On YouTuber Retirement

I think the thing that makes this kind of creation so special is that it is being done in collaboration with an audience. I think when TV shows feel that way, it feels like a betrayal when they get cancelled. But in that situaiton, some media executive can be blamed.

Meanwhile, a creator saying "Look, we have been doing this together for a long time and it has been amazing, but I want to take a break" is a big deal. We have to have structures that allow it. I want to do this, but I do not want to do it after I stop wanting to do it, y'know?

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[MattPalka]

I love how much this channel feels like a conversation that continues

[icygubler]

When I think about Youtuber retirement, I think about Daniel Howell and him stepping away from YouTube for 5 years and even how he was with his channel before he stepped away. It was wonderful to watch him stop trying to make stuff because it was what people wanted and start making it because he wanted to make it. And, so, yes, you could consider his channel, and DanandPhilGames, to be songs, but the song has changed. And so has vlogbrothers. The original creators are still there, but the project, and the relationship between creator and audience have changed.

[Pixaladd]

The panic that this title caused me is quite difficult to express.

[tbella]

I know it's coming, but it will suck.

I found you in 2008, through your music. I was bedridden with a high-risk pregnancy, you got me through that scary, and boring time. My baby will be 16 this year.

So regardless of when you retire, thanks for all the Awesome!

[DarkkestNite]

This is entirely tangential, but Hank's rocking the curls and I wanted that noted for the record.

[connierobinson]

To be fair people are still mad that Firefly was canceled so I feel like for things we love we never really get over it ending

[tuckerprice]

“I think that we are still doing [Vlogbrothers] because the song isn’t over”
I had never even considered vlogbrothers stopping. These videos have been such a part of my life for the last 10 years. Mostly I just want to say thank you because it has been overwhelmingly positive and shaped me from a high school student to the 28 year old adult I am today.

[chmod]

Youtubers retiring is similar to cartoonists calling it a day, regular newspaper columnists hanging up their pens, or long-time TV/radio hosts deciding to end a show. Take The Far Side -- nobody thinks of it in terms of published collections. I fondly remember the Cow Tools in much the same way I remember Tom Scott conquering his fear of roller coasters -- an instance of something great that's part of a large body of work. The massed collection of Dave Barry columns is a very different beast from a David Sedaris book. Etc.

[abdullahenani]

I love how vlogbrothers is not aiming for money and the general audience(views)! It makes nerdfighteria stand out from other communities, and It’s something really special.

[TenThousandDoors]

This feels like a preemptive conversation to the conversation we all know will come at some point.

I've been a Nerdfighter since the summer of 2009, and Vlogbrothers has been such an integral part of my life for the past 15 years. I will always be supportive of what you guys do, but I'm absolutely going to be sad when you choose to retire. I just hope that it means your life has brought you to a point in which other things bring you more joy and satisfaction, and that we have the chance to celebrate before you take your leave. ❤

[ADizzleMcShizzle]

your guest appearance on the yard was one of the best podcast episodes i’ve ever seen, what a crazy crossover event

[Madisita]

I wanted to add to the "retiring" from YouTube amazing Hannah Witton who just stepped back from doing stepped sex Ed content and was very open about the why and how. Her journey has been super interesting and refreshing to see!

[mohe]

I think a helpful way to think of these "retirements" is that they're like the end of a TV show. Sure, there are individual episodes to a TV show but for instance Breaking Bad isn't thought of in terms of a series of single episodes but rather a cohesive piece of art. However, like you said, a YouTube channel doesn't have a set end whereas a TV show does so maybe it's more like a soap opera where the story continues for a very long period of time without a clear end necessarily in sight.

[North_West]

I’m so happy for Tom Scott and sad for myself. His videos were a weekly treat in my life for so long. The flight into the sun was perfect.

[Deeply_Unhinged_Goblin]

Thank you for singing this song, brothers. It has been so meaningful for so many of us.

[isabellas]

the whole idea of "retiring" from creating is like super new and i think it's something that's only come up recently because the while idea of a YouTube career is also very recent! I had my first experience with a creator i liked moving on with anthpo and it's definitely a sad moment but one that i think is overall good for the creator. We can let songs end!!

[WestDakota]

Absolutely spot on. Also for some reason viewers tend to shame a YouTuber for stepping away, but it’s perfectly okay for an actor or celebrity to step away from creating for a while.

[abdullahenani]

Thank you for recording the shows as an international fan, I was upset I’d miss it!

[henrrysarangolux]

If i may give my two cents. I've been watching YouTube for a long time when flash animation came, parody songs, and the rise of gaming. Youtube have been my most watched thing for over 13 years 😳. Now, I see a platform that has matured and is part of our entertainment ecosystem, if it were to disappear I would feel a hole ( never would have thought that this little website would become so massive) So im glad this channel still exist for the time being .

[seanm]

I think popular bands are a good analogy:

Pop bands never ‘retire’, they go ‘on hiatus’ or ‘take a break’.

Sure, most of them never regroup, but the option is always left open for them.