KSI admits he was “washed” on YouTube after struggling to hit one million views

KSI has openly admitted that he went through a rough period on YouTube after failing to consistently reach one million views on his uploads. The British creator, whose real name is JJ Olatunji, said the struggle became clear during the second half of 2025, when his numbers dipped far below what fans had come to expect.

Once one of the platform’s biggest stars, KSI explained that the drop in views made him question his position on YouTube, even as his profile outside the platform continued to grow.The comments came during a conversation sparked by leaked analytics shared online, which showed KSI earning around $100,000 from a month of YouTube work. While many would see that as strong income, KSI said the figures fueled criticism, with people calling him “broke” by creator standards. He admitted there was some truth to the jokes, at least when it came to YouTube performance, and said he felt like he had “fallen off” before deciding to take the platform seriously again.

KSI reflects on falling off before making a late YouTube comeback

KSI explained that June 2025 was the turning point when he realized he needed to refocus on YouTube. Before that, he said his content was underperforming badly, with videos “hardly even breaking a million views.” For a creator who helped shape early British YouTube through FIFA content and later found success with The Sidemen, the slump was hard to accept. He described himself as “washed” during that period, admitting that his effort and output were not where they needed to be.

Despite this setback, KSI was never completely absent from YouTube. With the rise of music, new brands such as Prime and Lunchly, and conventional television programs such as Britain's Got Talent, KSI continued to upload content on all his channels. He, however, was aware that having too much to do could have adversely impacted his progress.Since his recommitment in mid-2025, the results have been improving gradually.

This is so because the average views of his video on his main KSI channel have gotten better by surging past the one million mark. Although, his other channel, referred to as KSI+, remained just below this figure, indicating that the artist is still working on his comeback.KSI’s sincerity has struck a chord with many of his fans, bringing an unprecedented glimpse of the difficulties faced by YouTube veterans in keeping themselves relevant. His words emphasize the need for YouTube personalities to stay relevant in terms of numbers, experiences, and the ephemeral nature of success on the platform, even for its earliest pioneers.