Honestly this may sounds mean, but sometimes you need to get real with people you know?
All this discourse about the last LWS and sketches is bullshit for several reasons.
Before I continue, I will say this so that no one can misconstrue what I am saying:
1) It is PERFECTLY OKAY AND VALID to be upset/disappointed/angry etc. about the sketches ending. I’m also sad they’re gone.
2) I don’t want to hear anything about anyone’s neurodivergence being an excuse for bad behavior, stubbornness, harassment, or and inability to hear someone else’s perspective. I’m neurodivergent too.
3) I do not think Ian or Anthony are perfect, infallible people who only make good decisions. There are several decisions that I personally have not liked about Smosh or about their public lives.
Now. I want to outline some things that need to be addressed about where Smosh fans (especially Ianthony fans; together or separate) find themselves rn.
1) If you think that Ian and Anthony were faking it the whole time they were making sketches for views, money, or nostalgia, you aren’t paying attention. They were very, obviously, clearly having fun, and they said so as well. Sketches aren’t working as well ≠ we didn’t like making sketches. They NEVER said sketches = bad, Bit City = good. That is a wild conclusion to jump to based on the majority of the statements they have made and the actual on camera footage of them enjoying themselves while making sketches.
2) If you think that Ian and Anthony were faking the depth of their friendship or are currently not actually friends, you’re not paying attention. Their relationship is not for clout. They’ve spoken consistently about hanging out outside of work. They both praise each other. They both talk about each other in videos the other isn’t in. Hell, they both went to get Erin’s car back with her. They’re friends.
3) Smosh hasn’t been just about Ian and Anthony for nearly a decade. I know we all got excited about them being back at it together, but in my opinion, it’s completely logical for them to want to not disrupt the state of the content just because Anthony came back. They have to support a very full cast. Do it think they rotate that cast well? Not really, but that’s a separate issue. Do I want Ian and Anthony to be in more videos? Yes, but that’s not my decision to make.
4) “My membership money went to supporting sketches and now they aren’t doing them anymore.” Yeah. Your money WENT to funding sketches. And the sketches were made. If you don’t want to support them anymore then don’t. They gave you a heads up about the new direction they were taking in the last livestream.
5) Ian and Anthony aren’t in their 20s anymore and it’s not like they don’t have other responsibilities. Ian has been pretty transparent about being a workaholic (my interpretation of things he’s said) and Anthony has a whole other fucking company to run. They can’t do it all. They explained very clearly that sketches take a LOT of time and a LOT of money. The guys are getting older and they have a full on company (or two) to run.
6) It would be a really stupid financial decision to keep doing projects you can’t reliably afford (and time is money; if you can’t reliably afford the time, you can’t keep doing a project either). It’s the same with tv or movies. If there isn’t a reasonable profit, no matter how good the content is, it’s not responsible to keep making more. Especially because Smosh has a lot of employees they need to support.
7) It’s not like Ian and Anthony sketches are disappearing entirely. We literally just got one in Bit City. Was it a bit more improvised? Yes. And it was great! I haven’t seen anything but praise for it. AND it’s was actually longer than a typical sketch is. Additionally, Ian and Anthony were in separate sketches on their own. They aren’t going to disappear from Smosh just because they aren’t doing sketches anymore. And if you think the 2 month break is a rebuttal to that, no. It’s not. Everyone needs to take a break sometimes and if you have a problem with that, you don’t have their best interest at heart. Dan Howell has taken a lot of time in between videos to protect his mental health and yet he’s still making content. Trixie Mattel is taking an entire year away from the spotlight. And yet she’s still coming back. Just because Ian and Anthony step back sometimes doesn’t mean we need to start conspiracies about how their friendship is ruined or they’re retiring forever. That’s fear mongering.
8) You are not entitled to Ian and Anthony content. Their reason for stopping sketches could have been as simple as “we got bored so we wanted to stop” and that would have been entirely fine bc it’s their content, their channel, and their company. Once again, if you don’t want them taking your money anymore, then don’t let them.
9) “They quit every new project they start.” And? They keep coming back with new stuff. Y’all complained about Flashback not being how you wanted it to be, they cancelled flashback, and then hall complained about them cancelling flashback.
10) Furthering point 9, they have not promised you anything. They haven’t promised you any specific formats for videos, they didn’t promise to do sketches forever, they haven’t promised to do Lunchtime forever, they haven’t even promised to stay at Smosh forever. They don’t owe you the content you want them to make in your head because they never said anything about it being like that.
11) You cannot assume people’s motives. Just because you feel a certain type of way about how someone said something. That’s not to say you have to live everything everyone says, but you cannot pretend like you know exactly how someone thinks or feels. Especially someone you don’t actually know explaining a business decision in an edited video.
I think that’s it. I’m sure my words are probably going to get twisted around and chopped to pieces but what can you do. This whole discussion just feels deeply online, extremely entitled, and really closed minded. Like I said, I don’t like this decision either but it’s not my channel and I’m just happy they’re back together and making content. Sorry for venting it all out here.
germansingergirl
tangentwithtanner
janainaart
titsay
