These YouTubers stepped back from the platform that made them famous – why?

What began as a seemingly casual habit of sharing content on platforms like YouTube turned into a lucrative business for a fortunate few.

Recently, Forbes reported that top YouTubers like Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson and Olajide “KSI” Olatunji earned US$82mil (RM387.53mil) and US$24mil (RM113.42mil) respectively. According to Variety, Forbes estimated their gross earnings from June 2022 to June 2023.

It’s not all sunshine and roses, though. For some YouTubers who have found success on the platform, the burdens of fame and the subsequent pressure to consistently deliver new content, along with various other issues arising from their seemingly overnight popularity, may have ultimately become too overwhelming to handle.

Here are a few who decided to take a step back from the platform.

Li Ziqi

Chinese YouTuber Li Ziqi received a Guinness World Record for Most Subscribers for a Chinese-Language Channel on YouTube in 2021.

According to a report, Li got into a dispute with her agent back in July 2021 which resulted in her thriving career being ‘cut off’. — Screengrab from YouTube/@cnliziqi

At the time, Li hit 14.1 million subscribers on the platform, where viewers were mostly captivated by her videos showcasing life at a rural province in China. A few months later, Li posted her last video on YouTube and has not posted any new content since then.

Last month, the South China Morning Post reported that Li had resurfaced in a Sept 15 video posted on various social media platforms, where she said that she will “insist on producing more quality content on my ways to tell Chinese farming culture and rural stories”.

According to the report, Li got into a dispute with her agent back in July 2021 which resulted in her thriving career being “cut off”. Both parties came to an agreement to settle their dispute in December last year.

Fans on Douyin expressed excitement over Li’s return but the report also stated that fans have speculated that the Internet personality may have undergone some cosmetic procedures to change her looks.

David Dobrik

David Dobrik was known for consistently posting videos showcasing his interaction with friends known as the Vlog Squad.

In a November 2022 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Dobrik said he is currently focused on his pizza business and that he is posting more content on Snapchat instead. — Screengrab from YouTube/@DavidDobrik

At the time, one of his most popular videos showed him marrying his best friend’s mother after the latter commented that Dobrik would never find love.

Entertainment news website Vulture reported that at his peak, Dobrik hit 18.8 million subscribers and was able to purchase a house for US$9.5mil (RM44.90mil) in 2021.

In the same year, Insider released an article where a woman featured in one of Dobrik’s videos claimed that she was sexually assaulted by a member of his Vlog Squad. Dobrik released an apology video and said that he has distanced himself from the Vlog Squad member involved in the alleged sexual assault incident.

However Vulture reported that Dobrik lost some 100,000 subscribers and was dropped by sponsors after the allegation came to light. Dobrik then took a three-month break from YouTube.

Then in 2022, Jeff Wittek, a former Vlog Squad member, filed a lawsuit against Dobrik claiming that he suffered critical injuries due to a stunt involving an excavator. Wittek is seeking over US$10mil (RM47.24mil) in damages.

Dobrik’s last video on YouTube was posted in March last year. In a November 2022 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Dobrik said he is currently focused on his pizza business and that he is posting more content on Snapchat instead.

The Dolan Twins

The Dolan Twins became famous for posting weekly videos like skits, Internet challenges and interactions with famous friends like fellow YouTuber Emma Chamberlain.

With over nine million followers, the duo – Ethan and Grayson Dolan – made headlines in 2019 when they wrote on Twitter asking that fans not show up at their father Sean’s funeral, after hashtags like #SeanDolanMeetUpParty and details of the funeral venue went viral on social media.

The Dolan twins said in a podcast that they decided to move on from YouTube to do ‘bigger and better things’. — Screengrab from YouTube/@TheDolanTwins

After a brief hiatus in January 2019, the twins went back to posting on YouTube a month later. Then in December 2020, the boys posted one last video and have not updated since.

Fans left comments asking the twins to start posting again, with one user talking about feeling “bothered” that the duo seemingly left without posting a goodbye video.

In 2021, the duo started a podcast channel titled Deeper With The Dolan Twins, with the first episode featuring an interview with actress Brie Larson.

Then in May 2021, fans were able to get some closure when the twins posted an episode on the podcast titled “We’re moving on from YouTube”. After more than six years on the platform, they explained that “all good things come to an end” and they wanted to move on to “bigger and better things”.

However, the Dolan Twins have also stopped uploading new content on the podcast since May 2021. For a long time, there were no further updates from the duo on social media, leaving fans wondering if they had taken a break from the Internet as well.

In July this year, Grayson finally shared a rare update on Instagram stating that he and his brother had been working on a short film.

Emma Chamberlain

Emma Chamberlain has been dubbed YouTube’s It Girl for garnering over 12 million subscribers on her channel.

Viewers were taken with her candid and unfiltered videos, to the point where Vogue said her relatability had made her one of the Internet’s most beloved personalities.

Once known for posting consistently, Chamberlain announced that she was taking a break from YouTube in 2022 due to burnout.

Despite her videos’ seemingly less than glossy production quality, she told magazine Fast Company in a podcast that it can take up to 30 hours to edit a video.

Chamberlain did return to YouTube after her six-month hiatus in 2022 but is no longer posting as consistently as before.

In a February interview with The New York Times, Chamberlain said “you can’t do YouTube forever” due to the rigorous posting schedule and feeling the pressure to consistently deliver new content.

She said that if creators are not uploading regularly, then they won’t grow: “That’s what drives the algorithm.”

For now, Chamberlain said she is having fun posting sporadically.

Chamberlain also admitted that she is not ready to go back to being a regular video creator. As of press time, she has only posted three videos this year, with her most recent one being in May.