this is happening. We are too. We're doing too well, and we are too together with this. So, like, yeah, so there was still hope and, like, still a chance. We were all still gonna be together, but it was still, like, end of the world feeling, too.
Shane Topp
What was the real kicker, too, was that we had had our best week ever the week prior. We literally had, like, we were planning a celebration, I actually think, because we had Smosh Main, Smosh Pit, Both had their. The best views ever.
Ian Hecox
And subscriptions were up, like, it was, like, up 600%.
Shane Topp
Everything was doing great. So we were like, oh, my God, we've never been more successful. And then suddenly, oh, we're all now out of a job.
Courtney Miller
So the party turned into a little bit of a shit show.
Shane Topp
Yeah, it did turn into a shit show.
Courtney Miller
There. Some people started breaking some things.
Ian Hecox
Breaking things.
Shane Topp
I won't say if things actually happened, but I say mayhaps people stole things. Mayhaps there was damage done.
Courtney Miller
But hey, I don't. Mayhaps somebody, and I don't know who I heard peed in one of the, like, the. One of the guys that was essentially running the company.
Shane Topp
I didn't hear about this.
Courtney Miller
I heard that somebody peed in his office.
Shane Topp
Oh, my God.
Ian Hecox
No way.
Courtney Miller
Yeah.
Shane Topp
Oh, my God. I fully believe it. That's.
Ian Hecox
I had no idea.
Courtney Miller
There's, like, people that were.
Ian Hecox
Mayhaps said that mayhaps have happened.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. And, like, mayhaps people were smashing defy mugs with baseball.
Shane Topp
I know. I know that. Yeah, I know about that. And that's.
Ian Hecox
I heard that someone so crazy that somebody, like, used a plunger on one of the computers of the people's offices.
Courtney Miller
What?
Shane Topp
They took a plunger to one of the CEO's computers. Who would do that?
Ian Hecox
Yeah, I don't think anybody has video of either.
Courtney Miller
Okay.
Shane Topp
I just can't believe someone peed. And that's crazy.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, that's insane. And that guy never show. Never showed back up to the office.
Shane Topp
To be fair, these the leaders of Defy. You know, I won't say names, but they fired everyone and then didn't talk face to face with anyone. Didn't. Didn't.
Courtney Miller
Didn't show up.
Shane Topp
Didn't show up. And I was, like, really bummed about that because I was like, okay. Because I was trying to learn a lot about just being a leader and what's it like to do business, because I had never worked in an office place before. And I was just really bummed because I was like, that just seems like really poor leadership skills, because part of being a leader is, yeah, you're gonna fail sometimes. And even if it's a massive failure, you gotta own it. And they really didn't. And that bummed me out.
Courtney Miller
The large issue for me at Defy was the leadership. You know, I. And I told people before, I felt like Defy was just kind of rotten at the top. And, you know, we had. We had huge issues with. With the person that was directly above us. And I went over him to. To tell the other. The. The higher. Higher ups. I was like, hey, look, this guy's a problem. He's terrible for the culture. He's. You know, he's. People are leaving.
Shane Topp
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
Because of his leadership.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
And I got a response. I was like, you know, nobody. Nobody cares about Smosh more than us. We're gonna do something about this. And they did nothing.
Ian Hecox
No.
Shane Topp
What I will say, though, a cool thing was that the three and a half years that we were there, it. There was a bond that all of us at Smosh had because we were kind of all put in this part of the office. We never really saw. I didn't see many of these corporate types that were in control of it, but we banded together, and we were always trying to make great stuff. We were always having fun and doing crazy shit. And we all had this kind of common enemy the whole time. We were kind of like these corporate overlords that are always.
Ian Hecox
It felt like an 80s movie, really.
Shane Topp
It did. They were. We were the Breakfast Club, and Defy was the principal that would come in every now and then, be like, stop having fun. You got to do this.
Courtney Miller
Whatever.
Shane Topp
And we were like, okay. And it was tough because they didn't have a sense of humor. They didn't understand comedy.
Ian Hecox
It was a really weird dynamic. Like, I was saying this earlier. It feels like a bunch of theater kids were just, like, put into a cubicle.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. I mean, I got to give them credit. Like, we were able to do a lot of stuff, and we were able to use a lot of resources.
Ian Hecox
Yeah. We had good resources.
Shane Topp
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
So, I mean, like, I can't. I can't completely dump on Defy. Like, they. They got us to where we were at. We just needed better leadership, and we needed a company that was. That was actually behind us.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
Rather than just kind of like, there. Not really. Not really doing anything to kind of, like, help push us forward or create, like, a real business plan.
Ian Hecox
That seemed to hold us back sometimes in terms of relationships with other YouTubers and companies, man.
Courtney Miller
Well, yeah, because, I mean, I know. I know there were definitely some. Some YouTubers that wouldn't work with us because we were under the fight because they had.
Ian Hecox
And they've talked about that in their. On their channels. Like. Yeah, it's nuts.
Courtney Miller
So. So that happened. That all happened. And then, you know, because. Because the way that the company was shut down, it was complete anarchy. Like, there was nobody. There was nobody saying, like, okay, now you don't have jobs. This is what you're doing. There is. There was nobody deciding what would happen with the channels.
Shane Topp
The channels were locked at first. Nobody could even get into them. Not even you, Right?
Courtney Miller
Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. So also. Yeah, we came back the next day, or somebody came back the next day, and there was an eviction notice.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
Put on the door.
Shane Topp
My God. Yeah.
Courtney Miller
So it's like. And it's like, who do we. Who do we tell about this?
Ian Hecox
Yeah, we have no idea. We had no idea who to look to.
Courtney Miller
Like, all our stuff was still in there. All of our props, all of our costumes.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, because you. You need some sort of gu. And it's like they were just like, okay, like, get out. But, like, they also left, like, so.
Shane Topp
Yeah. Yeah, there was. They weren't even there. They were technically fired, too, because the company was just crumbling.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. I'm not. I'm not totally sure.
Ian Hecox
No idea.
Shane Topp
Yeah, but it was just. There was. There was nobody to turn to, though. There was no structure at all. Within a day. Yep.
Courtney Miller
So we basically had to just take things in our own hands. I contacted somebody. I was like, hey, do you have access to. To the channel? And then I got access to the channel. Put up videos.
Shane Topp
Yeah. Cause it was like we had, like, a full week of just. I was just at my apartment, like, all right, so I'm chilling now, doing nothing. And then we all were like, okay, we're gonna meet up at Ian's place and talk and maybe film something, because let's keep making videos. But it was. There was something kind of cool about then knowing we're going to this phase where, hey, we're gonna make videos, just us, from scratch. And I was like, this is kind of cool because this is kind of where the channel started from.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Shane Topp
Like, forever ago, you and Anthony just decided to film videos, the two of you. And it blew up from there. And after becoming this massive thing it was kind of going through, I kept saying when it was all happening, it was very sad. But I kept being like, guys, this is kind of like Avengers 2.
Courtney Miller
Yeah.
Shane Topp
I'm like, Avengers Tower crumbles and we gotta got scrap together and do it ourselves. It really felt like a cheesy.
Courtney Miller
That's what we ended up doing. Like, you know, one of the things that was sort of like validating for me was the fact that everyone came together and helped and you know, we had some people come out and shoot for us just because they had always, they had always shot with us. So they're, you know, they believed in what we were doing. I mean, I paid some editors out of pocket. Like I just, you know, the show had to go on.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, yeah, we filmed, we filmed some videos on my iPhone. I edited those on Final Cut. Yeah, yeah, we all did a little extra.
Courtney Miller
I had to learn how to upload to YouTube again.
Ian Hecox
Oh gosh. And YouTube's so different from what it used to be too.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. Because I mean, like, look like, I know like people, people at home are like, wow, you don't upload your own videos. You're totally out of touch. But look, when you have like four channels and you have to schedule those uploads and you have to make sure all the metadata is there.
Ian Hecox
Multiple uploads a week.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. You need somebody to do that on all those.
Shane Topp
So much work, man.
Courtney Miller
And I realized that very quickly. Yeah. Because I. Oh man. Some thumbnails that I decided to, that I thought I could make, that was a bad idea.
Ian Hecox
Oh yeah, I remember I tried taking a crack. Like some are okay. Like, but a lot of times, like those, those thumbnails, a lot of work goes into the ones that we have on those channels.
Shane Topp
It's all so much hard work. I have immense respect for people who do it all by themselves. I don't know how they do it. It's insane.
Ian Hecox
How to have fun anytime, anywhere.
Courtney Miller
Step one, go to chumbacasino.com chumbacasino.com Got it.
Ian Hecox
Step two, collect your welcome bonus.
Courtney Miller
Come to papa. Welcome bonus.
Shane Topp
Step three, Play hundreds of casino style games for free.
Ryan Seacrest
That's a lot of games all for free.
Ian Hecox
Step four, unleash your excitement. Woo hoo choo choo choo choo Chumba Chumba Casino has been delivering thrills for over a decade. So claim your free welcome bonus now.
Shane Topp
And live the chumba life.
Ian Hecox
Visit chumbacasino.com no purchase necessary vgw group.
Shane Topp
Void we're prohibited by law. 21/ terms and conditions apply.
Ian Hecox
Yes, and I think a lot of YouTubers that we don't realize have People helping them behind the scenes do. But there are still youtubers who do everything by themselves, which is crazy, but.
Shane Topp
Yeah. And then months kept going by, and we were. We would meet up every now and then and film stuff, and it was really fun. And we. We were still holding on to hope of, like, this is all going to come back. Everything's gonna come back the same. And, I mean, at least for me, I can speak. You know, got into December, and, like, towards late December, I was like, all right, this. This may be over. I was like, this is starting to.
Ian Hecox
Get scary because we were. We were in silence. We were. We had radio silence because Ian couldn't tell us really what was happening. But there was so much happening.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. So I. I thought. I didn't have any sort of control over what was going to happen because, you know, we had. We had sold Smosh years and years and years ago to Defy. So when Defy went out of business, then it was in the hands of the bank, and it was just going to be sold to the highest bidder, essentially, so.
Shane Topp
The Monopoly man. Smosh.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. So, I mean, I realized after, like, a week or so, I'm like, wait a second. Like, every moment that I. That I'm sitting here not trying to figure out a way to pull this out, I'm wasting. So I hired a consultant that was a guy that I knew. We started trying to find a way build a business plan and essentially, like, pitch Smosh to investors and try to pull together, like, an investing party to get the monies to. To buy it. And it was really. It was weird, man. Like, I got, like, a crash course in, like, business stuff because, like, we're like. We're, like, going to these, like, like, meetings where there's, like, this, like, investor guy that invested in all these, like, tech companies. And he's sitting there, he's like, all right, what you got?
Ian Hecox
You're in Shark Tango.
Shane Topp
He's got a cigar. All right, what you got, kid? Yeah, show me the stuff.
Courtney Miller
I've heard of this YouTube thing.
Shane Topp
Sounds hot.
Courtney Miller
So, yeah, it was really exciting, and it was another validating thing where all these investors we were talking to actually knew what Smosh was. And that was the only reason why we got seat time with them, because they didn't need to give us the time of day, but it was sort of validating. Like, this thing that we've built actually has value.
Ian Hecox
Yeah. This thing you put over a decade in actually kind of means something.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, kind of. Cool. But the problem was the time that. That we had to get. It was just too little of a time. So as that was going along, we were starting to realize, like, less and less, like, we might not be able to get together this, like, group of investors. And then we also kind of realized as we were going, like, okay, even if we get the investors, I won't have a controlling share of this company, and it'll be controlled by some random people.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
So that was. That was starting to be a little bit scary. That kind of fell through. And then there was some other companies that were thinking about acquiring it. One particularly bad one actually almost got it. Some foreign.
Ian Hecox
They were, like, in the lead, right? Like, they were.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, some foreign company. And their. Their whole plan was like, okay, here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna take Smosh, and we're gonna just hire a bunch of other people in other countries and start, like, new smoshes there. So, like, we're gonna go to Thailand, we're gonna find some talented Thai boys, and we're gonna.
Ian Hecox
We're gonna welcome to the talented Thai.
Courtney Miller
Boys, and they're just gonna be like, thai Smosh.
Shane Topp
We're gonna spread Smosh across the world like a plague.
Ian Hecox
Oh, my God.
Shane Topp
We're gonna infect every.
Courtney Miller
So I.
Shane Topp
So that didn't happen.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, just the idea that they wanted to, like, take that control and start doing that stuff, like.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. And, I mean, they had a whole bunch of the terrible ideas. There was this fricking guy that was kind of leading it. He was like, I mean, like, there's all these things we could do with merch. Like, like, really wacky things. Like, we could sell a small straw, but it, like, doesn't work. And it's like, that would get like, a. An article in, like, the New York.
Shane Topp
Times of, like, hey, you know how straws are polluting the world? How do we do that better?
Courtney Miller
Yeah.
Ian Hecox
How do we troll the planet more?
Courtney Miller
Yeah. He was, like, pitching these, like, wacky, crazy ideas.
Ian Hecox
Oh, my goodness.
Shane Topp
Smosh trash. It's just already trash.
Courtney Miller
But it's 29.99.
Shane Topp
Take it stupid.
Ian Hecox
But you.
Courtney Miller
I mean, one of the issues with that is that that's somebody that thinks that Smosh is a kids channel. He's like, oh, it's like a wacky, crazy fun time. It's like.
Shane Topp
It's. It's really. But it really is the approach of so many business types when it comes to. Honestly, when it comes to YouTube in general.
Courtney Miller
Yeah.
Shane Topp
That is, like. It's so hard for them to grasp that mature people like this, like people actually, and I don't know, they think of it as this just Nick Jr.
Courtney Miller
They just didn't get it because they see the slime videos and they're like, oh, so everybody on YouTube is a kid.
Shane Topp
Yeah.
Ian Hecox
It's like.
Shane Topp
And even if. Even for people who are kids who are watching this, they're smarter than that, they're more mature than that. 12 year olds don't want a straw that doesn't work.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. And then, and then, yeah, his, his whole argument was like, well, there's a. There's like AKB48, which is the 48 member J pop band. And. And he's like, well, then they went off and made like a Vietnamese version of that. I'm like, yeah, but that's a format. Like, Smosh is a brand. It's. It's, it's people making a certain kind of comedy.
Ian Hecox
Yeah. It's like a family.
Courtney Miller
Smosh isn't a format. You can't just put that onto, like, other things. So thankfully, in the freaking zero hour, Rhett and Link come and save the goddamn day.
Ian Hecox
It was nuts call, like, Like, I don't remember. I don't.
Courtney Miller
It was like, well, we got on a call with them and. And we essentially told them what we thought the price was and the response was, I think we could do that.
Ian Hecox
That's so cute.
Shane Topp
That's such a Rhett and Link response. Well, I think we can do that. Well, I think that's my Rhett and Link impression. Well, sure.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. So, I mean, this whole, like the past, like three or four months was a roller coaster of emotion. Whereas, like, one day it was like, you know, we'd have a good meeting with somebody, we'd be like, it's.
Ian Hecox
This is gonna be it.
Courtney Miller
This is gonna be the thing. And the next day we get like an email back, like, I'm sorry, just in the time. We can't do it. And it's like, everything's gone to shit. We're all screwed.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
And it was just literally every day was like, we're gonna make it. We're dead. And then make it dead.
Ian Hecox
That's why you never told us really what was going on. Well, obviously you were under an NDA for the stuff, but also, since it was such a roller coaster. I know, honestly, if you were telling me every day that that stuff was happening, I probably would have cried like, twice as much because that's, like, scary. And you. Yeah. You basically told us you didn't want us to have false hope. A lot of Times.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. Yeah.
Shane Topp
And it was also. It was getting to a point. We'd hear about, you know, we'd hear about these companies and the one we were talking about. And when I would hear about that in my head, I'm like, even if it gets, you know, bought by this company, I don't know how I feel about signing onto it. If it's gonna be another Defy.
Courtney Miller
Exactly.
Shane Topp
It's gonna be another one of those situations. Because I love this job and I love Smosh. But when we're. I was like, oh, but what if we controlled even more than Defy? Then it's not gonna be fun. We're not gonna get to do what we love.
Ian Hecox
I mean. Cause I knew I've for a long time, like, wanted to be more creatively involved and not just writing and being in the videos. I had all these ideas all the time. And so I would go to somebody at Defy and be like, I have this idea. Say it was a show or merch or whatever. And they would go, uh huh, cute. Okay, go back to get your makeup for the video. Bye. Bye. Like, very dismissed. And already, like, it's been such a short amount of time and I feel so involved and I really feel like I'm helping Smosh a little more.
Shane Topp
The reality now is that it's kind of just us doing our thing. Rhett and Link were like, here's this studio we have. Do whatever you want.
Courtney Miller
I mean, that's because Rhett and Link have succeeded because they're in control.
Shane Topp
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
Like, they. The thing that I love the most about. About Mythical, which is their company, is that they don't have any investors. They own it.
Shane Topp
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
Which is huge. And that was. That was the big concern when. When we were trying to thinking about getting investors for Smosh. You're not in complete control, but they are. So they're smart enough to know that, you know, it worked for them. It could work for us.
Shane Topp
Like, yeah, you could say it's like the part in Avengers.
Courtney Miller
Oh my God.
Shane Topp
It's like, we're doomed. But then Rhett and Link are vision. They come in and they save everything. And you know, they have a vision and they had a vision for us and just they made our dreams come true.
Ian Hecox
Except for Ultron was a lot sexier than Defy.
Courtney Miller
Oh, word.
Shane Topp
I wouldn't.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, I don't really remember Age of Ultron. I just kind of blocked that out.
Shane Topp
It's just kind of there.
Courtney Miller
It is just kind of there.
Shane Topp
It's really just kind of there.
Ian Hecox
Yeah. Okay. Well, I liked it, so I like.
Shane Topp
It, but it's just kind of there because Avengers 1 and Avengers Infinity War are both just.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, they're great.
Shane Topp
It's like a. You know. Yeah, it's like a sandwich, except the bread is the good part. You know, it's like, I don't really care about the turkey and Caprese, but I like the bread.
Courtney Miller
So the turkey and the what?
Shane Topp
Caprese. Okay. I guess you wouldn't have turkey in Caprese. It'd be a Caprese sandwich. Sorry. Welcome to Smosh Italy.
Ian Hecox
Welcome to Space Smosh.
Courtney Miller
Basically, we came very, very close to ending up in a really terrible situation, and I made it clear that if we were to end up with another Defy, I was not going to go along with it, and it would be very likely that nobody else would go along with it as well. Although I did think it would be pretty funny if, like, everybody dropped out except for Keith.
Shane Topp
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
And Keith was just running Smosh all on his own, just making, like, tons of money.
Shane Topp
Crushes it.
Ian Hecox
Oh, my gosh.
Shane Topp
Yeah. He's the next Jeff Bezos.
Ian Hecox
Like, a lot of people on social media throughout this process were like, why do you guys need a new parent company? Like, why. Why do you need that at all? You guys can do it on your own, and, like, they're kind of right. But there was the whole aspect just to answer that was you needed to get it out of jail first. Like, you needed to buy out Smosh from the Monopoly Man.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, it wasn't ours.
Ian Hecox
Yeah. Like, just to even get to that point. And I think this is, like, the Dream Team situation where, like, this is as close to being our own company as it could possibly get. But it's, like, safer. And, like, Rhett and Links, people are, like, giving advice and trying to help us. Like, hey, this is some ideas, and, like, be better. But, like, you don't have to do this if you don't want. Like, it's. It's like a very collaborative thing. It, like, when that does happen, but for the most part, it's been, like, us. Like, there's no, like, creative director that's telling us, like, you need to make a science show or a nature show. And those were. Those were cool shows. Like, they were awesome, but, like, they weren't something. It was kind of a mandate wanted to do.
Courtney Miller
Like, yeah, I remember that was defy going, like, well, TV's pretty cool. So we can make a TV show, right?
Ian Hecox
Let's be TLC.
Shane Topp
Yeah, why not? And, like, I had Fun. Because yeah, they, they came to me one day and were like, hey, we're gonna have you do a science show called Smosh Lab. And I was like, okay. They're like, yeah, cuz you're. You'll be like the science one. I'm like, I don't know anything about science, but okay. And, and like a lot of people like Smosh Lab, like the show. But it was weird though because it was not my idea at all. And I felt weird in the show sometimes. Cause I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just gonna try to be s. But stuff like that would happen and it was always, it was always trippy. Whereas now we get to really kind of come up with what we want to do and organically create it.
Ian Hecox
There was so much content. I remember when we had all those shows, we were releasing videos every single day. And some channels do that like, like Sugar pine. They Sugar Pine 7 releases a video every single day and it's them doing it. Like I don't understand how they do it, but like we were doing that with these crazy well produced shows that were so polished. Like I remember Woe Nature show had like six cameras at one point, like on one set.
Shane Topp
And they wouldn't. They weren't doing well overall because. Because I feel like it didn't show us off.
Courtney Miller
It's not authentic.
Shane Topp
Yeah, we were given a lot of lines. We were like, ah, this isn't like.
Courtney Miller
You and Olivia don't have like any animal. Like didn't have any animal content before that.
Ian Hecox
I like animals, that's all.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, but everybody likes animals. But you weren't like, hey Ch, check out this awesome snake that I love so much.
Ian Hecox
Well, and here's the thing too, like say somebody saw Woah Nature show and they're like oh my God, I love this. Subscribe. And then the next day they're like, what is this one hour song machine? I'm not into this music show. Whoa. What is this science show? This isn't what I subscribed for. Bye.
Shane Topp
And meantime, we had done a challenge like early 2017 called try not to Laugh and it blew up and it did really well. And for forever we were like, hey, we should do more of those. And they were just always like no or whatever. We don't know how. We don't. We don't think we. It wouldn't work if we kept doing it, whatever. And we were always like, yeah, but it did really well. We probably should do it again. It was really Fun. We finally, finally started getting the chance to do them, and they, of course, they blew up, and it was just a matter of.
Ian Hecox
Because they were. They had the. All these shows. I. Well, and this is just what I think they had. Every day a different kind of show because they wanted to have every possible kind of show that a brand would want to advertise on. That's. It seems like they was just like, oh, we just have lots of product that you can shop.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, it's. It's. It's packaging something into a specific show so that you can sell it to an advertiser later.
Shane Topp
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
And it's just when you're. When you're thinking about selling an ad first before the content.
Ian Hecox
Scary.
Courtney Miller
It's kind of dumb.
Shane Topp
Yeah. And we. This week already was the first week we got. We got to shoot smosh pit stuff. And already you and I were like, hey, let's do a show where we just talk about dating. Like, let's talk about how we're. We're awkward on dates, whatever. And we just did it.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. But how can you sell that, though? Tell me about this.
Shane Topp
Who's interested in buying it?
Courtney Miller
Let's see.
Shane Topp
Okay, Cupid, we need some gold bars.
Ian Hecox
But, yeah, that was so cool. It was just something we wanted to do. We're like, we want to try it. And it was just yeses all around. Everyone just like, yeah, go for it. Like, we. There's just so much opportunity already. And, like, everyone's just. It. It's so much more creatively stimulating.
Shane Topp
It's also. It also looks so much better here. This studio space is so much cooler looking than the DMV that we used to work in.
Ian Hecox
Also found out unlimited avocados in the kitchen. Just found out.
Courtney Miller
Okay. And. And unlimited. Unlimited La Croix.
Shane Topp
Thank you. I know. Insane. We rationed off our La Croix back at Defy.
Ian Hecox
We really did.
Shane Topp
I killed a man over a La.
Courtney Miller
Croix back at Defy, which is perfectly acceptable.
Shane Topp
It was perfectly fine. Defy had a you're allowed to murder other people for Lacroix rule. Yes.
Courtney Miller
There was one Lacroix, carbonated, slightly flavored beverage.
Shane Topp
Me and this other guy, you know, I think he was an editor. We opened up the fridge. There was one Lacroix. We looked at each other. I grabbed a pole, a wooden rod, broke it in half, Grabbed a champagne bottle, broke that, and we just. We just battled it out, Star Trek style. Who died? Well, he died because I'm here.
Courtney Miller
I died.
Shane Topp
No, he actually, he was okay. He recovered from his wounds, and I Went. I visited him in the hospital. I was like, sorry, buddy. He was like, how was it? I was like, it was all right. It was pumplemoose. Not my favorite.
Courtney Miller
As long as it's not coconut. Coconut is the worst.
Shane Topp
Coconut's not terrible. The only one I can't stand, honestly, is just the original. No, flavor is a dumb thing I.
Courtney Miller
Can get with who has just carbonated.
Shane Topp
Carbonated water without flavor is weird. It's weird. I'm sorry.
Ian Hecox
I've never liked it.
Ryan Seacrest
It is Ryan Seacrest here. There was a recent social media trend which consisted of flying on a plane with no music, no movies, no entertainment. But a better trend would be going to chumbacasino.com it's like having a mini social casino in your pocket. Champa casino has over 100 online casino style games, all absolutely free. It's the most fun you can have online and on a plane. So grab your free welcome bonus now@chumbacasino.com sponsored by Chumba Casino.
Shane Topp
No purchase necessary. VGW Group void where prohibited by law. 21 plus terms and conditions apply.
Ian Hecox
I've never liked Carbonia.
Courtney Miller
Warner Worder. Do you know anyone that says warder Worder?
Ian Hecox
No, just.
Shane Topp
No, just.
Courtney Miller
Washington. There's a girl in my high school that. That would say wash. Wow.
Shane Topp
I think. Is she from New York?
Courtney Miller
I mean, no, that's like every other. Every other word was like normal, like California. And it was just like, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, Wash. Like, I don't know about that. Oh, and she also said rough instead of roof, she'd say like, oh, look at the rough.
Ian Hecox
Oh, I've heard people do that.
Shane Topp
Huh?
Courtney Miller
Yeah.
Shane Topp
Wow. She must be from Mars. Yeah.
Courtney Miller
But there were other terrible things about the Defy office. The fact that it was in Beverly Hills for some random ass reason. There is no other production that is in Beverly Hills. It's just medical offices and, like agencies.
Ian Hecox
Well, not just one office either. They had two offices on Wilshire, like.
Courtney Miller
And those are not cheap offices.
Shane Topp
It was dumb. We.
Courtney Miller
We like, we like, petitioned to move to a better area like every single year. We're like, hey, it would be cheaper if we moved away from here. Mm. And we'd be closer to everyone. We wouldn't have to commute for like an hour through some BS traffic.
Shane Topp
And they were like, drive there was awful.
Courtney Miller
You know, we hired a real estate person and they just can't find anything. They just can't find anything.
Ian Hecox
There's no. There's like three houses in Los Angeles.
Shane Topp
Yeah. Who's your. Who's your real estate guy? Well, she's right here. Alexa, find nearest office. I'm sorry, I don't quite understand it. Ah, see. Sorry, buddy. We're trying.
Courtney Miller
We tried, you know, next we're gonna get that Google one. Better luck with that one.
Shane Topp
Siri can't afford him yet, though. Yeah, I think, I think also a big thing was how massive Ian's beard got.
Ian Hecox
Oh, my gosh.
Shane Topp
It got very large.
Ian Hecox
He daddied up for Smosh. You guys, you don't understand in every way.
Courtney Miller
Well, you see, I really have to take on the full role of Smosh dad. It has been said a lot on the Twitters that I am essentially like the stepdad of Smosh and I'm just trying to keep my family together.
Ian Hecox
Are you the stepdad? Stepdad.
Courtney Miller
I guess it would just be the single dad. Yeah.
Ian Hecox
No, yeah, you were the. You were the singer. The single dad. Defy was the. The rich stepmom that came in and kind of just took over.
Courtney Miller
You know, I have the name of a stepdad, though, because, like, stepdads always have a one syllable name, like Rob or like Turk.
Shane Topp
You're like a. You're like an ABC Family single dad.
Courtney Miller
Yeah.
Shane Topp
Sorry. Freeform. You know what I think you should do? I think you should grow out the beard a little bit more. You should get it like straightened. Sweep it so you have an upside down bowl cut.
Courtney Miller
Bring it back.
Ian Hecox
I will help you.
Courtney Miller
It's like a Stranger Things situation. It's just like. It's the bowl cut from the upside down.
Shane Topp
Yeah.
Ian Hecox
Nice. Nice.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, I. I've, I've. I've come more into my beard.
Ian Hecox
Yeah. I haven't seen Bareface, Ian. Or this is technically actually grizzly bear face, but like naked face.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, Well, I mean, the issue was like a lot of sketches. You know, you don't want to have every character you play be a bearded man.
Shane Topp
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
Especially if you're trying to play like Kim Kardashian.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
Doesn't really work stuff.
Ian Hecox
Not quite.
Courtney Miller
You know, so without all the crazy videos we're shooting, I was like, well, just going to work on my unemployment. Unemployment beard.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, it was. No, no parent company novembered, which then.
Courtney Miller
Went into December and. And then kind of went away in January.
Shane Topp
Oh, see, you shouldn't have shaved it.
Courtney Miller
February.
Shane Topp
February. And then starch.
Ian Hecox
Nope.
Shane Topp
Yeah, it didn't have one for March. March doesn't.
Courtney Miller
Well, that's it for the podcast forever.
Shane Topp
No, I never got to grow my beard out. I don't think I ever will.
Ian Hecox
Yeah. Because Goldberg's.
Shane Topp
Well, I play a teenager on. On Goldberg's.
Ian Hecox
Personally, my beard, it was. I didn't.
Courtney Miller
One day. One day you'll get a majestic beard like mine.
Ian Hecox
Thank you. Right now I just have peach fuzzy. But Shane went a little crazy, did a little jean cuffing. It's been getting wild.
Shane Topp
Well, I've been jean, so I started cuffing my jeans. Let's get into it.
Ian Hecox
Once you were single, you really started.
Shane Topp
Cuffing literally within a week of being single, I was like, you know what? I think it's time to roll up these bad boys.
Courtney Miller
So instead of dyeing your hair like.
Shane Topp
Every girl after a year or getting bangs.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Shane Topp
My jean cuffs are my bangs.
Courtney Miller
Listen, throw it up on the table over here.
Ian Hecox
Are you able to. For the people who are just listening, there is a leg on the T table and there's a cuff. He's wearing high top bands.
Shane Topp
Yeah. So I rolled him up once, and then I was like, I like this. And honestly, it just keeps going up.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, you've been rolling up.
Shane Topp
At some point, they're gonna hit my knees.
Courtney Miller
Like, some point, your ball sack's just gonna be hanging out the side.
Shane Topp
That's the goal.
Courtney Miller
Also going back to ball sack. What do you call it when it. When it hits the toilet?
Shane Topp
Well, that's. No, that's the famous. That's Kurt Maloney, one of the. Our. He wrote for us for a while. He referred to it as laying anchor. And he was like, yeah, you ever lay anchor? And I was like, what? He's like, yeah, it's when your ballsack dips into the water of the toilet bowl. And I go, dude, that's a long way down. That's like, they're dangling so far.
Ian Hecox
It's a long way down. Or your toilet is currently clogged.
Shane Topp
Yeah, I mean, that's either the water's too high or your balls are too low. And, you know, the ratio is off.
Ian Hecox
The bathrooms here are very nice.
Shane Topp
Oh, my God. And the bathroom at Defy was awful.
Courtney Miller
Oh, my God.
Shane Topp
You guys, we gotta go.
Courtney Miller
Let's spend 30 minutes talking about that. Oh, man.
Shane Topp
Cause bathrooms can be awkward. And boy, were they dead silent, but also far away. Like, I've watched, like, it's a silent film, but even more, it's. Have you seen a quiet place? That bathroom is quieter than that. Yeah, but more terrifying.
Courtney Miller
Well. And okay.
Ian Hecox
Well, it got to the point where you guys put a little weird radio in there.
Shane Topp
Matt Rob put a radio in there.
Courtney Miller
Which was the greatest gift to mankind. And I would. I would Always just switch to the Spanish stations.
Ian Hecox
Cute.
Shane Topp
But I never could poop there. I pooped there once. And Noah was in the bathroom washing his hands. And he kept laughing. He kept laughing at me.
Ian Hecox
Oh, no.
Shane Topp
And now I will never, ever poop in public again.
Courtney Miller
Well, and speaking of pooping, Defy it, the height of its business, had maybe 200, 300 people working there. And the men' bathroom that everyone had to share had two toilets.
Shane Topp
Two toilets and two urinals. Yeah. And they were always the urinal or the toilets were always in use. There was always two people there dead.
Courtney Miller
Silent on their phones.
Shane Topp
Didn't sound like they were pooping. They were just in there for a solid hour. Just sitting there. Yep.
Ian Hecox
You know, that's funny. Cause the women's bathroom was, like, always empty.
Courtney Miller
I think that's. Cause Defy just hired a bunch of bros. Yeah.
Shane Topp
Defy had a lot of.
Courtney Miller
Weren't a lot of. A lot of women there.
Shane Topp
And what also sucked, this was the worst part, is the stall doors to the toilets had a massive space.
Ian Hecox
Oh, yeah, those gaps.
Shane Topp
They had massive gaps. And you've probably seen that at public bathrooms. Like, oh, there's too much space for this, for this bathroom door. And so I would sometimes walk past on my way to get some paper.
Courtney Miller
Towels, see some accidental dawn.
Shane Topp
And I would just see a fully grown man sitting there, like he's in confession, just staring forward. And we'd make eye contact. It sucks. And I'm like, oh, man. Now, like, I can't look that guy in the. In the eyes ever. Because I've. I've made eye contact with him while he's dropping a deuce.
Courtney Miller
And now you're married.
Shane Topp
That's at your most vulnerable. Like, the only. The only eye contact. The only pooping eye contact you should ever make is with a dog. If you own a dog, they're gonna look at you while they're pooping. And that's a trust thing. That's your best. That's your best buddy. But you should not do that with any human ever.
Courtney Miller
You know, that's how you create the ultimate bond with your dog. You both poop at the same time and look at each other.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Shane Topp
Everybody knows that. Everybody listening knows that.
Courtney Miller
But you have to finish before the dog does.
Shane Topp
Yes. Or else he is the alpha.
Ian Hecox
You always. Yes. It's so true. So true.
Shane Topp
Your duck. Your dog finishes first. He just looks at. He's like, sorry, bro, you disappointed me.
Ian Hecox
Oh, my gosh. There's dogs here. There's dogs running around this office a Lot of dogs in this office.
Courtney Miller
It's a dog friendly office.
Ian Hecox
It's cute.
Courtney Miller
I'm waiting for a cat friendly office.
Ian Hecox
I know office kitties would be really kind of cool. It would smell a lot. It's great for me because I unfortunately, my.
Courtney Miller
I have my hand on. We have our hand on Courtney's shoulder. For those that are listening, we are consoling Courtney right now.
Ian Hecox
Yeah. And it's because the dogs in the office is nice, because I miss my dog. He, unfortunately is living in Utah with my mom because he really loves mountain climbing. He loves mountain climbing. He already's got his new rock climbing shoes. He chucks up his hands and he goes.
Shane Topp
He liked the city life, but he looked at you one day and he goes, I'm afraid, Courtney. I must go to the mountains.
Courtney Miller
What is that voice?
Shane Topp
It's Jorah Mormont.
Courtney Miller
Okay, good.
Ian Hecox
But, yeah, basically, he was, like, such an anxious dog. And you guys saw for yourself what kind of anxiety he had when I leave. And it was like, so he was anxious. I'm an anxious person. And what. No, What I know is so crazy. And so, like, that was just stewing between him and I and, like, because I was working so much, and when I got Django, at first, I very quickly realized it was kind of a mistake, but I had people in my life that were willing to help me.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, you were in a relationship, so you had a significant other that I could take care of.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, they definitely held my hand and guided me to this dog and were like, yes, get this dog. And they were saying they were gonna help me a lot. And basically that first few months with that dog, he was going all over the house. Like, not all over the house. He was going to my boyfriend's place, my place, my dad's place, my sister's place at work. He didn't have any consistency, and he was an anxious boy. Like, he would try and chew through doors to get to me because he was, like, in such a panic. And, like, that's a. I just. My heart cannot take that. It's a lot. And so with that inconsistency, he just. He never knew where he was gonna be the next day. I was always worrying, like, okay, what about tomorrow? Where is he gonna be tomorrow? And, like, I had a really crazy past with dogs when, like, we just had really bad luck with dogs getting sick and passing away. So I was so fixated on giving this dog an amazing life, and I just didn't feel like I was succeeding in that. Like, I would drop a pencil in my apartment. And he'd freak out and be like, are you leaving me yet? Like, are you leaving me now? Like, he. I felt terrible. Like, I. And I tried, trust me, guys, I researched every possible way to help a dog. So Anxiety. But he was, like, a rare case where, like, I talk to professionals, like, think people like Cesar Milan I was talking to, and they were like, honestly, it doesn't. Like, this is just one of those cases where it's. There's no help. Like, unless you're just always with them.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. And I mean, it's a lot harder when. When you're living. Living by yourself.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
And you have a dog. I. I face the same issues because I have a big old dumb German shepherd. And, you know, luckily I have a backyard that she can just run around and chase squirrels and chase that. All those 16 outdoor cats that live next to my house.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
So she stays plenty entertained, I think.
Ian Hecox
Yeah. He's got. She's got the. The scenery.
Courtney Miller
Feel like. I still do feel guilt because I, too, was in a relationship when I got. When I got that dog. So it was like, okay, well, she'll be at home with the dog and keep the dog entertained while I'm out doing YouTubey things. But now I'm sort of faced with. With a similar thing where I'm like, she could be in a better home.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
And if that. If that opportunity presents itself, then. Then I'd be willing to give her up. But you had a good place to give Django. Yeah.
Ian Hecox
Yeah. My mom has a giant. It's like a Doberman Rottweiler mix. But they became best friends immediately. They, like, run around the yard, they're playing in the snow. Like, he's. He's having a great time. I'm very happy with. With where he's at now. So, like, I couldn't even go to the gym and, like, the gym. I'm a more docile person when I go to the gym regularly and, like, not getting.
Shane Topp
I like to relax at the gym.
Ian Hecox
I just like to chill, go there.
Courtney Miller
To sleep, just throw some. Some cowbells.
Ian Hecox
You just got to.
Courtney Miller
What do they call them? Kettlebells.
Shane Topp
Kettlebells.
Courtney Miller
I don't know. I don't know.
Ian Hecox
Cow bells. Nice. Just go to the gym. Just don't, don't, don't.
Courtney Miller
That's how you get your anger out.
Ian Hecox
Nice.
Shane Topp
I mean, it sounds like to me that you need to get a pet that doesn't give a shit about you, which is why you should get a cat, because they don't give A shit.
Courtney Miller
They don't care.
Shane Topp
They actively hate you. But it's kind of fun.
Ian Hecox
Yeah. I grew up with cats. They're. They're really great and I do love them. I just, I. Right now I feel like I don't even feel right getting a pet right now because of I. Like, I still hurt. It hurts. Like, I feel like I failed. Like.
Shane Topp
And yeah, I haven't got. I want a pet so bad. I love animals beyond imagination, but I haven't ever had a pet since I've been living alone. Because I'm gone so much that I'm like, any pet I get, I'm gonna feel awful for it that I'm not there for it. I'm gonna want to play with it all the time, but I can't. I mean, I bought a few succulents recently and even still I get home.
Courtney Miller
And they're like, blah, blah, blah.
Shane Topp
I'm like, shut up. Relax.
Ryan Seacrest
Okay.
Courtney Miller
Yo, can we talk about how awesome air plants are for a moment?
Ian Hecox
Yeah. Your weird plants. Yeah. You like dunk in the water once a month and then it's fine.
Courtney Miller
It's like once a week or something like that. But yeah, it's like they don't live in like soil or anything. They're just this plant and you just dunk it in water for like 10 minutes or something, then you pull it out.
Shane Topp
I think you're referring to something from Harry Potter. This does not exist.
Ian Hecox
It's a baby. The crying baby plant. Yeah, it's great.
Courtney Miller
And they're so aesthetic too.
Ian Hecox
Oh, they are pretty. See, that's the thing too. Like, I was like, what about even like a little hamster or like something.
Courtney Miller
You don't want to rodent.
Ian Hecox
I just don't want to risk me. I can barely. My cactus died recently, guys. I've had a lot of loss in the past 12 months.
Shane Topp
No, see, now they're kill a cactus. In that regard, you should feel like a failure. Not with Django, but with having a cactus die.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, you can shame see the thing.
Ian Hecox
With a cat or a dog, they will like, they are actively like in your face. So you're like, oh, yes, I need to feed this thing. Like, but I'm just. I'm very scared I'm going to mess up. Like, I'm. I'm definitely not ready to have a baby. I'm going to do something wrong.
Courtney Miller
I don't think anybody's ready to have a baby.
Shane Topp
Ever prepared to have a baby.
Courtney Miller
Considering, like, like, come on, look at where we are.
Ian Hecox
We're working.
Courtney Miller
People shouldn't. People shouldn't have had us.
Ian Hecox
I wasn't a mistake. Seven kids in my family. I was one that was planned. Not the only one, but sure. I mean it.
Shane Topp
No, you're the one that was lied to.
Courtney Miller
Have you ever just, like, put either of your parents on the spot and been like, which one's your favorite?
Shane Topp
No.
Ian Hecox
Oh, I think I asked as a kid, but at this point, I don't know. But we did have the gods. We were like, all right, dad, who's the mistake? You know, who's planned? And he, like, told us the story of each one. It was great.
Courtney Miller
All right, can we talk about.
Shane Topp
We're at a Holiday Inn.
Courtney Miller
Can we talk about Courtney's weird closeness to her. To her family for a second? So. So she sent a photo. She. She sent a photo to us last night. That was. It was the side of her pants pulled down. So is her ass cheek. And I said, you on it. And I realized she was out with her. With. Can I talk about this?
Ian Hecox
Yeah, yeah. I'm just watching.
Courtney Miller
You're just ready to stab me.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, it's fine. No, I really.
Courtney Miller
So she sent this photo to us, and I realized, like, she's out with her dad and her brothers. For that photo to be taken, it had to have either been your brother or your dad taking a photo of your ass.
Shane Topp
I will say, on my mom's side of the family, people moon each other a lot. Like, it's like, a thing.
Ian Hecox
Butts are fine.
Shane Topp
But I will say. Cause I think, Ian, you and I's family for the most part, because my dad's side of the family, and for the most part, my family, we're not a very touchy feely, affectionate family. We're very much like, I am very proud of you. Perhaps I will hug you someday. Like, that is very much.
Courtney Miller
And I understand, like, there's nothing wrong with, like, with mooning, and there's nothing wrong with that kind of. But I think the thing that I have a question about is, like, the setting up the photo, like. Cause it was in the back of a car, right? Yeah.
Ian Hecox
So what happened was I was in the front seat. They just picked me up because you'll understand why I had fuck you written on my right ass cheek. You will understand very soon.
Shane Topp
Try not to laugh, okay.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, I wanted it to be a surprise.
Shane Topp
Well, they're not gonna know.
Ian Hecox
True. Some people may.
Shane Topp
Yeah, there's a. Try not to laugh with the valley.
Ian Hecox
Folk and this ass cheek Valley right here. But, yeah, so I Had basically I had fuck you written on my right butt cheek. And it was my brother's birthday, we were going to a concert and I was in the front seat and I was like, hey Clark, happy birthday. And I got up and I showed him the cheek and he was, he was grossed out. He was weird out. Maybe it's just me who's overly comfortable with everyone else. I think so probably our family is very affectionate and close to each other, but like, yeah, that was that. And then I asked him to take the photo and he didn't. He was, he felt kind of weird about it, but he was down also. It was just cheek. It's just right cheek.
Shane Topp
Just cheek.
Ian Hecox
You can't handle the left cheek, bro.
Shane Topp
Relax. It's just cheek.
Ian Hecox
Just a little cheek.
Courtney Miller
Just, just cheek for my bro. Just.
Ryan Seacrest
It is Ryan Seacrest here. There was a recent social media trend which consisted of flying on a plane with no music, no movies, no entertainment. But a better trend would be going to chumbacasino.com it's like having a mini social casino in your pocke. Champa casino has over 100 online casino style games, all absolutely free. It's the most fun you can have online and on a plane. So grab your free welcome bonus now@chumbacasino.com sponsored by Chumba Casino.
Shane Topp
No PURCHASE NECESSARY VGW Group Void we're prohibited by law 21 plus terms and conditions apply. Dude, we. We can't call anyone. Weird though. When we do what we do for a living.
Courtney Miller
Everything I do is normal.
Ian Hecox
I, I will say I'm very thankful for. Well, because it was. It's seven kids in a family. There would be like four siblings sharing a room at one time. Like we were forced to be close with each other, you know. And I honestly, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Except for I think I am now, like I'm very much an extrovert. So like being around people, it definitely is a comfort to me. So when we had those months with Defy being gone and waiting, like and then I had Django, it was like I couldn't leave the house. I felt like I would do as much as I could for him, like take him to the park and whatever. Like I would get him as tired and content as possible. He'd still be anxious, whatever. I was alone and then and like my family, I would go to my family's house but they were like all off doing other stuff, like didn't help that much. So like coming to this office setting and being surrounded by People every day, again, has been, like, such a relief, like, so much. And it actually even took a little bit of adjusting for me. I was like, oh, these people. I forgot how to human for a little bit.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, you're just going around grabbing everybody.
Ian Hecox
Yes. I use people.
Shane Topp
I don't know if I'm an extrovert or an introvert.
Ian Hecox
I took a quiz, and it's like an official quiz. It's not like a buzzfeed, like, are you a potato or a cherry? It's like. It was.
Shane Topp
Yeah, but what art. What are you a potato or cherry? That's more important. Oh, we got to take the official potato or the cherry.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, the science one.
Shane Topp
Yeah, the apa.
Courtney Miller
It wasn't a buzzfeed quiz. It was very legit. It was a Facebook quiz.
Shane Topp
Yeah, okay. But I don't know. I feel like even a quiz. The problem is, with a quiz, I'd worry that I'd be. I'd get in my head and I'd overthink questions, and I wouldn't answer necessarily accurately.
Ian Hecox
It was nice, though, the quiz. It was like, very much agree, very much disagree, and then a bunch of dots. Or you could be indifferent, and, like, it was a lot of question where, like, I didn't even know how I felt about it, so I'd do indifferent.
Shane Topp
But it's a spectrum, though, for sure.
Ian Hecox
My therapist sent it to me.
Courtney Miller
I think it's so weird when people, like, brag about it. They're like, I'm an introvert.
Shane Topp
Yeah, it's become. It's become like.
Courtney Miller
But they use it as a crutch. Like, oh, I don't want to do that because I'm an introvert.
Ian Hecox
Same with your zodiac.
Shane Topp
There's a great book called Quiet, which is about introverts and extroverts, whatever. And it can be measured literally within months of being born. Yeah. Because it has to do with literally how you are processing stuff. And they talk about how an introvert. An introvert's laying in a hammock reading a book is actually getting the same mental stimulation as an extrovert who's at a dance club with music blasting.
Courtney Miller
Only one person's on Molly. That's.
Shane Topp
Yeah, exactly.
Courtney Miller
The guy reading the book. He's loving the feeling of those pages.
Shane Topp
But, yeah, and so, like, just because you like hanging out with people doesn't mean you're an extrovert necessarily. And just because you like spending time alone doesn't make you an introvert. So it's really interesting.
Ian Hecox
And it's not black. And white at all.
Shane Topp
Yeah. And being shy and being outgoing are different than being introverted and extroverted. Introverted is when you. You recharge when you're alone. Extroverts are you recharge when you're with people. I don't know. I actually think I might be an ambiver.
Courtney Miller
Which is then that would. That became a thing where they're like, well, I have some traits that are introverted, but then also extroverted. So I guess I'm an ambivert. And it's like everybody just a human being.
Shane Topp
Yeah, it's. It's. That's the thing. I mean, there is extreme cases for sure, but for the most part, everyone is somewhere in the spectrum. I mean, I would say. I'd say Damien is someone I know who's. Who's very introverted. And I mean, he loves people, but if he doesn't get that time by himself, it. You can see it messing with him. But I don't know. For me, I feel like. Because I need both. I need both daily.
Courtney Miller
I feel like if you have some people that say they're introverted, like, maybe you just have shitty friends.
Ian Hecox
Yeah. You don't want to spend time with them. No.
Courtney Miller
Because, like, if you spend time around people that you don't really want to spend time around, it is true. Draining.
Shane Topp
It's exhausting because it's like you gotta.
Courtney Miller
Force enjoyment and you gotta, like force the conversation. Like if you have. If you have good friends. And this obviously isn't just the only qualifier for a good friend, but if you're comfortable and you don't feel like you have to force anything and you could just hang out. It's like the. It's like the thing in Pulp Fiction where she's like, uma Thurman's talking about the thing where it's like, oh, like we could sit here and not have a conversation and be okay.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, just be silent. Yeah. That's being comfortable with a person. Yeah.
Shane Topp
I think for me, I know a lot of times why I think I'm an introvert is maybe because I'm not necessarily a people pleaser as much as I. When I'm around people that I don't necessarily feel super comfortable with, I feel like I have to entertain. Like, oh, I'm afraid of them being bored. So I gotta. Yeah, I gotta keep the conversation going. I gotta make sure they're having a good time. And that's exhausting. So then I end up wanting to just get home and be by myself. So I can relax and not have to worry about performing.
Ian Hecox
For me, it's like, I'm extroverted, I guess. Like, for on the quiz, it was like, I'm 64% extrovert, but, like, I tend to, in a conversation, take more for a 66%. I would like 69%, but sick. Hey, girl can dream.
Courtney Miller
Hey. You know, we went, like, an hour, and this is our first 69 joke, so.
Shane Topp
Wow.
Courtney Miller
We just fist bump for those that are listening.
Shane Topp
Yeah. We'll have to make sure every single podcast we do, we'll have to time it out. How long? Because I don't think we're ever gonna make it to an hour again. I think it's 15 minutes.
Courtney Miller
I'm so sorry you were rudely interrupted, Courtney.
Ian Hecox
That's okay. I was just saying, like, I'm an extrovert, but I listen a lot, and I like to sit and observe and listen. Like, I'm. I'm. I guess it's me absorbing the people around me, but I'm not, like. Like, I definitely have that entertainer, like, yearning for the center of attention, but once I actually get, like, the center of attention, I'm like, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. Never mind. I don't like this.
Shane Topp
I've seen that happen before, by the way. And it's. I feel bad, but it's also very funny.
Courtney Miller
Well, that's. And that's one of those.
Shane Topp
Because you'll be like, guys, guys. And then as soon as everyone's like, yeah. You're just like, okay. So.
Courtney Miller
I feel like I kind of get the same way, too, because everybody's.
Shane Topp
That way to some.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. But especially, like, now, because now I'm technically leading Smosh.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
In earnest. And when, like, we have the group of everyone together, and I'm, like, saying something, and everybody's, like, turned to me listening, then I'm like, oh, fuck, yeah, you pee yourself.
Shane Topp
Listen, everyone look at me. We all look, and you're just like.
Courtney Miller
Oh, shit, I'm scared now. And just fluid comes out of every orifice.
Shane Topp
You just deflate.
Courtney Miller
Quick. Say something business. Like synergy.
Shane Topp
Synergy is the business word. Ever since that Lonely island video.
Courtney Miller
So this was the litmus test for every meeting that I went into when we were trying to find a new home for Smosh. If the sort of business leader that we were talking to said the word synergy within the first paragraph, then I was just checked out. It's like. It's one of those buzzwords that people use that don't really know what the Hell, they're talking about. It's a great word, but if you have to use it in, like, every sentence to try to sound like you're some sort of business expert, it's like, shut up.
Shane Topp
Full disclosure. I don't think I know exactly what it is. It just mean, like, cohesiveness.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. Like, it comes together really well.
Shane Topp
Okay.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Shane Topp
Great.
Ian Hecox
Sick. Nice.
Courtney Miller
It's a fun word. It's a good word that's been.
Ian Hecox
Synergy Comes.
Shane Topp
Comes together really well. Kind of like 60, 69.
Courtney Miller
Shoot, dude.
Shane Topp
What? Sick.
Ian Hecox
Shoot, dude. Oh, shoot.
Shane Topp
Whoa.
Courtney Miller
Shart.
Ian Hecox
I'm shitted.
Courtney Miller
I'm good. So shitted.
Ian Hecox
Top 10 YouTube channels who have shitted. Number one smash.
Courtney Miller
Shit.
Ian Hecox
Oh, my gosh. Can I bring something up? It is semi smosh related. Something happened on Valentine's Day to Anthony. I saw. So he did a video, like, with about, like, Jake Paul fans.
Courtney Miller
Okay.
Ian Hecox
And Jake Paul got, like, mad on Twitter and, like, tweeted at him. I. There was an article about it. Can I. I know. Is this a little off topic?
Courtney Miller
But, like, nothing's off topic.
Ian Hecox
I know because. Because YouTubers that have shitted, like, there was some shitted happening on Twitter about.
Shane Topp
Is that the definition of shitted?
Ian Hecox
No, not at all. I have no idea what the definition is.
Courtney Miller
Shit.
Shane Topp
It means anything we want.
Ian Hecox
This was dex.dexerto.com.
Courtney Miller
Oh, that garbage website.
Ian Hecox
No, I've never seen this website in my life. But it was like, Jake Paul calls former Smosh YouTuber Anthony Batia an imbecile. Imbecile in heated tweets.
Courtney Miller
Jake doesn't know those kinds of words.
Ian Hecox
Apparently, that was Jake's lawyer.
Courtney Miller
Jake, what is this photo they have of Anthony? He's like.
Ian Hecox
It's. It's like, basically how they looked in the conversation. We're not gonna be able to show that to anybody, but Anthony is like, uh.
Courtney Miller
And Jake's like, controversial YouTuber Jake Paul is beefing with former Smosh member Anthony Padilla due to his video discussing Paul's with his young fan base in their parents.
Ian Hecox
But seriously, like, apparently Jake tried to DM Anthony about it because he was upset. And since I guess Anthony, like, didn't get a chance to read it, I'm sure his DMs are nuts. And so Jake decided to make it public and tweeted at him being like. Like, yo, what's the problem? What did he say? He said, you're making videos with my fans to try and make them and me look bad. I've never had a hater mentality, so maybe I'm missing something, but you should be upset with yourself. Oh, no, that's wild.
Shane Topp
Anthony should box him.
Courtney Miller
Actually. He might. He might have a chance.
Shane Topp
I don't think Anthony's. Anthony's got some reach, but I don't. Well, Anthony's a lover.
Ian Hecox
He's not a fighter.
Shane Topp
Anthony's not a fighter.
Courtney Miller
I don't think. I don't think Anthony. I don't think neither Anthony nor myself have ever been in a real fight.
Ian Hecox
Accidental fights.
Courtney Miller
I've never been. I've never been punched in the face on purpose. Oh, that's right. Anthony punched me in the face and broke my nose.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Shane Topp
Uh. Oh, why don't I remember that?
Courtney Miller
That's on a video. I don't know. Know. Well, because I got punched in the.
Ian Hecox
Face and because I'm a true fan.
Shane Topp
He was practicing.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. Jake Paul tried to try to start beef with us once, and I just ignored the tweet.
Ian Hecox
Oh. He was mad at.
Courtney Miller
We don't need to. I don't even want to. I don't even want to. It's whatever.
Shane Topp
It's whatever.
Ian Hecox
But. Yeah, that sucks.
Shane Topp
Well, that was very Valentine's, like.
Ian Hecox
Yeah, there's no love in that.
Shane Topp
We were all. We were all single on Valentine's Day.
Courtney Miller
I know, dude.
Ian Hecox
Oh, yeah. Single Valentine's Day.
Courtney Miller
That. This is actually my first time. This might be my first time as an adult being single on. On V Day.
Shane Topp
Whoa.
Ian Hecox
Really?
Shane Topp
Wow. Really? Holy crap. So I've. I've been single on many a V day.
Ian Hecox
This is my first single V day in like, three years.
Courtney Miller
Oh, all right. Well, less of a pound, but I'll pound it.
Shane Topp
Yeah. You know, I tried to find love on Valentine's Day. I went and saw Alita battle Angel, and I did not love that.
Ian Hecox
So my brother said it was really good. He was like, raving about it.
Shane Topp
It's. It's.
Courtney Miller
Do you get used to.
Shane Topp
It's got cool cgi. It's got really cool fights.
Courtney Miller
Do you get used to the giant eyeball?
Shane Topp
Yeah, I was. I was not bothered by that at all. But look, I will never hate on someone liking a movie because I like plenty of bad movies. The dialogue is pretty garbage. Sometimes I think there's parts. It's just like, what's with this girl? Who's she?
Ian Hecox
That's chappy.
Shane Topp
Literally. No, you see her within, like, the first two seconds. And I turn to my friend, see the battle angel. See the battle angel. And I turn to my friend, I just go, that's Elita, the battle angel.
Courtney Miller
I Don't get excited when I see James Cameron's name attached to things like.
Shane Topp
I do, because I feel like there's always technical advances that are awesome.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. Technically. And he obviously knows how to create a blockbuster considering he made two of the largest movies ever.
Shane Topp
Literally.
Courtney Miller
Yeah. One of which now has four sequels planned. And have you seen that?
Shane Topp
10 years?
Courtney Miller
Have you seen the titles for 10 years? Avatar movies.
Shane Topp
We're gonna get some old wrinkly blue aliens in this next one.
Ian Hecox
Four sequels, you said?
Shane Topp
Yeah, they planned that. They planned a billion.
Ian Hecox
I cannot believe that Avatar, that movie, People commit suicide because of that movie. Because that world that was created was.
Shane Topp
So beautiful into another.
Courtney Miller
What was it called? Pandora. Was that the name?
Ian Hecox
Pandora was the plan. I saw.
Shane Topp
I saw the movie seven times.
Ian Hecox
I saw it once in theaters. I was in second row, far right. It was 3D. Still loved it.
Courtney Miller
I was sitting ready.
Shane Topp
Who was wearing a leather jacket.
Courtney Miller
Get ready for Avatar the Way of Water, Avatar the Seed Bearer, Avatar the Token Rider, and Avatar the Last Airbender. Yeah, he's just like, screw it, I'm buying the franchise. And Avatar the Quest for Eywa.
Ian Hecox
Yo, these are straight up sci fi novels. Sick.
Courtney Miller
Like, really bad.
Shane Topp
And look, I'll say this too. There's different aspects of movies that I enjoy, Right. Like, and with this one, like Alita and same with Avatar, I'm like, I'm not going to this movie for the insanely good dialogue or story structure. I'm going because it's gonna be epic.
Courtney Miller
I enjoyed. I enjoyed Avatar when I first saw it. But, like, there's not a fan base for Avatar. You don't see people going. Going to Comic Con dressed up as their favorite. Their favorite Avatar.
Shane Topp
They're not eight feet tall and blue.
Courtney Miller
Oh, true. But they don't even want to be Captain Scarface, man with the big knife.
Shane Topp
Right. Captain Scarface, man with the knife. That's.
Courtney Miller
Or. Or like tough pilot girl.
Ian Hecox
Did you see the Halloween costumes for Avatars? Olivia had to wear one for every costume party ever.
Courtney Miller
Yeah, they're bad. Yeah, they're not good.
Ian Hecox
The only good bodysuit costume I've ever seen was the zero suit SAMUS1. That one was like, good material.
Courtney Miller
Yeah.
Ian Hecox
And fit really well. I even tried buying the Captain Marvel one by that same company, but that one didn't fit as well. Like, the material was loose and weird.
Courtney Miller
Well, maybe in the next Avatar they'll come out with a better bodysuit and then we can all be. We can all live out our Na'vi fantasies.
Shane Topp
They've had 10 years to develop it, so hopefully.
Courtney Miller
All right, well, that about does it for this first podcast. Running out of time, I swear. We'll get better at this, so stick around. I. I had a. I honestly really enjoyed this. This went a lot better than I thought it was gonna go, I have to say. Good job, guys. We're fist pounding.
Ian Hecox
Fist pounding in the center, listening.
Courtney Miller
We're doing a trip. Oh, my God.
Shane Topp
Captain Planet. Captain Planet.
Courtney Miller
Please subscribe to this podcast on whatever you're listening to this on or if you're watching this on our YouTube channel. I don't. Is this YouTube channel called Smosh Cast? I'm guessing it probably is. Please subscribe to that as well. We're gonna do this every single week. We're gonna have a sort of rotating people through here. We're gonna have some people that you. That you've seen in Smosh videos. We'll see. We're gonna have some people possibly from behind the scenes, but that are part of the Smosh family.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Courtney Miller
And we're gonna bring in some of our. Some of our friends from the YouTube realm from time to time. And.
Ian Hecox
And Dwayne the Rock Johnson.
Courtney Miller
And Dwayne.
Shane Topp
He'll be on every other week. And we're trying to. I'm trying to get in contact with Alita, the battle angel to come on.
Ian Hecox
Yeah.
Shane Topp
Yeah, we'll see.
Ian Hecox
Well, it just feels really good to be here. Okay. I really. I'm happy things are going so well.
Courtney Miller
I'm happy too.
Ian Hecox
I love you guys.
Courtney Miller
I love you guys.
Ian Hecox
All right.
Courtney Miller
And we love you.
Ian Hecox
And we love you.
Shane Topp
I love. I love you. Listen, you guys, I kind of love. But I definitely love you guys.
Courtney Miller
Yes.
Ian Hecox
Ew. Come on.
Courtney Miller
I had to do it to him.
Ryan Seacrest
It is Ryan Seacrest here. There was a recent social media trend which consisted of flying on a plane with no music, no movies, no entertainment. But a better trend would be going to chumbacasino.com it's like having a mini social casino in your pocket. Chumba Casino has over a hundred online casino style games, all absolutely free. It's the most fun you can have online and on a plane. So grab your free welcome bonus now@chumbacasino.com sponsored by Chumba Casino.
Shane Topp
No purchase necessary VGW Group void where prohibited by law, 21 + terms and conditions apply.
Podcast Summary: Smosh Mouth – S1: #1 - Defy Drama!
Podcast Information:
In the inaugural episode of Smosh Mouth, the hosts—Shayne Topp, Amanda Lehan-Canto, and guest Courtney Miller—dive deep into a tumultuous period for the Smosh team. The episode primarily revolves around their recent layoff from Defy, the parent company, and the subsequent journey to reclaim and rebuild the Smosh brand independently. The hosts intertwine professional challenges with personal anecdotes, providing listeners with an intimate look into their lives and creative processes.
Background and Initial Announcement
The episode begins with the recounting of an unexpected and sudden layoff notice from Defy. Courtney Miller sets the stage by describing the chaotic environment leading up to the layoffs:
Courtney Miller (00:30): "And it's an email saying that we've all been effective immediately laid off. People were smashing defy mugs with baseball bats."
Details of the Layoff
Shayne Topp and Ian Hecox elaborate on the timeline and emotional impact:
Shayne Topp (04:11): "We have till January 2nd. Yeah. Something like that. To, you know, find your work till then and you find another job."
Shayne shares his personal experience of receiving the layoff notice while filming on "The Goldbergs":
Shayne Topp (05:18): "I saw the text as soon as I got home... and I was like, oh, my God. And I quickly got all my stuff together, and I drove all the way to the office..."
Reactions and Immediate Aftermath
The hosts discuss the immediate reactions within the team, including attempts to salvage the situation and maintain morale despite the uncertainty:
Courtney Miller (06:04): "We were supposed to shoot the very next day. So we had a whole bunch of craftiness and snacks and stuff."
Leadership Critique
A significant portion of the discussion centers around Defy's leadership failures. Courtney criticizes the lack of support and poor decision-making:
Courtney Miller (10:11): "The large issue for me at Defy was the leadership... They did nothing."
Shayne adds to the critique, highlighting the absence of responsible leadership during the crisis:
Shayne Topp (10:37): "Part of being a leader is, yeah, you're gonna fail sometimes. And even if it's a massive failure, you gotta own it."
Taking Control
Post-layoff, the Smosh team took decisive steps to regain control over their brand. Courtney details the process of reaching out for investor support and attempting to create a sustainable business model:
Courtney Miller (18:24): "We hired a consultant... to pitch Smosh to investors and try to pull together an investing party."
Challenges Faced
The transition was fraught with challenges, including technical hurdles like managing multiple YouTube channels without corporate assistance:
Ian Hecox (16:52): "You need somebody to do that on all those."
Shayne reflects on the learning curve associated with independent content creation:
Shayne Topp (17:31): "It's so much hard work... I have immense respect for people who do it all by themselves."
Community and Team Support
Despite the obstacles, the team found solace in community support and their shared dedication to Smosh:
Shayne Topp (15:27): "We were too, we’re doing too well, and we are too together with this."
Authenticity vs. Corporate Demands
The hosts discuss the tension between maintaining authentic content and meeting corporate expectations. They express frustration over being mandated to produce specific types of shows that didn't align with their creative vision:
Shayne Topp (29:30): "It was really uncomfortable in the show sometimes..."
Courtney emphasizes the importance of authenticity in their content:
Courtney Miller (32:00): "Just something we wanted to do... it's so much more creatively stimulating."
Technical and Logistical Hurdles
Managing multiple channels independently required mastering new skills, such as uploading, editing, and optimizing videos without prior support:
Courtney Miller (16:01): "I had to learn how to upload to YouTube again."
Evolution of Content Strategy
The team pivoted towards more organic content inspired by popular YouTube trends, moving away from corporate-driven formats:
Shayne Topp (32:25): "Now we get to really kind of come up with what we want to do and organically create it."
Pet Ownership Struggles
The hosts share personal stories about pet ownership, highlighting the emotional challenges that come with having pets while dealing with professional instability:
Ian Hecox (43:07): "He chugs up his hands and he goes, I'm afraid, Courtney. I must go to the mountains."
Courtney discusses her own experiences with an anxious German Shepherd:
Courtney Miller (46:32): "...she could be in a better home. But you had a good place to give Django."
Family Dynamics and Personal Growth
Shayne and Courtney delve into their family dynamics, bonding experiences, and personal growth during this period:
Courtney Miller (51:56): "We were like, all right, dad, who's the mistake? You know, who's planned?"
Humorous Interludes
Interspersed with serious discussions, the hosts include humorous exchanges about everyday topics like beards, cuffing jeans, and plant care, adding levity to the conversation:
Shayne Topp (36:34): "I killed a man over a La Croix."
Courtney Miller (48:43): "Yo, can we talk about how awesome air plants are for a moment?"
Partnership with Mythical
The episode concludes with optimism as the team previews their collaboration with Rhett and Link’s Mythical, aiming to retain creative control and sustain the Smosh brand:
Courtney Miller (69:52): "Please subscribe to this podcast... We're going to do this every single week."
Looking Ahead
The hosts express enthusiasm about future episodes, promising a rotating cast of Smosh friends and community members to join them in discussions:
Shayne Topp (69:54): "We are gonna do this every single week... We'll have some people that you've seen in Smosh videos."
Final Reflections
Shayne and Courtney reflect on the journey from uncertainty to renewed creative freedom, emphasizing the importance of resilience and community support:
Ian Hecox (69:47): "I'm happy things are going so well. I love you guys."
Courtney Miller (69:53): "We're gonna do this every single week... We're gonna bring in some of our friends from the YouTube realm from time to time."
Shayne Topp on Leadership Failures:
"That's what a boss is supposed to do. Own it." ([10:07])
Courtney Miller on Defy's Lack of Support:
"They just have hung out with clients, but they were like, they're really rotten at the top." ([11:10])
Shayne Topp on Resourcefulness:
"We were gonna make the channel our own again." ([16:20])
Courtney Miller on Embracing Independence:
"We had to take things into our own hands." ([14:18])
Shayne Topp on Creative Freedom:
"Now we get to really kind of come up with what we want to do and organically create it." ([32:25])
Smosh Mouth's first episode offers a candid glimpse into the challenges and triumphs faced by the Smosh team during a period of significant upheaval. From abrupt corporate layoffs to the arduous journey of rebuilding their beloved brand independently, the hosts articulate a narrative of resilience, creativity, and unwavering camaraderie. Interwoven with personal stories and humorous banter, the episode not only serves as a historical recount of Smosh's struggles but also sets an optimistic tone for future endeavors under the Mythical partnership. Listeners are left with a sense of anticipation for upcoming episodes, where the Smosh family promises to continue entertaining and connecting with their audience amidst evolving landscapes.
Note: This summary focuses on capturing all key points, discussions, insights, and conclusions from the podcast episode while excluding advertisements and non-essential sections, as per the user's instructions. Notable quotes are included with speaker attributions and timestamps to provide specific references to the conversation.