Nicholas Perry (born May 19, 1992), better known as Nikocado Avocado, is a Ukrainian-born American internet celebrity and YouTuber known for his mukbang videos. As of September 2024[update], he has accumulated more than 9.9 million subscribers and approximately 2.67 billion total views across six YouTube channels. His online persona is known for his comedic and theatrical performances, gaining excess weight on camera, and generating over 10 billion views on TikTok.
| Nikocado Avocado | ||||||||||
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| Personal information | ||||||||||
| Born | Nicholas Perry May 19, 1992 Kherson, Ukraine | |||||||||
| Nationality | American | |||||||||
| Occupation | YouTuber | |||||||||
| Spouse |
Orlin Home (m. 2017) | |||||||||
| Website | nikocadoavocado | |||||||||
| YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Channels | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2013–present | |||||||||
| Genre | Mukbang | |||||||||
| Subscribers | 4.55 million[1] | |||||||||
| Total views | 908 million[1] | |||||||||
| Associated acts |
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Last updated: September 22, 2024 | ||||||||||
In September 2024, he said in a video that he had lost over 250 pounds (114 kg) over the course of two years. He said he had concealed this weight loss by uploading prerecorded content. The video, entitled "Two Steps Ahead", garnered over 26 million views within 48 hours.[2]
Early life
Perry was born in Kherson on May 19, 1992, and was adopted in infancy by an American family who raised him in Pennsylvania.[3] He majored in violin performance in college,[4] attending the Catholic University of America's Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art and performing at Carnegie Hall.[5] Between 2011 and 2012, he made a living as a freelance violinist and a Home Depot worker, and moved to New York City in 2013 to pursue his dream of playing in a Broadway orchestra.[6][7] However, he found it difficult to make a living in a city surrounded by other talented musicians.[3]
Career
Perry's husband, who already had a YouTube channel of his own, first encouraged Perry to start one in 2014. His channel, named Nikocado Avocado, then consisted of vegan and lifestyle vlogs, as well as musical performances.[6][7] On September 1, 2016, Perry released a video explaining why he no longer wanted to be a vegan YouTuber and his frustrations with the vegan community, which he described as "unbalanced, hostile, and mentally unstable".[3][6]
From 2016 onwards, Perry began filming mukbang videos, becoming one of the first American men to partake in the trend, with his first mukbang video reaching 50,000 views in a couple of weeks.[8] His earlier mukbang videos showed his pet parrot sitting on his shoulder while he ate.[8]
Perry appeared on Comedy Central's Tosh.0 in 2018.[9] He also has a presence on platforms other than YouTube, such as Cameo, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Patreon,[10] and OnlyFans.[4] He says he has had manic episodes due to his poor diet, and that he takes advantage of his low moments by using clickbait to encourage views to his videos.[3]
According to Perry's interview with MEL Magazine in 2021, many of his online conflicts are self-orchestrated for the benefit of his career, citing his past education in performance arts and his desire to play the role of the villain. “It’s all completely scripted,” Mr. Perry told Mel magazine in 2021 during a conversation in which he also discussed his OnlyFans channel. “YouTube has been a way for me to create a character and provide entertainment."[11]
In a video uploaded on May 10, 2024, Perry announced that he was giving up his weight loss journey, telling his viewers that he failed to lose a significant amount of weight within the past two years.[12]
However, on September 6, Perry revealed that he had lost over 250 pounds (110 kg) in a video called "Two Steps Ahead", which gained over 26 million views in 48 hours. In the video, Perry revealed that he secretly lost the weight over the past two years and hid this fact by uploading pre-recorded content during that time, calling it the "greatest social experiment of [his] entire life".[12] Perry opened the video wearing a giant panda mask, which he said symbolized the world of social media not being as black-and-white as it appears. He said, "While everybody pointed and laughed at me for over-consuming food, I was in total control the entire time. In reality, people are completely absorbed with internet personalities and obsessively watch their content. That is where a deeper level of over-consumption lies—and it's the parallel I wanted to make."[12]
Health concerns
Due to Perry's sharp weight gain in recent years, many fans and YouTubers have been concerned about his health.[3][13] In a 2019 interview, Perry said he only planned on creating mukbang videos "for a couple more years" and that "it is very unhealthy".[8] Numerous emotionally turbulent videos uploaded by Perry have also led people to question the state of his mental health.[14] In 2019, Perry told Men's Health that he suffers from erectile dysfunction and a loss of libido as a result of his binge eating.[7] In 2021, he claimed that he had fractured his ribs after months of "excessive, forceful coughing".[3] He also told his viewers that he had classed as disabled and rode a mobility scooter.[15]
Controversies
In December 2019, Perry was accused by mukbanger Stephanie Soo of harassing her by sending her text messages and taking photos from inside her home. Perry published a response video disputing her statements, in which he displayed the photos he took and argued that Soo was fully aware of them being taken.[16] He also showed their text conversations, stating that Soo had stood him up for a scheduled collaboration.[14][16][17][18] Zach Choi, a fellow mukbanger who once joined Perry and Soo in a collaboration, later stated that he had hired an attorney to address Perry's statements, though no legal action ever took place.[17][18] Perry later said that he and Soo had faked the feud to benefit their careers.[4]
Personal life
According to a 2016 video, Perry first met Orlin Home through a vegan Facebook group. After months of online communication, Home traveled to the U.S. from his native country, Colombia, to meet Perry at the Woodstock Fruit Festival. They began a relationship after traveling together in Central America, and Perry abandoned his musical career in early 2014 to settle down with Home in Colombia.[3][6] The two married on April 10, 2017.[3] They currently reside in Las Vegas, Nevada.[11]
References
- ^ a b "About NikocadoAvocado". YouTube.
- ^ "YouTuber Nikocado Avocado bamboozles viewers with secret weight loss transformation". NBC News. September 8, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Asarch, Steven; Mendez II, Moises; Cheong, Charissa; Lloyd, Andrew (November 26, 2022). "Inside the rise of Nikocado Avocado, the extreme-eating YouTuber whose dramatic meltdowns have led to years of controversy and feuds". Insider. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ a b c Stone, Lillian (September 1, 2021). "Who is the Real Nik Avocado?". MEL Magazine. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ^ "Carnegie Concert Preview". Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America. October 28, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Amo, Sergio del (May 3, 2022). "The YouTuber who gained 100 kilos in front of the camera". El País. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ a b c Matthews, Melissa (January 19, 2019). "These Viral 'Mukbang' Stars Get Paid to Gorge on Food—at the Expense of Their Bodies". Men's Health. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
- ^ a b c Italie, Leanne (October 3, 2019). "Binge eating videos find big audience, even for weight loss". AP News. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
- ^ Comedy Central (November 4, 2018). "CeWEBrity Profile – Nikocado Avocado – Tosh.0" Archived October 27, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. YouTube
- ^ Lucas, Jessica (October 18, 2021). "The ED community is using Nikocado Avocado as 'thinspiration'". Input. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Kircher, Madison (September 11, 2024). "Why a YouTuber's Drastic Weight Loss Went Viral". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 11, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c Yang, Angela (September 8, 2024). "YouTuber Nikocado Avocado bamboozles viewers with secret weight loss transformation". NBC News. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ "Is This YouTuber Eating Himself to Death?". IYCMI. Slate. November 28, 2021. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ a b Harris, Margot (April 17, 2020). "Extreme-eating YouTuber Nikocado Avocado calls himself 'Jesus' and cries in a new video, leading many viewers to express concern". Insider. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
- ^ Murphy, John (October 9, 2021). "Exclusive: Nikocado Avocado fires back after YouTuber claims he's 'slowly killing himself for views'". Extra.ie. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Nikocado Avocado (December 30, 2019). "re: Stephanie Soo" Archived October 12, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. YouTube.
- ^ a b Harris, Margot (January 28, 2020). "A controversial extreme-eating YouTuber had a meltdown after his former collaborators accused him of abusive behavior". Insider. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
- ^ a b Drayton, Tiffanie (December 23, 2019). "YouTuber Stephanie Soo exposes Nikocado Avocado's alleged abuse in video". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.