The commentary community was caught off guard this week when controversial figure Keemstar announced his retirement. After 13 years of a colorful online presence, Daniel Keem has announced on twitter his plans to leave the commentary scene.
I Know a lot of people think I’m trolling, a lot of people think its just bait that I’m retiring. But I am retiring, I know I’ve said a million times I’m never leaving the internet, that I’m never retiring, but I really am retiring..
Keemstar’s Twitter Video
The Changing Landscape of Commentary
Keemstar explains that January of 2022 would be his 14th anniversary of being an online figure. He explains details would be given on the future of Drama Alert in a new video. On the 26th, he released this video, revealing the shift in the culture over the course of 2020 is partially why he has decided to retire. On May 19th 2020, a popular YouTuber and podcast host named Ethan Klein (AKA H3H3), made a feature length video titled “Content Nuke – Keemstar,” where he organizes all the major failures of Keem over the years.
While the upload received a majority of support, it has a 6/1 like to dislike ratio, showing there was an over abundant amount of negativity towards it. This comes from the criticism of H3H3 going after Keemstar’s sponsors, an act which was considered heresy on the platform.
In Keemstar’s retirement video, he explains that this shift into going after sponsors is one of the reasons for his retirement. The shift normalizing the targeting of income of people you disagree with is no longer taboo or seen as a low blow
It used to be this huge no no, if you did that you were the one who got cancelled… now its acceptable
Retired – Drama Alert
Keem also references the lack of a unified commentary community, beef between YouTuber, and the arising mob mentality of viewers to attack people videos are made on. He cites a “lack of fun” in the community that used to exist that made drama and news exciting, but the new way people handle commentary isn’t something he’s particularly interested in.
The Show Must Go On
Drama Alert will be looking for a new host to take his spot as well. The channel itself is owned by a separate entity, with Keemstar only being a host hired to commentate. This is actually a technique Keem has used over the years to avoid his channels being deleted, since he has already officially been banned from the platform. The entity that owns the channel will be accepting “applications” through the form of YouTube video submissions of your take on a Drama Alert video.
The full video can be found here:
Make your own Drama Alert video, upload it to YouTube, put the hashtag #dramaalert in the title of the video, ‘This is my application for Drama Alert’ something like that.
Retired – Drama Alert
Is He Serious This Time?
Some are skeptical of the claims he’s leaving. Def Noodles, a commentary YouTuber who has a personal dislike for Keem, talked about the announcement in one of his recent videos.
I have a hard time believing that that may be true, especially when you consider his track record for saying that he will retire. It’s literally one of the things that he tweets the most about.
Keemstar RETIRING FROM YOUTUBE, Ethan Klein BIDS Keemstar FAREWELL, Adam Levine FREAKS OUT At Fan – Def Noodles
He then proceeds to cite instances from over the last 5 years where Keemstar claimed to be retiring. The announcement on the Drama Alert channel, however, seems to give more credence the his departure from the news cycle.
The vacuum in the commentary community this announcement has made is sure to lead to a shit in the meta on YouTube. With one of the most well known creators gone, love or hate him, the change in balance on the platform is sure to lead to new names rising up, and critics of Keem to celebrate.
Either way, its safe to say the announcement is shocking. One is only to wonder if the change in hosts on Drama Alert will completely kill the channel, or if it will be more of the Blue’s Clues Keemstar going off to college and the show moving on as usual.
