Drew Gooden
Gooden in 2019
Personal information
Born (1993-10-26) October 26, 1993
North Carolina, U.S.
OccupationYouTuber
Spouse
Amanda Murphy
​
(m. 2019)​
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2016–present
Genres
  • Commentary
  • comedy
Subscribers4.11 million[1]
Total views819 million[1]
Associated acts
100,000 subscribers2017
1,000,000 subscribers2018
Last updated: December 19, 2023

Drew Gooden (born October 26, 1993) is an American commentary YouTuber and comedian who makes comedic videos, mainly on internet culture and pop culture. His YouTube channel has over four million subscribers. Before YouTube, Gooden was a Viner best known for his "Road Work Ahead" Vine. He often collaborates with fellow YouTuber Danny Gonzalez; the two went on their We Are Two Different People Tour in 2019. In 2021, Gooden won the Streamy Award for Commentary.[2]

Personal life

Drew Gooden was born on October 26, 1993[P 1] in North Carolina, and has lived in Orlando, Florida since moving there at a young age.[3][P 2] Growing up, Gooden wanted to write for Saturday Night Live.[4]

Gooden met Amanda Gooden (née Murphy[P 3]) in 2015 after she commented on one of his Vines and they started a long-distance relationship for over a year.[P 4] The two got engaged in 2016[P 5] and married on March 10, 2019.[P 6]

Internet career

Vine (2013–2017)

After dropping out of community college two times and taking improv classes, Gooden joined Vine, a six-second video platform, in 2013. Gooden's videos ("Vines") were short comedy sketches—his first viral Vine depicted a Venn diagram of him and his favorite shirt, which both had in common a "mortal enemy" in Jeff Daniels. He described Vines as spontaneous, "the video equivalent of a tweet".[2]

Gooden created what would become his most popular Vine in 2016. On the way to work in Arizona, he asked his girlfriend to record him driving past a "Road Work Ahead" sign and saying, "Road work ahead? Uh, yeah. I sure hope it does."[2] The meme[5] would later be described as one of the "most recognizable videos on the internet," [6] although The Atlantic also called it "passably funny."[7] Gooden remained known for the Vine several years later, calling it his "catchphrase" and selling merchandise based on it; he was recognized at VidCon as the "Road Work Ahead guy." However, he also found it annoying and wanted to separate himself from the video. According to him, the Vine was never as popular when Vine was still active but spread through Vine compilations on YouTube.[5]

Gooden appeared in the Vine-produced web series Camp Unplug (2016), where he first met fellow Viner Danny Gonzalez. By the time Vine closed in January 2017, Gooden had amassed several hundred thousand followers. Besides a small Twitter account, he had no other online followings and decided to migrate to YouTube alongside many other Viners.[2][8]

YouTube (2017–present)

Danny Gonzalez (right) and Gooden (left) on their "We Are Two Different People" tour in 2019

Gooden experimented with different formats and types of videos. As he had wanted to transition to longform content, Gooden's initial idea was to create longer comedy sketches that were similar to his Vines. He eventually settled on being a commentary and reaction YouTuber and his following slowly began to rise again.[2][9][10] Gooden's breakout video was a highly critical review of Jake Paul's live show, uploaded in June 2018. Unlike his other videos, which then averaged one hundred thousand views, the review was viewed four million times in one month.[9][11] He reached one million subscribers in October 2018.[P 7]

Gonzalez also started a commentary channel on YouTube and the two began traveling to appear in each other's videos, becoming close friends. Gooden said that making videos with Gonzalez was more enjoyable because they did not require a script. A running joke between their fans is that they pretend to confuse the two YouTubers together, but as of 2023 neither comedian appreciates this joke.[2][12] This inspired their We Are Two Different People Tour in 2019, with YouTuber Kurtis Conner as a guest star. The tour, with music, effects, and theatrical elements interspersed with sketches and comedy routines, was their first major live performance and ran from September to October.[13][14][15] The two also released a parody song called "We Are Not the Same Person" to promote the tour.[P 8]

Gooden was a Featured Creator at the 10th Annual VidCon.[16] Three years after starting YouTube, Gooden began creating content full-time.[2] In 2021, he won a Streamy Award in Commentary.[2] Gooden was nominated in the same category the next year but lost to Gonzalez.[17]

Content and reception

Gooden is a commentary YouTuber. His videos mainly consist of "deep dives" into YouTube, internet, and pop culture.[2][10][18] Topics of discussion in Gooden's videos have included the difficulties faced by internet celebrities attempting to break into mainstream media in his video on Lilly Singh,[4][19] as well as Jake and Logan Paul,[5] TikTok creators,[20] and movie reviews.[10]

His videos contain comedic elements[10] and comedy sketches, and are filmed in his house. Paste described his videos as his "own comedic version of investigative journalism".[18] He often shares his personal experiences in his videos,[5] and discusses how online trends may be harmful, such as when he examines dangerous videos on YouTube aimed at children. Gooden was criticized by Kaitlyn Tiffany of The Atlantic for an advertisement in the middle of one of his videos, but he has said that he is careful not to be hypocritical as he has criticized celebrities for excessive advertising.[7][18]

Roles

Year Title Notes Ref.
2016 Camp Unplug Vine series [21]
2020 The Pleasure Is Ours Debut episode [22]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2021 Streamy Awards Commentary Won [2]
2022 Streamy Awards Commentary Nominated [17]

References

  1. 1 2 "About Drew Gooden". YouTube.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rosenblatt, Kalhan (January 18, 2022). "Confidence to shine: Drew Gooden says Vine came around right when he needed it". NBC News. Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  3. ↑ McKenney, Kelcie (October 2, 2019). "YouTubers Danny Gonzalez and Drew Gooden visit KC Friday on their We Are Two Different People Tour". The Pitch. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Andrews, Travis M. (September 2, 2021). "Influencers are failing to break out in TV and movies. Can Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae beat the curse?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Sung, Morgan (July 8, 2018). "How Drew Gooden rebuilt his online identity after Vine died". Mashable. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020.
  6. ↑ Mendez, Moises II (November 1, 2022). "Years After Its Demise, People Still Love Vine, Which Is Why It Could Never Work Now". Time. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022. [...] that led to some of the most recognizable videos on the internet: "Road work ahead, uh yeah, I sure hope it does" [...]
  7. 1 2 Tiffany, Kaitlyn (December 24, 2019). "Why Kids Online Are Chasing 'Clout'". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019.
  8. ↑ Wong, Wilson (January 17, 2022). "A look back at Vine — the six-second video app that made us scream, laugh and cry". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Winkie, Luke (March 2, 2021). "One Viral Moment: 9 Drama Commentary YouTubers on Their Breakout Videos". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Dodgson, Lindsay (December 21, 2019). "20 YouTube channels you should really subscribe to in 2020". Insider. Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  11. ↑ Sung, Morgan (June 12, 2018). "YouTuber hilariously breaks down Jake Paul's disaster of a live show". Mashable. Archived from the original on August 8, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  12. ↑ Catching up with Drew Gooden, retrieved December 26, 2023
  13. ↑ Wynne, Kelly (September 5, 2019). "Danny Gonzalez and Drew Gooden talk tour, comedy and YouTube careers". Newsweek. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020.
  14. ↑ Guzman, Richard (September 23, 2019). "Why these YouTube stars are going from the internet to real life". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  15. ↑ McDaniel, Taylor (September 11, 2019). "YouTubers Danny Gonzalez and Drew Gooden captivate fans on comedy show tour". The Oakland Post. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  16. ↑ Weiss, Geoff (April 3, 2019). "Brent Rivera, Colleen Ballinger To Attend 10th Annual VidCon As Featured Creators". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  17. 1 2 "12th Annual Winners". Streamy Awards. December 4, 2022. Archived from the original on October 30, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  18. 1 2 3 Wilbur, Brock (September 9, 2019). "Drew Gooden and Danny Gonzalez: The John Olivers of YouTube Culture". Paste. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020.
  19. ↑ Dodgson, Lindsay (December 12, 2019). "YouTube stars rarely break into mainstream entertainment despite being worshipped by millions of fans. Here's why they might be better off online". Insider. Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  20. ↑ Manavis, Sarah (May 21, 2019). "The unstoppable rise of TikTok moms". New Statesman. Archived from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  21. ↑ Weiss, Geoff (June 27, 2016). "Vine Premieres Its First Long-Form Original Series, 'Camp Unplug', Starring Lauren Giraldo, Cody Ko". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  22. ↑ Brown, Abram (October 26, 2020). "The Many, Many Lives Of Cody Ko, One Of The Internet's Original Stars". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.

Primary sources

  1. ↑ Gooden, Drew [@drewisgooden] (December 20, 2015). "FYI, my birthday IS on my profile, but only I can see it. I don't need a bunch of randoms knowing my birthday" (Tweet). Retrieved December 1, 2022 – via Twitter.
  2. ↑ Gooden, Drew; Johnson, Jarvis Allen; Cope, Jordan Adika (September 9, 2020). "We Are All The Same Person (w/ Drew Gooden)". YouTube. Sad Boyz Podcast. Event occurs at 35:45–35:54. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022.
  3. ↑ Gooden, Drew (December 7, 2017). "Vine: Where Are They Now?". YouTube. Event occurs at 31:50. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  4. ↑ Gooden, Drew [@drewisgooden] (February 14, 2018). "Happy Valentine's Day. To celebrate this pretend holiday fabricated by big corporations in order to sell more chocolate, Amanda and I filmed a long podcast where we talk about how we met and how we made it through a year and a half of long distance. Enjoy" (Tweet). Retrieved December 12, 2022 – via Twitter.
  5. ↑ Gooden, Drew [@drewisgooden] (October 27, 2016). "Last April a girl commented on one of my vines. She lived 2000 miles away. Now we are engaged & live in the same house. All because of @vine" (Tweet). Retrieved December 12, 2022 – via Twitter.
  6. ↑ Gooden, Drew [@drewisgooden] (March 10, 2020). "A year ago today I got married and it was the only time I've ever cried. Isn't that crazy? I had never cried before this and I definitely haven't cried since. Anyway happy birthday to my marriage" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 20, 2021 – via Twitter.
  7. ↑ Gooden, Drew [@drewisgooden] (October 12, 2018). "I can't believe i just hit ONE HUNDRED SUBSCRIBERS are you kidding me??? thx y'all" (Tweet). Retrieved December 12, 2022 – via Twitter.
  8. ↑ Gonzalez, Daniel; Gooden, Drew (May 19, 2019). We Are Not The Same Person (MUSIC VIDEO ONLY) (Video). Archived from the original on September 4, 2022 – via YouTube.

Further reading

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