Smosh co-founder exits YouTube channel

as of today i am no longer part of smosh. i hope this video shows you why i feel this is the best decision for me ❤️ https://t.co/HDe4doIvts pic.twitter.com/wZFesMvm3D

— Anthony Padilla (@anthonypadilla) June 14, 2017

YouTube personality Anthony Padilla is leaving Smosh, the youth-focused YouTube channel he co-created twelve years ago.

Padilla is leaving the sketch comedy channel to follow “a passion that I have wanted to explore for a long time”.

Smosh is one of the most popular channels on YouTube, with nearly 6.5 billion videos views to date and more than 22 million subscribers.

The network is part of digital video firm Defy Media, which also owns Clevver, Screen Junkies, Break, Teen.com and Shut Up! Cartoons.

Defy president Keith Richman said the Smoth brand would continue under its other co-founder, Ian Hecox, and its production team.

“Smosh has not only sustained its top-ranking position for more than a decade, it has expanded from its two co-founders to a global comedy empire with 14 cast members, seven original channels counting over 70 million fans, and multiple product and programming extensions,” he said.

“Anthony and I have been friends for 19 years, and creative partners for the past 11 of those years. Throughout that time, we’ve built a comedy brand we’re so proud of and, side by side, developed content we loved – Smosh wouldn’t be what it is today without his contributions. As Anthony moves on to pursue new creative endeavors, myself and everyone at Smosh are excited to see what he does next. I’m really looking forward to taking Smosh to the next phase, and we can’t wait for people to see what we have coming up.”