The Iced Coffee Hour with Kyle Forgeard

Episode: Kyle Forgeard Breaks Silence on SteveWillDoIt Controversy, NELK, & The Truth About Happy Dad

Hosts: Graham Stephan & Jack Selby
Guest: Kyle Forgeard (NELK, Happy Dad)
Date: February 13, 2026

Episode Overview

Graham and Jack sit down with Kyle Forgeard for a candid conversation spanning the rise of NELK, building viral businesses, the controversial dynamics with SteveWillDoIt, and the truth behind the explosive growth of Happy Dad seltzer. Kyle provides rare insight into fame, influencer entrepreneurship, navigating friendships under pressure, and what’s next for the NELK brand.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Evolution of NELK: From Pranks to Business Empire

• NELK’s DNA: Partying, pranks, travel, and “boys being boys,” underpinning early viral success ([00:01–08:10]).
  • "Those were the three recipes of like what made a Nelk video great." — Kyle [08:10]
• Pivot to Business: Not just entertainers—NELK spun up multiple massive, profitable ventures (merch, Happy Dad).
• Merch Power: Merch became the lifeblood when YouTube demonetized NELK, with 300,000 concurrent users crashing their e-commerce site ([27:23]).
  • "That drop did $33 million in gross." — Kyle [28:01]
• Authenticity: Key to fan loyalty and growth was being unapologetically themselves, not following the sanitized “prank intro–outro” format ([22:31–23:55]).

2. The Happy Dad Origin & Philosophy

• Inspiration: The realization of NELK’s sway on alcohol purchases (from "Rona Season" shirts to frat parties offering Coronas) drove Kyle to want their own seltzer.
  • "I saw the influence we had with alcohol... I think this is a billion dollar play." — Kyle [11:23]
• Branding Strategy: Deliberately did NOT use the NELK or Full Send name, aspiring for the product to outgrow the creator and stand alone, like Casamigos ([13:02, 13:54]).
• Growth & Financials:
  • 120+ employees at Happy Dad, 22+ at NELK ([05:41–05:47])
  • Only two seltzers (Happy Dad, White Claw) are growing; Kyle has not taken a single penny out, fully reinvesting ([15:35–15:43])
  • “Profit’s about 12% when it’s all in... We don’t control the prices of the cans.” — Kyle [16:06]
• Regulations: Strict alcohol industry marketing laws (can’t claim health benefits, can’t attack other alcohol brands) ([16:59–17:54]).

3. Financial Transparency & Wealth Mindset

• Kyle’s Investments:
  • Diversified via a business manager; notable investments include an early stake in X (Twitter).
  • Cautious investor—“I'm pretty picky, to be honest... I won’t just throw money into anything” ([34:08]).
• Spending:
  • Cars (~$5.3M), watches (~$2M), real estate (~$12M); only uses private jets for "emergency" or business-critical travel—spent $600k on charters in a year ([36:03]).
  • “Jets are the stupidest thing you could spend money on, for sure.” [35:22]
• Money’s Influence:
  • Success changed the vibe—young, unstoppable hunger shifted to comfort.
  • “Money does money everything up... You could ask any one of us.” ([29:33])

4. SteveWillDoIt: Friendship, Controversy, and Content

• Relationship with Steve:
  • Once managed Steve directly—helped build his channel and success.
  • “We’re just on like two different paths... Friends are always gonna have little back and forths a little bit. And then you add this high stakes business...” — Kyle [01:08] and revisited at [49:08]
• On Steve’s Financial Antics:
  • Steve’s gambling is part of his content machine; Kyle admits he can’t stomach losing like Steve ([39:36–40:49]).
  • "He's just different, bro. He's just a madman." — Kyle [40:00, 40:59]
  • "I think Steve just cares about his content a lot too, so he's willing to spend whatever the he spends on it." — Kyle [40:42]
• Rumor Addressal:
  • No major beef—just life and growing in different directions.
  • “I think me and Steve are gonna be like that too... We’re always gonna be boys and I’m always there for him.” — Kyle [49:12]

5. Entrepreneurship: Lessons, Pivotal Moments, and Advice

• Three Pivotal Decisions:
  1. Pivot to authenticity, standing out from formulaic pranksters ([22:31–23:55])
  2. Building direct-to-fan revenue when demonetized (the merch drop era)
  3. Betting on Happy Dad as the next-billion-dollar move
• Learning from Mentors:
  • John Shahidi, Sam (CEO), and Dana White cited as main business mentors/inspirations ([20:54–21:32])
  • “Dana White—he never quits. He never takes no for an answer... That’s one thing I try to follow in his footsteps.” — Kyle [21:00–21:02]
• Advice for Influencer Brands:
  • Don’t box yourself in with a personal brand name; aim for product longevity away from your "face" ([13:02–13:54])

6. Breaking Down Viral Content, Streaming, and the State of the Internet

• Negativity Sells:
  • Only the negative moments go viral—“It’s a weird state of the Internet right now.” — Kyle [03:55]
• Streaming Shift:
  • Clipping culture incentivizes fake/inflammatory captions for views—“It’s literally paying to spread misinformation.” — Kyle [66:45]
  • Streaming/gambling deals now make some streamers richer than YouTubers ever were ([65:23])
• Unreleased & Dream Content:
  • Some pranks are shelved due to controversy or sensitivity; plans to launch “Nelk Unleashed”—a full-blown, high-budget prank series on a streaming service, involving celebrities ([68:31–69:41])
  • “Picture if Nelk had a million dollars to shoot any prank they want, like, unlimited budget per episode...” — Kyle [69:21]

7. Notable Stories & Behind-the-Scenes Moments

• Elon Musk Podcast:
  • Elon almost pulled the plug due to Steve’s past pranks but ended up doing a legendary four-hour episode, drank “eight Happy Dads” ([52:37–54:08])
• Donald Trump Interview:
  • Trump’s charisma and ability to “command a room” contrasted with Elon; YouTube deletion boosted visibility ([54:42–56:35])
• Canada/US Greencard Struggles:
  • Frequent border issues after prank-related arrests, challenges as a Canadian entertainer moving to the US ([58:28–60:53])
• Biggest Personal “Pinch Me” Moments:
  • Meeting Drake, Bieber, Dana White; Drake gifting him a birthday watch ([70:47–71:28])

Memorable Quotes

• On NELK’s essence:
  "Nelk was always like partying, pranks, traveling, and boys being boys. I feel like those were the three recipes of like what made a Nelk video great." — Kyle [08:10]

• On Happy Dad’s vision:
  “We wanted to go for a beer vibe on a seltzer... all the seltzers were... for women. So we wanted a retro beer vibe and to go after the male demographic.” — Kyle [12:40]

• On influencer branding:
  “You want the brand to be bigger than Nelk or Full Send... you box yourself in if you call it a Nelk seltzer.” — Kyle [13:02]

• On money and success:
  “Money does money everything up, bro... you get more comfortable. Not just me, everyone.” — Kyle [29:33]

• On SteveWillDoIt:
  "He's just a madman." — Kyle [40:59]
  "We're just on two different paths right now... I think Steve's like, I don't know. He's just doing his thing and he's crushing his YouTube." — Kyle [47:07]

• On risk-taking:
  "We were young. We were trying to make it. We didn't have money, so there was nothing to lose." — Kyle [62:14]

• On future ambitions:
  “I really want to do a lot of elevated content... I wrote an animated series, kind of like our version of a South Park... called Degenerates.” — Kyle [77:02–77:30]

• On self-improvement and relationships:
  “Right now I'm just focusing on being the best version of myself and attracting who I want in a partner.” — Kyle [79:09]

Notable Timestamps

• NELK Merch Drop & Demonetization: [27:23–28:32], [23:55–26:56]
• Happy Dad Origin Story: [09:11–14:30]
• SteveWillDoIt Content, Gambling & Friendship: [39:21–41:21], [43:41–49:41]
• Elon Musk Podcast Setup: [52:37–54:08]
• Donald Trump Podcast & Social Media Politics: [54:42–57:52]
• Reflections on Fame and Celebrity Access: [70:42–72:20]
• Future of Nelk & Kyle’s Goals: [76:04–77:54]
• Animated Series 'Degenerates': [77:02–77:31]

Noteworthy & Light Moments

• Curse of the Chain: The saga of Steve's diamond chain, passed to Liver King, back to Graham, and returned to Steve amid 'bad juju' ([49:44–51:48]).
• Private Jet Budget: “My business manager called me the other day, and he’s like, bro, this pj budget’s… we got to bring this down… probably like 600,000.” — Kyle [36:03]
• Meeting Drake: “To get a gift from him... it’s just surreal, bro.” — Kyle [71:23]

Conclusion

This episode is a goldmine for listeners interested in influencer entrepreneurship, the backstory of viral business building, and the honest realities of internet celebrity. Kyle drops unfiltered wisdom on risk, wealth, authenticity, and navigating the complicated world of content creation and friendships under the spotlight—punctuated by sharp anecdotes, humor, and real business lessons.