Boogie2988 Worked on a Doc Explaining His Downfall

The Gist:

• Boogie2988 faced many controversies for racially and otherwise inappropriate comments.
• He was charged with aggravated assault in 2020.
• He still makes content on YouTube and recently worked on a documentary detailing his downfall.

YouTuber Boogie2988 (whose real name is Steven Williams) was once one of YouTube's top creators. Steven became known for his online alter ego "Francis," who was meant to be a caricature of nerd culture, embodying the traits that gave them a bad reputation. But as his reputation online grew, so did the problems in his personal life.

Starting in the late 2010s, Steven faced a variety of controversies and mental health problems, which is what ultimately led to his downfall. He began using his internet platform as a dumping ground, oversharing to a degree that made some of his followers uncomfortable.

The former YouTube star went from the 2016 Gamer of the Year to facing potential bankruptcy with an overall net worth of $0. His fall from internet stardom was far from graceful, but what exactly happened to boogie2988?

It's far from easy to manage an audience of millions, and Steven found this out the hard way as he faced a series of controversies following his divorce from his wife, Desiree, in 2018.

Steven was called out multiple times for racially charged comments, potential tax fraud, and other controversial statements. In 2020 after an extended internet feud with fellow creator Frank Hassle, Frank and Steven were interviewed on Keemstar's channel, leading to Steven making a threat against Frank's life.

Frank then showed up at Steven's house in Arkansas, and during the altercation Steven pulled out a pistol and fired a warning shot into the air. The whole thing was caught on video via a GoPro Frank was wearing, and Steven was ultimately charged with aggravated assault.

Steven is still posting to his YouTube channel consistently, sometimes posting two videos a day, depending on the content. He's been open about his efforts to learn from his various struggles, speaking openly with fellow creator Mike Clum to create a documentary. In the hour-long video, he detailed some of the poor decisions he made as his career took a nosedive, including spending tens of thousands a year on sex workers.

Though the documentary was well-produced, many former fans of Steven's took to the comments to vocalize their discomfort with where the creator has ended up.

"This is the single most depressing video on this site. It’s extremely well made," one user commented, while another wrote, "If you're ever feeling down, watch this for five minutes, and you be up off your a-s running away from the potential of this dude's future."

Though he still has more than four million subscribers on YouTube, his views are often low, with the most-watched videos capitalizing on his downfall with titles like "Girlfriend Tells Her Truth About Boogie2988..." and "It's Over... I'm Done With The Drama"

It's clear from the documentary that Steven is trying to get back on the horse and rebuild his platform, though whether or not he'll be able to reestablish the trust with his community remains to be seen.