Beloved YouTuber with 15,000,000 subscribers announces he's quitting after his videos went 'too far'
'It’s been a wild ride'
After over a decade of videos, a legendary YouTuber bids farewell to the platform.
If you're a fan of outdoor adventures and hobbies, chances are you've watched one of the many videos from Outdoor Boys.
Gaining 15 million subscribers over 11 years, the beloved YouTube channel became a community for outdoor enthusiasts around the world. Creator Luke Nichols entertained millions by documenting his wild camping and fishing trips while sharing his survival skills and exploration in the Alaskan wilderness.
Now, Nichols revealed he's decided to step away from the platform after saying things had gotten a bit out of hand.
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“This is going to be my last video for a while,” Nichols said in his video titled 'Goodbye' that was posted over the weekend. “Believe it or not, I've made 1,110 videos. It’s been a wild ride.”
The internet personality mentioned that it's 'hard to communicate' the amount of time and energy it takes to make his popular videos.
"So many late nights editing, packing and unpacking, camping with pneumonia, building log cabins while injured," Nichols described. "But it's been a tremendous adventure and it's allowed me to provide for my family while making wonderful memories with my wife and kids."
Nichols revealed that the massive growth of his channel, gaining 12 million new subscribers in just 18 months, has come with challenges.
Because of people 'stealing' his content and reposting on other platforms, he and his family have been viewed four billion times in addition to the 2.8 billion views he receives from his channel.
"Even good things can be taken too far, and I think I’m starting to reach that point," he shared. "But I’m not just talking about the time and energy I spend making YouTube videos. I’m also talking about the attention it brings."
The channel's rapid explosion in popularity is part of the reason why he decided to pull the plug, Nichols noted in the five-minute video.
“The sheer volume of fans trying to contact me, trying to take pictures with or just trying to come up and talk to me in public can be a bit overwhelming at times,” Nichols said. “My wife and I, we both have real concerns about what this will do to our family if I keep growing my YouTube channel at this pace.
He added: "And the time to stop is before this problem gets so out of hand that my family and I can’t live normal lives.”
While Nichols said he 'still enjoys making videos and going on adventures,' it's time to 'start focusing on other things'.
In his farewell video, he shared a montage of some of his most memorable moments with his family, building projects, and wild camping trips. The video ended with an overlay text reading: "Thank you for sharing this time with us - The Outdoor Boys."