YouTube star Lazarbeam says his early profanity-laced content may have cost him up to $40 million in lost ad revenue – and he’s not even mad about it.
On Dexerto’s Clickbaited Show, the Australian creator opened up about the lasting impact of his edgy beginnings on the platform and how YouTube’s ever-evolving monetization rules forced him to rethink his entire approach.
“I’d probably be like $40 million richer if I just didn’t swear,” Lazarbeam admitted, referencing the stricter ad policies introduced during the so-called “Adpocalypse.”
Despite pulling in massive viewership, often outperforming his peers, he revealed that his videos earned significantly less due to limited advertiser friendliness.
Topic starts at 7:12
Even after adjusting his content to meet YouTube’s guidelines, the damage was already done. “My ad rates were like six or seven times less than everyone else I knew,” he said, explaining that cleaning up his act didn’t immediately fix the algorithm’s perception of his channel.
Lazarbeam, real name Lannan Eacott, rose to fame with his unfiltered humor and down-to-earth personality, a style that resonated with millions but didn’t exactly play well with YouTube’s monetization system.
But beyond demonetization, the issue almost escalated into a full-blown disaster.
“There’s was few times where I was like one strike away from channel deletion.” he said, highlighting how risky the platform could become for creators who push boundaries, even unintentionally.
Now with over 10 billion views across his content, Lazarbeam has found a middle ground. He’s toned down the swearing without sacrificing his identity, but he’s clear that finding that balance came too late to avoid the financial blow.
“I still am who I am,” he said. “But I would’ve liked to find that balance earlier.”
Despite the lost millions, Lazarbeam maintains a sense of perspective, and, true to form, a sense of humor.
“Still doing great. Life is fantastic,” he joked. “I’m not trying to say it’s bad… but I could have $30, $40 million extra dollars.”
You can watch the full episode and more episodes on the Clickbaited YouTube channel.
Content shared from www.dexerto.com.