Featured Image Credit: OutdoorBoys / YouTube
Swapping the wilderness for worship, we’re catching up with one famous YouTuber after he called it quits on his channel.
While it's amazing to see how far the likes of Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson have come in the past decade, other former giants like Jenna Marbles and the tech-centric Tom Scott have been left gathering dust for various reasons.
The world recently paid tribute to the tragic loss of Technoblade in A Minecraft Movie, but for many, they live on only in our memories of YouTube's past. Earlier this year, Outdoor Boys announced he'd be putting his YouTube days behind him. Luke Nichols said he'd gone 'too far' in his 1,100 videos showcasing survival skills, having battled with late-night editing, camping with pneumonia, and trying to keep his survival content relevant while others were stealing it.
In his 'Goodbye' video, Nichols explained: "The sheer volume of fans trying to contact me, trying to take pictures with me or just trying to come up and take pictures in public can be overwhelming at times.
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“My wife and I both have real concerns about what this will do to our family if I continue to grow my YouTube channel at this pace."
Although some thought Outdoor Boys' retirement was a short-lived one, more recent uploads are for the tragic cause of covering for MyLifeOutdoors' Steven as he cares for his sick wife.
Proving more than ever that Outdoor Boys could be a thing of the past, Nichols has revealed a very different career path.
Leaving behind 18.3 million followers on his YouTube, Nicols has been called to serve for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stepping up as part of the Young Men General Advisory Council.
Announced on December 9, Nichols was appointed alongside 13 others, including The Chosen producer Derral Eves.
Nichols has never shied away from his faith, previously telling the Come Unto Christ in Alaska channel how he was 19 when her served in Japan for a two-year church mission. After that, he studied at Brigham Young University in Utah, which is known as a flagship institution for the Church of the Latter-day Saints.
After spending so much time putting his efforts into Outdoor Boys, Nichols is now channeling that into religion.
LDS is the world’s biggest Mormon church and is based in Salt Lake City, with a viral X post explaining how Nichols, Eves, and the others will "assist the Young Men General Presidency as they counsel with other general and local Church leaders to teach, serve and watch over the young men of the Church."
Still, given the controversy surrounding LDS Church in terms of its roles for women, modern views on LGBTQ+ issues, and accusations of historical racism, Nichols has come under fire from some who say they're 'disappointed' by his career change.
Complaining about his appointment, streamer and vtuber Rock Solid wrote: "Finding out he is a Mormon is genuinely disappointing."
Discussing the idea that he left YouTube for a 'normal' life, someone else added: "> 'normal life' > joins the mormon council."
A third concluded: "Love Luke, but this is so disappointing. I will always remember South Park’s episode on Mormonism."
Others were more supportive, and when the LDS X account shared a video of Nicols and his wife, someone else cheered: "The most wholesome thing I’ve watched all year probably."
Despite being named at No. 10 on YouTube’s yearly roundup of the USA’s top creators, Nichols’ Outdoor Boys days really look like they’re over.
