KSI made a response video in response to the tweets of DanTDM and others who took issue with his Lunchly brand, a Lunchables competitor he’s working with Logan Paul and MrBeast on. His response didn’t go over well, even with his fans.
Between the popularity of PRIME and Feastables, these three Youtubers have turned their identity as influencers into an ad campaign for some incredibly popular brands that have quickly taken over grocery stores. However, that’s a problem according to DanTDM.
His initial criticism claimed that Lunchly doesn’t do anything for the fans of the YouTubers, with him calling out the three of them for using their fame to sell a product.
“I can’t not say anything anymore. This is selling stuff for the sake of making money, simple. How does this benefit their fans? This is selling crap to kids who don’t know better than to trust the people who are selling it to them. Do better,” he said.
Other big YouTubers like JackSepticEye sided with Dan on the issue.
In response, KSI made a few tweets and a 20 minute response video going through comments. And, though he made a number of attempts at “turning the mirror” on DanTDM, as KSI put it, his fans just aren’t buying it.
He pointed out how several other YouTubers have used their platform to promote food, including DanTDM, but that he feels like he & his business partners are being targeted unfairly in comparison to other creators.
“I’m not seeing people going crazy toward them on Twitter, do you know why? I’ve realized why. People just hate us, they hate us. People hate Logan Paul, they hate MrBeast, and they hate me on Twitter.”
As it’d turn out, KSI would get immense backlash on other platforms as well. He showed a lot of the memes people were using to call him out on Reddit and reacted to some of the most popular ones in his response video.
Additionally, the YouTube comments were overwhelmingly negative. Though it’s possible to see an accurate dislike ratio on YouTube videos, the top comments paint a picture.
“Man works with the two most controversial figures on YouTube right now and responds with ‘they just hate us for no reason’,” one commenter said.
For reference, Jake Paul has been embroiled in a number of controversies including an ongoing legal battle with Coffeezilla over CryptoZoo. MrBeast has also been in hot water with fans after a number of allegations of his staff and contestants being mistreated on set, allegations he has yet to respond to.
“JJ slowly getting more and more triggered through the video is hilarious,” said another YouTube commenter.
Others called KSI out for the way he responded, claiming that he cherrypicked tweet replies with only a few likes and didn’t acknowledge the community notes on his posts.
It’s not as if all of KSI’s fans are against the idea of Lunchly or the way it’s being marketed, but a lot of longtime viewers and people who frequent his subreddit agree with DanTDM’s criticism despite their love for the creator.