Okay, grab your coffee (or tea, I don’t judge). We need to talk about the biggest comeback story in YouTube history. I’m talking, of course, about Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla buying back Smosh.
Remember when they sold it? It felt like the end of an era. Then, poof, they actually own it again. But the burning question is: how much did they pay for it?
Spoiler alert: the exact number is a secret. Annoying, right? But we have enough breadcrumbs to make a pretty solid guess.
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The Price Tag Guessing Game
Let’s talk about the parent company, Mythical Entertainment. You know, Rhett & Link’s empire? They bought Smosh back in 2019 for a reported “under $10 million.”
That’s a big, squishy range. Was it $9.9 million? Was it like, $3.50 and a bag of chips? We don’t know.
Fast forward to 2023. Ian and Anthony buy it back. Industry chatter and whispers from people “in the know” suggest the price was somewhere between $5 million and $10 million.
Yeah, that’s still vague. Sorry. But think about it: Mythical likely wanted to recoup their investment. They probably didn’t sell at a huge loss.
So, a “mid-to-high seven-figure” deal is a safe bet. That’s fancy business-speak for “a buttload of money, but not life-changing for a giant company.”
Why That Number Makes Sense
First, Smosh was profitable. Mythical wasn’t selling a dying brand. They were selling a healthy, cash-flowing business. That drives the price up.
Second, Ian and Anthony got a “friend discount.” Maybe? Rhett and Link love those guys. They probably didn’t haggle like they were buying a used car on Craigslist.
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Third, the deal probably included deferred payments. That means Ian and Anthony might have paid some now, and some later from future profits. Smart, right?
So, forget a single, dramatic check. It was likely a structured deal. Very grown-up. Very responsible. Ugh.
What Did They Actually Buy?
This isn’t like buying a house, folks. They didn’t just get the keys to the Smosh studio. They bought the entire library of old videos.
That includes the classic “Food Battle” videos. The “Pokémon in Real Life” series. All the cringey, beautiful, old stuff we grew up on. That has value.
They also bought the brand name, the trademarks, and the cast contracts. That means Courtney, Damien, Shayne, and the whole gang? Yeah, they came with the sale.
Basically, they bought the soul of Smosh. And the rights to sell all those ugly-but-awesome hoodies.
The Big Money Question
Could Ian and Anthony afford this alone? Probably not. Anthony has been making solid money on his solo channel, sure. Ian has been at the helm.
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But $5-10 million in cash? That’s rare for YouTubers, even OG ones. They likely got investors or a loan.
Think of it like a startup. Ian and Anthony are the founders buying the company back. They put in some of their own cash, and promised future profits to someone else.
It’s a risk. But it’s a risk they clearly wanted to take. And honestly? It’s working.
Why We Even Care
We care because this is a fairy tale ending for internet culture. Two friends split up, sold their baby, and then bought it back together.
That never happens. Usually, people sell out and move to Monaco. Ian and Anthony bought back the living room where they made dumb jokes.
The price tag doesn’t matter as much as the vibe. The vibe is that they’re happy. The vibe is that the content is good again.
So, did they pay a cool $6.5 million? Or was it a bargain $4.2 million? We may never know the real number. And honestly? Who cares.
They got their company back. We get the content. That’s a deal we can all get behind. Cheers to that.