It’s officially turkey time; and, more importantly, it’s time to give thanks. So as we give thanks to all the creators that make the internet what it is, check out some of our biggest stories of the week: from our latest dispatch of the ongoing “ban or sell” TikTok drama, to Taylor Lorenz’s longread on brain rot. We also have a world exclusive you definitely don’t want to miss.
These stories and more will all make it light reading, so here is everything you need to know about what you’ve missed on Passionfruit this week.
Exclusive: Ooompaville on MrBeast
After months of controversy, Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson remained silent. That was, until, his surprise interview with YouTuber Caleb “Oompaville” Phelps. In this world exclusive, Steven Asarch speaks to Phelps to discover how one of the biggest interviews in internet culture came to be.
“I don’t know how I got the MrBeast interview,” Phelps admits. The meeting with MrBeast, he said, was arranged in a matter of hours after Donaldson unexpectedly reached out to him. During the interview, Donaldson discussed suing ex-employee Dawson French — who accused Donaldson for faking his videos and running illegal lotteries.
Donaldson also accused r/YouTubedrama mods of suppressing positive posts about him: and he had the receipts too. Strangely, nothing was mentioned about former employee Ava Kris Tyson.
To uncover the truth behind the interview, read the article here.
TikTok CEO Cozies Up to Elon Musk
According to the Wall Street Journal, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chu has reached out to Elon Musk: the X owner and billionaire who recently landed a job with incoming President Donald Trump.
Sources familiar with the situation say that they didn’t speak about the “sell-or-ban” saga directly. Instead, they purportedly discussed Trump’s upcoming administration and the potential impact it might have on tech policy.
Nonetheless, these sources claim that these conversations with Musk are making Chew and ByteDance “cautiously optimistic” about the future of TikTok.
You can read more here.
How Brainrot Became the Internet’s Lingua Franca
In this article, Taylor Lorenz charts the evolution of brainrot from a colloquial phrase to a whole genre of memes. As she explains, terms such as rizz, sigma, and skibidi dominate the slang of Gen Z and Gen Alpha more than ever before; causing a generational gulf as young internet users build their own, distinct, online communities.
But how did we get here? According to Lorenz, it’s the after-effects of the pandemic which, among other things, led to young people spending a lot of time in front of a computer screen.
“For Gen Z and Gen Alpha, we had all these big milestones [in our lives] happen online,” brain rot creator Zach Carter said in an interview. “So we had to find ways to talk to each other and be weird.”
You can read the full article here.
Who are AJ, Big Justice, and The Rizzler?
If you didn’t understand a word of that title, I feel sorry for you. This explainer breaks down three of the biggest personalities of the internet: dynamic father-and-son duo AJ and Big Justice, and their best friend, the indominatable Rizzler.
Otherwise known as ‘the Costco guys,’ AJ and Big Justice have made a name for themselves with their unique food and product reviews: rating everything with a “BOOM” or a “DOOM.”
Meanwhile, the Rizzler, whose currently battling third grade, has gone mainstream for his impeccable “rizz face.” From humble beginnings to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, this article tracks it all.
You can read the full article here.
What Creators Can Learn From Wicked’s Marketing Campaign
Forget about Barbie pink: it’s all about Wicked now. The musical, which stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, is now out in theatres: but it took a lot of work to get it to that point.
In this article, I examine Wicked’s eventful marketing strategy and consider how it can be applied to creators. The strategy teaches us crucial lessons like the importance of consistency and audience engagement.
So, if you want to hold space for this article, click here.
Lume Cube RBG Tube Light XL Review
If portability and versatility in terms of lighting equipment is important to you, then you’ll love the Lume Cube RGB Tube Light XL. It’s a 4ft light tube with 492 LEDs, and powerfully outputs 3400 Lumens and 16M RGB colors. It also has an adjustable 2700K-7500K temperature.
In his review, John Michael-Bond cites several benefits of the tool. This includes its bright, accurate and adaptable lighting, its durability, its adjustable color/brightness feature, its versatility, its long battery life and the usability of the accompanying app.
There are a few cons to the device as well, but to find out our ultimate verdict, and who we would recommend us to, please read the full piece here.
Passionfruit on YouTube: Deep Linkers with Taylor Lorenz
In between writing her piece on brainrot, friend of Passionfruit Taylor Lorenz stopped by as a guest on our latest Deep Linkers episode. During the show, Lorenz detailed her illustrious career across platforms like The New York Times and Washington Post, before leaving legacy media to launch User Mag: her own independent publication.
She also gave us her takes on horror movies, feminism, brain-rot, and so much more. This is definitely not an episode to miss. To watch the full episode, click the link above.
