A Brief History & Timeline of the H3h3 Vs. Keemstar beef

For years now, one of Youtube’s biggest beefs has taken place between Ethan Klein (H3H3) and Keemstar. Once, they had a mutual respect for each other but this has long since gone, and ever since the pair have had a frosty relationship filled with drama. In this article, we shall give a brief overview and timeline of how this began and where it’s currently at.

Keep in mind the word ‘brief’, as otherwise we could be here all day. In fact, one Youtuber by the name of Bowblax even made an entire video on the beef which was almost 6 hours in length. If you can afford the time (and energy) to watch it then the video is below:

For everyone else who doesn’t have all the time in the world, here’s a quick timeline of one of the prettiest Youtube beefs going:

Keemstar and H3H3 initially had a cordial relationship as they both gained popularity. They even supported each other during controversies, with Keemstar defending H3H3 against Leafyishere and H3H3 privately persuading Keemstar to apologize for his comments on Total Biscuit.

Their alliance was largely due to a shared dislike of Leafyishere, who had been friends with both of them. This was evident when H3H3 appeared on Keemstar’s podcast, Baited.

However, behind the scenes, H3H3 never genuinely liked Keemstar and likely only maintained a friendly front due to their common issue with Leafyishere. Ethan (H3H3) probably started disliking Keemstar around the same time as Idubbbz, given their mutual connection through Filthy Frank.

The truth about H3H3’s feelings toward Keemstar was revealed when Ethan responded to a comment saying “Don’t worry, we hate Keem too” on a podcast episode. Keemstar didn’t fully comprehend the meaning behind this until later.

A controversial episode of the H3H3 podcast emerged, where Ethan criticized PewDiePie’s use of a racial slur. This video received heavy backlash, as people saw Ethan as a hypocrite due to his own past use of the same slur. Keemstar and Scarce reported on this but did not take sides, simply relaying the audience’s opinion.

During a drunken livestream, Ethan perceived this reporting as a personal attack and insulted Keemstar and Scarce, questioning their credibility. Ethan defended his stance, arguing that his use of the racial slur was in a different context from PewDiePie’s. Keemstar did not need to defend himself since Ethan’s audience did it for him.

Ethan later admitted his immaturity in handling the topic and apologized for his actions. However, he finally confessed to Keemstar that he had always disliked him.

Their relationship deteriorated from that point onward. The commentary community gradually turned against Ethan and expressed their grievances to Keemstar. Despite this, Ethan continued to be held to a high standard publicly.

The first significant call-out against Ethan came from an up-and-coming YouTuber named Gokunaru, whose video gained over a million views and inspired other commentary YouTubers to criticize H3H3. Keemstar embraced this criticism as more people agreed with his opinions on Ethan, but it’s hard to say if they truly hated each other at this stage.

The beef between them simmered for a while but reignited when Gokunaru’s video was removed from YouTube for violating harassment policies. Based on circumstantial evidence, including Ethan’s meeting with Susan Wojcicki shortly after the video appeared in his search history, multiple individuals (including Keemstar) pointed fingers at Ethan as the cause. While Ethan claimed innocence, some believed he went against his free speech ideals by not opposing the video’s removal. This further damaged Ethan’s reputation, and Keemstar capitalized on it.

The turning point for Ethan came when he responded to SomeOrdinaryGamers’ questions about the FUPA funds, stating that they didn’t have enough money to sustain it and had to fund the lawsuit out of pocket. However, Keemstar made a false claim that H3H3 had received over a million dollars from a Payday 2 DLC and was supposed to use it for the lawsuit but didn’t. This claim was flawed because Payday 2 was past its prime, and there was no evidence that the money was intended for the lawsuit.

This incident was the final straw for Ethan, and he wanted to inflict more damage on Keemstar than anyone had since 2016. He released a video titled the “Content Nuke,” clearing his name from the Payday 2 accusations and exposing numerous scandalous actions by Keemstar during his time on YouTube. He also criticized Keemstar’s sponsors for their association with DramaAlert.

While the video received support from Ethan’s audience and Keemstar’s detractors, it faced criticism for mentioning Keemstar’s sponsors and implying he was responsible for Etika’s death (which was untrue, as confirmed by Etika’s mother). As for Keemstar, the hatred towards Ethan became mutual. They continue to engage in public attacks across their respective platforms.

It’s uncertain whether the drama will eventually fizzle out or if their animosity will persist. Both creators are approaching retirement age, which may lead to them letting go of their hatred. Currently, despite H3H3 losing subscribers on the main channel and Keemstar facing a decline after the initial wave of the “Content Nuke,” they continue to thrive on different platforms, with Keemstar finding success on Snapchat and the H3H3 podcast still attracting viewers.

Since then, the animosity between them has continued with a number of smaller, petty back-and-forth exchanges. We should also point out, that this beef first began around 2015, so it’s been going on for quite some time and has no signs of slowing down any time soon.