{ "id": "ep5a8pmsps", "slug": "vlogbrothers", "title": "Vlogbrothers", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.early_english_webseries", "label": "Early English-language web series (1997–mid 2010s)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.early_english_webseries" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.early_english_webseries", "label": "United States · 2001 to 2020: Early English-language web series (1997–mid 2010s)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.early_english_webseries", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001", "label": "United States · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.early_english_webseries", "label": "Early English-language web series (1997–mid 2010s)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.early_english_webseries" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Vlogbrothers is the YouTube channel of brothers John and Hank Green, started January 1, 2007 as Brotherhood 2.0, center of the Nerdfighteria community, Project for Awesome charity, and the educational company Complexly.", "snippet": "Vlogbrothers is the YouTube channel of brothers John and Hank Green, started January 1, 2007 as Brotherhood 2.0, center of the Nerdfighteria community, Project for Awesome charity, and the educational company Complexly.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.early_english_webseries", "markdown": "# Vlogbrothers\n\n**Vlogbrothers** is a YouTube channel hosted by the American brothers [John Green](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-green) and [Hank Green](https://www.edgepedia.org/hank-green), who have posted videos to each other and to their audience since January 1, 2007. It began as a one-year experiment called [Brotherhood](https://www.edgepedia.org/brotherhood) 2.0, in which the brothers gave up text-based communication and spoke only through public video blogs, and it grew into one of YouTube's longest-running channels and the center of a fan community called Nerdfighteria.[1](https://vlogbrothers.vlogopedia.com/) • [2](https://www.johngreenbooks.com/youtube)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Creators | John Green and Hank Green, brothers; the channel is described on their own site as their primary YouTube channel[3](https://hankandjohn.com/who-we-are) |\n| Started | January 1, 2007, as Brotherhood 2.0: no text messages, emails, or calls for a year, only public vlogs, one every weekday[2](https://www.johngreenbooks.com/youtube) |\n| Community | Nerdfighters, or collectively Nerdfighteria, a fan community formed around the channel[4](https://www.participations.org/17-01-05-lillqvist.pdf) |\n| Scale (October 2026) | About 4,090,000 subscribers, more than 1.1 billion total views, and 2,517 videos[5](https://www.trari.com/en/c/vlogbrothers/) |\n| Charity | The Project for Awesome, run annually since 2007; over $21 million raised since the Foundation to Decrease World Suck was incorporated in 2011[6](https://projectforawesome.com/) |\n| Related company | Complexly, the brothers' educational media company (Crash Course, SciShow, and others), which became a nonprofit in February 2026[7](https://apnews.com/article/22dc695172444cb5ce855df5ca782058) |\n| Tagline | \"Raising nerdy to the power of awesome\"[8](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/vlogbrothers) |\n\n## Brotherhood 2.0\n\nIn 2007 John emailed Hank a proposal: instead of communicating mainly by text message, they would make videos back and forth to each other for a full year.[3](https://hankandjohn.com/who-we-are) The project, called Brotherhood 2.0, required the brothers to cease all text-based contact for one year and keep in touch only through publicly accessible vlogs on their YouTube channel and the Brotherhood 2.0 website.[9](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/vlogbrothers) On January 1, 2007, they began posting videos every single weekday.[2](https://www.johngreenbooks.com/youtube)\n\nThe 2007 season produced 257 videos, 128 by John and 129 by Hank, with a median length of 3 minutes 21 seconds; the letter vlog was the dominant format, alongside challenges, punishments, and songs.[10](https://vlogbrothers.vlogopedia.com/mechanics/) The year also produced the channel's early traditions and in-jokes, including the Foundation to Decrease World Suck as the Brotherhood 2.0 fund, the forum My Pants, and the \"in your pants\" suffix game.[11](https://vlogbrothers.vlogopedia.com/entities/brotherhood-2-0/) When the year ended, the brothers kept making videos, and the channel has continued since.[1](https://vlogbrothers.vlogopedia.com/)\n\n## Nerdfighteria\n\nAs the channel grew, its audience became known as Nerdfighters, or collectively Nerdfighteria. Scholars describe the fan community as having the Vlogbrothers channel as its backbone, with members connecting not only as followers of the brothers but around a broader shared identity as \"nerds\".[4](https://www.participations.org/17-01-05-lillqvist.pdf) • [12](https://uplopen.com/books/907/files/d8a44494-57e0-44ea-8517-d761eec30a08.pdf) The community built its own forums, blogs, wikis, and a subreddit, and developed its own vocabulary, including the word \"doobly-doo\" for a video's description section.[4](https://www.participations.org/17-01-05-lillqvist.pdf) • [1](https://vlogbrothers.vlogopedia.com/)\n\nThe videos themselves mix everyday vlogging with civic topics. Researchers studying the channel note that many videos place current events in broader historical or political context, discussing subjects such as environmentalism, LGBT rights, voting, and the [Zaatari refugee camp](https://www.edgepedia.org/zaatari-refugee-camp) alongside lighter fare.[13](https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/MNJh9ADxEE3xu89fJq4k/full) The brothers long avoided advertising on the channel, turning it on only after seeking and receiving permission from the Nerdfighter community.[13](https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/MNJh9ADxEE3xu89fJq4k/full)\n\n## Projects beyond the channel\n\n**Complexly.** Using their vlogbrothers following as a foundation, the brothers launched Complexly, an educational media company whose network of over a dozen channels, among them [Crash Course](https://www.edgepedia.org/crash-course), SciShow, PBS Eons, Healthcare Triage, and The Art Assignment, counts 18 million subscribers in total and draws more than 60 million monthly views; these channels remain completely free, supported by advertising, grants, and Patreon contributions.[3](https://hankandjohn.com/who-we-are) In February 2026 Complexly converted to a nonprofit: the brothers gave up their equity, John became \"founder emeritus\", Hank joined the board, and the company committed $8.5 million to new content, with John citing a desire not to be overly reliant on advertising.[7](https://apnews.com/article/22dc695172444cb5ce855df5ca782058)\n\n**Charity.** The Project for Awesome (P4A), first organized in 2007 as the Nerdfighter Power Project for Awesome, is an annual charity video drive hosted by the brothers with their community.[6](https://projectforawesome.com/) Since the Foundation to Decrease World Suck was incorporated in 2011, the fundraiser has raised over $21 million, with 100 percent of funds going to charity after perk production, platform fees, and the part-time team's pay.[6](https://projectforawesome.com/) The 2024 edition alone raised more than $3.5 million.[14](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/hank-green-on-digital-age-philanthropy-and-decreasing-world-suck) The brothers say they have granted more than $17 million to dozens of charities through the Foundation to Decrease World Suck, funded by profits from their online retailer, the Good Store.[7](https://apnews.com/article/22dc695172444cb5ce855df5ca782058) They also founded the crowdfunding platform Subbable in 2013 to help other creators raise money for specific projects.[7](https://apnews.com/article/22dc695172444cb5ce855df5ca782058)\n\n## The channel today\n\nAs of late October 2026 the channel counts about 4,090,000 subscribers, a figure essentially unchanged over the preceding month, and more than 1.1 billion total views across 2,517 videos, averaging roughly 240,000 views a day over the preceding 30 days.[5](https://www.trari.com/en/c/vlogbrothers/) A typical new long video draws about 261,000 views.[5](https://www.trari.com/en/c/vlogbrothers/) Recent uploads run from about five to thirteen minutes and cover topics from productivity and happiness to tuberculosis, the last reflecting John's book *[Everything Is Tuberculosis](https://www.edgepedia.org/everything-is-tuberculosis)* and his work with Partners in Health, whose tuberculosis tracking in Lesotho he has highlighted.[5](https://www.trari.com/en/c/vlogbrothers/) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/22dc695172444cb5ce855df5ca782058)\n\nThe channel's longevity is unusual for YouTube: it has run continuously since before the iPhone existed, and the brothers have kept the format of videos addressed from one brother to the other, opening with greetings such as \"Good morning, John\" and \"Good morning Hank, it's Tuesday!\".[15](https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2025/11/the-internet-is-a-misery-machine/684925/) • [16](https://www.asau.ru/files/pdf/1789450.pdf) The brothers also host the podcast Dear Hank and John, and the channel's community traditions include Pizzamas, a yearly two-week revival of the 2007 daily-upload schedule, held not near Christmas and loosely based on pizza.[17](https://vlogbrothers.vlogopedia.com/entities/dear-hank-and-john/) • [18](https://vlogbrothers.vlogopedia.com/mechanics/schedule/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [vlogbrothers wiki: John & Hank Green](https://vlogbrothers.vlogopedia.com/)\n2. [YouTube — John Green](https://www.johngreenbooks.com/youtube)\n3. [Who We Are — Hank and John](https://hankandjohn.com/who-we-are)\n4. [Participations: The Nerdfighter community and the Vlogbrothers channel](https://www.participations.org/17-01-05-lillqvist.pdf)\n5. [vlogbrothers: subscribers, views and new videos, Trari](https://www.trari.com/en/c/vlogbrothers/)\n6. [Home, Project for Awesome](https://projectforawesome.com/)\n7. [Hank and John Green's studio becomes a nonprofit, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/22dc695172444cb5ce855df5ca782058)\n8. [vlogbrothers, TheTVDB](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/vlogbrothers)\n9. [Vlogbrothers, Know Your Meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/vlogbrothers)\n10. [Channel mechanics, vlogbrothers wiki](https://vlogbrothers.vlogopedia.com/mechanics/)\n11. [Brotherhood 2.0, vlogbrothers wiki](https://vlogbrothers.vlogopedia.com/entities/brotherhood-2-0/)\n12. [Affinity Online](https://uplopen.com/books/907/files/d8a44494-57e0-44ea-8517-d761eec30a08.pdf)\n13. [Cunningham & Craig, Being 'really real' on YouTube (2017)](https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/MNJh9ADxEE3xu89fJq4k/full)\n14. [Hank Green on digital age philanthropy, Inside Philanthropy](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/hank-green-on-digital-age-philanthropy-and-decreasing-world-suck)\n15. [Galaxy Brain: The Internet Is a Misery Machine, The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2025/11/the-internet-is-a-misery-machine/684925/)\n16. [Authenticity, Community, and Brand Culture](https://www.asau.ru/files/pdf/1789450.pdf)\n17. [Dear Hank and John, vlogbrothers wiki](https://vlogbrothers.vlogopedia.com/entities/dear-hank-and-john/)\n18. [Schedule: which days, how often, vlogbrothers wiki](https://vlogbrothers.vlogopedia.com/mechanics/schedule/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Early English-language web series (1997–mid 2010s)*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/vlogbrothers", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/vlogbrothers.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Vlogbrothers\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/vlogbrothers. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Vlogbrothers](https://www.edgepedia.org/vlogbrothers)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/vlogbrothers](https://www.edgepedia.org/vlogbrothers). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Vlogbrothers\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/vlogbrothers. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Vlogbrothers is the YouTube channel of brothers John and Hank Green, started January 1, 2007 as Brotherhood 2.0, center of the Nerdfighteria community, Project for Awesome charity, and the educational company Complexly." }