The Rise and Fall: YouTubers Who Ruled 2014 But Vanished from Relevance

A decade ago, YouTube was a very different landscape. The platform was still finding its identity, algorithm changes were fewer, and creators could build massive audiences with simple concepts and genuine personalities. But as the saying goes, what goes up must come down. Here are some of the biggest YouTube stars of 2014-2015 who have since faded into obscurity or lost their cultural relevance.

1. Fred Figglehorn (Lucas Cruikshank)

Then: The squeaky-voiced, hyperactive six-year-old character was YouTube's first channel to hit one million subscribers in 2009, maintaining massive popularity through 2014. Fred spawned three movies on Nickelodeon and a TV series.

Now: Lucas Cruikshank retired the Fred character in 2015, citing burnout from the demanding voice work that required visits to throat doctors. While he still creates content on his personal "Lucas" channel with 3 million subscribers, his videos rarely exceed modest view counts compared to Fred's former millions. Fred's cultural moment has completely passed, relegated to nostalgic internet history.

2. GloZell Green

Then: GloZell shot to YouTube prominence in 2012 with extreme challenge videos, particularly her "Hot Pepper Challenge" and "Cinnamon Challenge" videos. Her interview with President Barack Obama in 2015 marked her peak mainstream recognition.

Now: Despite interviewing a sitting president, GloZell has managed to fall completely off the radar. Her current videos pull in shockingly low viewership compared to her viral heyday. The interview itself was heavily criticized for her calling Michelle Obama the "First Wife," marking the beginning of her decline.

3. Michael Buckley (What The Buck Show)

Then: Michael Buckley became one of YouTube's biggest names via "What The Buck Show," which blended LGBTQ themes with pop culture and celebrity gossip for several years.

Now: Buckley decided to press pause in 2016, citing his age as the issue, saying "I'm just not as into pop culture as I used to be. I'm 41 years old. The jig is kinda up." His decade-old format simply couldn't adapt to YouTube's evolving landscape.

4. Brittani Louise Taylor

Then: Brittani Louise Taylor was one of the first YouTubers to make bank from music video parodies in the early 2010s, with her comical covers making her a YouTube star.

Now: By the midpoint of the 2010s, her days of enjoying millions of views were over. After giving birth in 2016, her channel underwent a drastic overhaul to mommy vlogging, focusing on topics like baby teeth and 5-minute makeup. The rebrand failed to recapture her original audience.

5. Caitlin Denter

Then: One of YouTube's early music sensations, Denter gained millions of views with her song covers and was even signed to a record label.

Now: After appearing as a contestant on The Voice UK in 2015 while working as a waitress, she was eliminated in the knockout stages. She's still covering music on YouTube, but rarely do her videos exceed 10,000 views. Her dream of mainstream music success never materialized.

6. British YouTube Invasion (2014)

Then: 2014 saw what was called "the British invasion" at VidCon, with creators like Zoella (Zoe Sugg), Joe Sugg, Marcus Butler, and Alfie Deyes dominating the platform.

Now: While some continue making videos, channels like Zoella took a dark turn when she sold her fans merchandise and eventually lost subscribers due to various controversies. The collective cultural impact of this British creator wave has largely dissipated.

7. Shane Dawson

Then: Shane Dawson was one of YouTube's most prominent figures, starting with comedy sketches before moving to longer-format videos around conspiracy theories and YouTuber deep dives, most notably his series on Jeffree Star, Jake Paul, and Tana Mongeau.

Now: In 2020, Dawson's YouTube channels were demonetized by YouTube due to his past controversies resurfacing. While he's married and has children now, his YouTube career effectively ended, making him irrelevant to current online culture.

8. Gaming YouTubers of the Mid-2010s

Then: Many big YouTube gaming stars from around 2014-2016 included names like Gradeaundera, JonTron, iDubbbz, and Leafy, who dominated the platform during this period.

Now: Gradeaundera is totally gone, JonTron's views are way down, iDubbbz tried to rebrand but it didn't work out, and Leafy's on some weird sites now after being banned from YouTube. The gaming commentary format that made them famous has been replaced by newer creators and different content styles.

9. The Fine Bros (React Videos)

Then: The Fine Bros launched a new YouTube destination for their famous React franchise in July 2014, and in less than six months, fans flocked to the new channel to the tune of more than 2.8 million subscribers.

Now: While they still create content, their attempt to trademark reaction videos in 2016 caused massive backlash and permanently damaged their reputation. They never fully recovered their standing in the YouTube community.

10. FouseyTUBE (Yousef Erakat)

Then: Yousef Erakat, who goes by FouseyTUBE, grew from 2.8 million subscribers in summer 2014 to 7.4 million due to his vlogs, sketches and pranks.

Now: His career was derailed by mental health struggles, failed events, and controversial behavior. His influence and relevance have dramatically decreased from his mid-2010s peak.

The Bigger Picture

YouTube's algorithm changes in 2012 marked the beginning of these shifts, when total views plummeted 20% thanks to changes that prioritized watch time over simple view counts. The platform's evolution included algorithm alterations in 2016, the YouTube Adpocalypse in 2017, and monetization rule overhauls in 2018, hitting smaller creators hardest.

Many of these creators were victims of their own success - they built audiences around specific gimmicks or cultural moments that couldn't evolve with changing viewer preferences and platform algorithms. Others fell due to personal scandals, burnout, or simply aging out of their target demographics.

As one observer noted about the original YouTubers at VidCon 2019: "I naively expected those who had been invited back to be welcomed like rock stars. Instead, I found myself looking around a nearly empty convention room at the paltry 50-person crowd who trickled in to watch the 'VidCon #tbt' panel."

Today's YouTube landscape is dominated by highly produced content, corporate backing, and creators who understand the importance of constant adaptation. The DIY bedroom creators of 2014 have largely been replaced by entertainment companies and creators who treat YouTube as a full-scale media business rather than a hobby that got out of hand.

The lesson? In the fast-moving world of internet fame, relevance is temporary, and staying power requires more than just viral moments - it demands evolution, professionalism, and sometimes, knowing when to gracefully exit the stage.