When fans of YouTube stars turn on their viral idols, something has gone terribly wrong. In this case, the internet mob, with lit torches and pitchforks high in the air, is chasing after Sam Pepper, who has more than 2 million YouTube subscribers and 1 million Twitter followers. In his most recent video, the blue-haired Pepper pretends to murder Colby Brock (who was in on the “prank”) in front of his crying, tied-up friend, Sam Golbach. (These people are all mega-famous on YouTube and social media, and if you have no idea who they are, you’re 600 years old. You’re your parents now.)
“KILLING BEST FRIEND PRANK” begins in a poorly-lit back alley, with Brock pretending that his car broke down. When Golbach helps his buddy look under the hood, a shadowy figure, dressed all in black, appears and throws a hood over Golbach’s head. The scene cuts to a rooftop, where Golbach is held hostage in a chair and Brock is on his knees, with a piece of tape over his mouth. Moments later, the shadowy figure shoots him in the head, dead.
Ha?
The response to the video — which ends with bro hugs — has not been kind.
In 2014, Pepper was accused of sexual harassment by six women who claimed he inappropriately touched them. If he’s what a YouTube star is, I’m fine feeling ancient.
