VidCon Honors YouTube Legends

Jul 2

story by editor-in-chief: Ashly Nicole

When you think of videos and the internet, in current times you might think of some well known TikTok stars, twitch streamers, or even newer faces to the long form content scene. If you were to ask someone, lets just say…a millennial or “older” gen-z, they might give you names like Rhett and Link, SMOSH, Grace Helbig, or everyone’s favorite science fact guy, Hank Green! And these icons, as well as many others, are exactly who we’re talking about here.
With 2025 being the 20th, that’s right, 20th anniversary of YouTube and 15th annual VidCon, this year was nothing short of unforgettable, summoning some of the most legendary original creators to come out of their VidCon hiatus, even just for a weekend.

Hank Green announcing the very first VidCon in 2010

VidCon was started in 2010, by none other than brothers, Hank and John Green, otherwise known as, the Vlogbrothers. The very first convention was held in July of 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Plaza in Century City, only amassing about 1,400 people, while today, VidCon hosts their yearly convention at the Anaheim Convention Center, with now over 50,000 people in attendance.
This year’s creator roster was stacked for everyone, including new to the internet tots and “OG” YouTube vets alike. In attendance were so many recognizable names from CG5 to JMANCURLY, from Anothony Padilla to Tyler Oakley.

The convention kicked off with an opening ceremony on the main stage, absolutely packed with fans, even spilling over into the floors and aisles just to get a glimpse of some of their favorite creators. Opening the ceremony was the one and only CG5, who’s humor, video game themed tunes, and vocal talents definitely set the vibe for the rest of the show, he even made references to each of the Hall of Fame inductees throughout his performance. The crowd got increasingly more rowdy and more excited as each act took the stage, finally leading up to the VidCon Hall of Fame inauguration; something so many people were on the edge of their seats for.

CG5 performing at VidCon Opening Ceremony
Photo by Ashly Nicole

There are SO many amazing creators that have emerged through the 20 years of YouTube and 15 years of VidCon existing, and so so many of them deserving of such an honor, including the ones who have made their mark so prevalent that they have been inducted into the VidCon Hall of Fame, leaving their legacy to shine in VidCon History forever.
The awards were presented by the icon himself, Kalen Allen, and creators inducted into the Hall of Fame include, Grace Helbig, Joey Graceffa, Rosanna Pansino, SMOSH: Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox, Tyler Oakley, Mythical: Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, and last, but certainly some of the greatest, the Vlogbrothers, Hank and John Green.
Although no longer owned by the VlogBrothers, inducted both Hank and John’s contributions as founders of VidCon, as well as content creators, and without them, we wouldn’t have the community that we do on some of these platforms.

When discussing the impact these creators have had on not only VidCon, but the online creative community as a whole, VidCon VP, Sarah Tortoreti has been quoted stating, "VidCon has always been the premier event celebrating all aspects of the creator economy. By introducing a way to honor these iconic creators in our new ‘VidCon Hall of Fame,’ we are recognizing their contribution to the evolution of digital culture and their instrumental impact on pop culture and fandom."
So it looks like we may be seeing more YouTube and VidCon pioneers, if you will, be inducted into the VidCon Hall of Fame at future VidCon’s to come. I cannot wait to see the amazing creators that continue to build their platforms and to see them gain the recognition they’ve worked so hard for these past two decades.

All of these creators still make such entertaining long and short form content, and are so deserving of this award and platforms! If you’ve never heard of them, now you have, and I highly recommend checking each and every one of them out. Who knows? Maybe one (or all) of them will become staples in your daily video rotation!
I can’t wait to find out what next year’s VidCon has in store for us.