Viral YouTuber MrBeast has set a lot of records over the years on the video platform, even going so far as to challenge PewDiePie for the fourth-most subscribed channel on YouTube. However, even MrBeast can be bumped from the covetous positions his videos have achieved, and now one such real-world event has done just that.
Viewers of the 2022 Oscars Award ceremony were stunned to see an altercation play out live between actors Will Smith and Chris Rock following a joke regarding Jada Pinkett Smith's hair. The now-infamous on-stage assault was such a big deal that an upload of the uncensored attack has now surpassed MrBeast's YouTube record-setting video.
Back in November, MrBeast set a record on YouTube for having the most-viewed upload (excluding music videos and trailers) in a single day; after just 24 hours, the MrBeast Squid Game video had reached 42.6 million views. However, the Will Smith and Chris Rock altercation shared by Guardian News has roared straight past that, reaching 48 million views in just 16 hours. The video is now just shy of 65 million views, and is still holding onto the number one spot among trending videos.
Of course, there are some massive differences between the two videos, which are partially responsible for the extreme popularity of the new Oscars clip. Will Smith's anger at the joke was unexpected to the point that even Chris Rock seemed to need a moment to continue the show segment. The Oscars award ceremony is normally a fairly subdued event, without many of the antics and surprising moments that set other awards ceremonies apart, like the Emmy or Grammy Award ceremonies. Seeing any kind of surprising moment from the ceremony would likely generate a lot of views, but an altercation between two extremely well-known talents suddenly breaking out onstage is definitely unusual.
That being said, MrBeast's video rode a wave of viral popularity itself. MrBeast's contest and giveaway videos generate plenty of interest on their own, with money often on the line. However, Squid Game, the South Korean Netflix mega-hit, was the inspiration for his record-setting video. Squid Game took over the internet following its streaming launch, and that standalone popularity combined with MrBeast's success helped to propel the YouTube hit to a new record.
For now, it remains to see what the fallout of the Oscars moment will be. The Academy is reportedly reviewing the incident to determine what steps it will take. Chris Rock has chosen not to press charges against Will Smith. While the eventual outcome is unknown, this particular night of Academy Awards history is unlikely to be outdone by any other Best Actor winner anytime soon.
Source: Dexerto