Nicholas Perry, better known as Nikocado Avocado, started his career as a content creator in early 2015 when he started posting YouTube videos about his vegan lifestyle. His videos did moderately well, but he never found the huge stardom that creators had at the time. However, that all changed with the rise of ‘mukbang’ content in the US during the summer of 2016.
The word mukbang originates from South Korea, meaning “food broadcast”, describing a video where someone eats (usually a large amount of) food in one sitting, and talks to the camera. As soon as Perry started posting these videos, he started to gain a lot of traction online.
With this newfound popularity, Perry found the power of shock value. He learned that the crazier his videos were, the more views, money, and attention he got. By 2018, his content consisted of biweekly videos of him eating approximately 10,000 calories per video. He would also consistently post mukbangs with his partner, Orlin, which gave him a lot of attention because of their deteriorating relationship through Perry’s unhealthy lifestyle. The couple’s six total breakup videos and mukbang content featuring their arguments are still some of the most viewed videos on the Nikocado Avocado channel.
After five years of posting mukbang content, Perry gained close to 300 pounds, his mental health was declining in real time, and fans were growing worried for his well-being – sparking conversations about the lasting negative effects of mukbang creators. In late 2023, Perry abruptly stopped posting videos and his whereabouts were a mystery during his indefinite hiatus.
After 11 months of close-to-no activity on social media, Perry uploaded his infamous ‘Two Steps Ahead’ video, where he revealed his 250-pound weight loss and his year-long plan to do so. Many speculated during his hiatus that his original plan was to gain traction, make enough money, then disappear from the online world forever.
Sharon Yu ‘26, an avid watcher of mukbang content said, “I was shocked to see his transformation, I don’t think anybody expected it.”
Although Perry has given little information about how he was able to pull it off—especially in such a short period of time—many people went back and noticed that his videos, posted starting in late 2023, were pre-recorded because of the expiration dates seen in the video. People do not know where the future of the Nikocado Avocado channel will go, but many are waiting on the edge of their seats to see what he does next.
