Instagram/YouTube
"This has been the greatest social experiment of my entire life," the YouTuber star, who is known for his "mukbang" food-eating videos, said while revealing he's been dramatically losing weight behind the scenes, unbeknownst to his fans.
Nikocado Avocado -- a YouTuber known for his popular "mukbang" videos -- shocked his four million subscribers when he revealed that he secretly underwent a jaw-dropping weight loss transformation, and had been posting old content for two years.
In a video shared to his channel on Friday, titled "Two Steps Ahead," the internet star -- whose real name is Nicholas Perry -- revealed he conducted a "social experiment" with his subscribers to make them believe he was still overweight when, in reality, he was apparently losing weight being the scenes.
Avocado -- who has been posting videos for over seven years -- claimed in a May 2024 video that he was "morbidly obese" and weighed over 300 pounds. In Friday's video, he said he had dropped 250 pounds.
He began his video by talking with a large panda mask on, which covered his entire face and neck.
"Two steps ahead. I am always -- two steps ahead. This has been the greatest social experiment of my entire life," Avocado began.
"It's alluring, it's compelling, it's gripping to observe all these unwell, disoriented beings roam the internet in search of stories, ideas, rivalries where they feel encouraged and engaged. Where they involve themselves with the stories, and become a product of influence," he continued.
He went on to say that he feels as if he's been "monitoring ants on an ant farm."
"One follows another, follows another, follows another. It's mesmerizing. It's spellbinding," Avocado said. "... People consuming anything that they're told to consume."
He then took off the stuffed panda head, showing his slimmed-down appearance to the camera.
"So, I am the villain because I've made myself one," Avocado said. "And you will continue to consume these stories about me. Year after year, after year, for as long as I tell the internet that I am the villain. Stories that permeate and linger, and infect the minds of the ants. Influence the ants. Brainwash the ants. You are the ants."
"Today, I woke up from a very long dream and I also woke up from having lost 250 pounds off of my body," he added. "Yet, just yesterday, people were calling me fat and sick and boring and irrelevant, people, people are the most messed up creatures on the entire planet. And yet, I've still managed to stay two steps ahead of everyone. The joke's on you."
In the next clip, Avocado -- who appeared with his parrot Mr. Noodle -- then seemingly became emotional, saying that his time on YouTube has been a "long eight years" and felt like "a really bad dream that we were waiting for it to over."
"It's over, it was just a dream," he said, before declaring that he's "back."
The rest of the 25-minute video featured Avocado doing a "mukbag" -- when people consume large amounts of food on video -- enjoying his "favorite" noodles, Korean black bean noodles.
He also uploaded a second video to another separate YouTube channel, titled "hi," in which he spoke about his elaborate "experiment."
"I haven't made a video for like two years," Avocado said. "This is where I'm posting now, on this channel, so I hope you consider subscribing."
Until Friday, the last video posted on his main channel was shared seven months ago, while the most recent video on his second account was posted three months ago, in which he said he had "quit" his "weight loss journey."
As previously mentioned, it's now been revealed that he had been sharing old, pre-recorded videos for years.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Avocado's fans flooded the comments section of Friday's initial video to share their surprise, shock, and even awe that the YouTuber had duped them for so long.
"I think we failed the social experiment," a person wrote.
"This feels almost not real, he managed to play us like a violin, this redemption arc feels surreal," a second user said, while another commented, "Unironically this is probably one of if not THE biggest plot twist in the history of YouTube."
"The words 'What the f--k' have never felt so appropriate in my life," another user joked, as another noted, "The fact he was able to keep this entirely private, with no one in the world telling his secret, while actively creating rumors of heart attacks and failed weight loss is so complex I can't even wrap my head around it."
As of publishing, Avocado's "Two Steps Ahead" video has over 12 million views, while the second video has over two million.
He noted in the description of both videos that he has since created new Instagram and X accounts under the username "@real_nikocado."
