I spent a day with IAN HECOX

we add a nostalgic element, it's an Easter egg or something that makes it more fun, that makes it more fun for people who know what it means, but now we're writing all our sketches. Have we already written four? We have already written four. We set out to make everything look fresh and autonomous. - MMM. - You don't even need to have watched any other Smosh videos in the past to... - Right. - to understand the general story and the jokes, but every once in a while, there's a little joke here or there that's funnier if you catch the nostalgic reference, the play on our old material. - Yes.

So yes. I needed to believe it was going to work, and once we did it, I said, "Okay, I'm in." - Yeah, and after we wrote the first sketch, you were so committed that you said, "I'm going to set up a meeting with Rhett and Link." - Yeah. So I contacted Rhett and Link... - Yeah. - the owners of Smosh... and I met with the two of them and said, "Look, Anthony wants to come back." - Oh. - And they say: "Hey, what?!" They were like... They were really excited about that idea. - Hmm. - But! - But!

There is a warning here. - Here's the thing... - Yes. - "He won't do it unless we... unless we own it." They said, "Look, we'll figure it out." Link specifically said, "I don't even want to talk about the business part. I just want to talk about how exciting this is." They were both very supportive. They said, "Look, we'll figure out the business aspect. We'll figure it out, but that's not the most important thing." - Hmm. - "How do we make this work?" - Yes, and it was at that moment that we realized that this was a real possibility and since that day— - Which I didn't know.

You know, it was like, "Uhh, what if we own Smosh again?" - Yes, but since that moment, we have been secretly working behind the scenes to make this happen and we had to be so secretive that people don't even know about this while we are filming this. - Smosh people don't even know. - The people at Smosh don't even know about this right now. - We actually filmed this, we filmed our announcement video and we filmed our first sketch. - Yes. And... God, I mean... - Yesterday. Yesterday we filmed our first sketch. - Yesterday we filmed our first full sketch.

It was our first time back in front of the camera. - Yes. Mhmm, mhmm, mhmm. - You know, just as you doubted what our writing dynamic would be like, there was a small part of me that doubted what our dynamic on camera would be like. - Oh interesting. I didn't even think about that. - Actually? - Yeah. - Hmm, I mean... - I just thought... Yeah, I didn't even think about that. You know, I knew it was going to be a long day and I haven't done a sketch like that in a long time, but, like... but...

Yeah, I mean, it was really fun. - It was fun! - We laugh all the time. I mean, I was tired at the end of the day... - Yeah. - but it was... Yeah, I was exhausted, but I had a lot of fun. We were making jokes, we were making riffs, we were changing some things on the fly. - MMM. It felt like we were going back to the same patterns of what I think was the golden era of us creating things together. It felt like we fell back into it, like somehow no time had passed. - And for the most part, we were exactly aligned and everything we needed to discuss we discussed right there, we worked it out, we all agreed and we kept moving forward.

There was never any type of conflict. - There's... That's one of the best parts about working together is that there don't seem to be any real hang-ups. It feels like every time there's some kind of obstacle, in a sense, it almost becomes a fun challenge to see how we can do even better because now there's this limitation. - Yes. - I discovered that when we have limitations, our content is actually much stronger. What we're doing is... I think so. It's more interesting, it's more integrated, and I'm excited to see it. I'm very excited to see our first classic style... - Yes, it will be... - a back to the roots sketch of Smosh, fully edited.

Completely edited and back, like... - I'm very excited. I think... Yeah, the big... the big problem... The big question mark on Smosh was the main channel. - Hmm. - It was something that just had no identity and I'm very excited that this main channel has its identity again, being a comedy sketch with you and me. The Smosh Pit and Smosh Games channels, I love what we're doing there. I think... I think there's a lot more potential than the games we're working on and the pits are amazing and we're doing more things there. - Those channels really found their place. - Yes, I'm excited about the whole brand.

I know... Yes. This is... This is... This had to happen. - I agree. - I really feel like... - In a strange way... - The moment, it's strange how good this moment has been. - MMM. - It makes me think this had to happen. - I agree. - There is no other way. This couldn't happen any other way. - I

spent

much of my life regretting so many decisions we made. - Yes. - And now, in hindsight, now that I've had perspective, I can see that everything had to happen exactly the way it did for this... - This wouldn't have happened if this opportunity had arisen three years ago. . - No.

No. - Like... - And it could have happened if it had appeared two years from now. - Yes. - It had to happen exactly how it happened, and I'm very excited to see what we can do now that we have full creative control of everything again. - Yes. This is the logical conclusion of everything that happened. - MMM. - Now we can just... create comedy again and... and, you know, have fun, obviously, work... It's still work, but it's fun and... You know, I know this is something you've done. been very clear... You know, this... This channel does a certain part for you, but there's a certain creative comedy side to you that you feel like you haven't been able to... scratch that itch, right? - Yes, there was a kind of emptiness in my heart of not being able to express myself fully because this channel does a lot for me and allows me to express myself and... - Yes. - be things that are completely different from Smosh... - Yes - I could have allowed myself to do it, but there's still that part of me that... - You can't make ass jokes on this channel. - Yes, I mean, when appropriate. - Anal comedy is low on the list. - Yes, maybe not with the kidnapping survivors or the school shooting survivors, but in certain episodes, yes, it may come to light.

But the thing is, this part of me, this channel, allows me to be curious and learn about myself, learn about others, connect with that deeper humanity that exists within all of us. That's a part of me that also needs to be expressed somehow, but then there's... you know, being able to just hang around and be silly and not take life too seriously and find the comedy in everything and be able to spin it around... crazy idea into something much bigger and more... - Yes. - broader than it seems and... - What we are saying is that the work we do at Smosh is very important to the world. - It's very important.

Change life. - Yes, and if you don't see it, you're a piece of shit. - Yeah. Don't be a piece of shit. - Don't be a piece of shit. - Subscribe to Smosh— - And become a member. - our new channel and become a member... - Yes. - and you will get additional content. - Yes ok. - I feel like we have to receive the hug in there. - Good. Let's do it? Let's do the low hug? The low hug? - Hey, okay. No, but really. - You have to get into... You have to get it into the shot. - Oh, we're full... - Very good, broken.

Turn, we have to... - Why, then we get the butt from all angles? - Yes. - I don't even know what this is, but... - Just dance. Do a dance. Someone is going to write a fan-fic about that. Then we kissed afterwards. I'm really excited about this and I... Dude, it's been months. It's been months and I guess in some ways years of preparation, but... - Yeah. - Um— This is the most— This is the— I really think this is the biggest thing I've ever done, and I'm so scared. - Yeah? - But I know that this is— This is— This is the way. - Everything will be fine.

It's going to work out, and even if it doesn't work... - Come on... Even if it doesn't work... And here's the thing... Even if it doesn't work out, I know this is right. - I agree. - If we burn it to the ground, I'll be happy to do it with you. - I appreciate you. I think that was the kindest... I think that was the sweetest thing you've ever been to me. - Oooh. I'm serious. Let's burn this to the ground. - Let's do it. - Let's do it. - Let's do it. - Yes. - I'm so excited. - Excellent.

I'm starting an Onlyfans. - Yeah? - No. - It's okay if you do. I would subscribe just to support you. Please don't start fanfiction again. - Oh yeah. - Are fan-fictions going to start again? - I offer no opposition. - My confidence increased. - Did? - Yes. Yes. I especially loved it when they killed our girlfriends in the fan-fics. - Oh, that was the best. - And then we would meet. - Yes, because that was the secret. - That was tight. - That was the only thing that prevented us from expressing our true selves. - Yeah.

It was... Yeah, it would be like our girlfriends died in a horrible car accident and then we comforted each other like... - Yeah. - It would be that or they're new in town. - MMM. - It's like, "I want to be your boyfriend," and you'd walk in and be like, "Back off, she's mine." - Or we would be having fun with milk. - Dude, please don't mention the milk fan-fic, for the love of God. - I'm just not denying the story. I do not deny the facts. - Is not true. It's the infamous milk fan-fic. - Anyway... - Let's expose a whole new generation to milk fan-fic.

You realize that, right? - Uh— - Do you feel good about that? Do you feel good about that, Anthony? - No, you should search for "blue goat waffle", you will feel better. - It's probably less bad. - Yeah.