A YouTube channel named 5secondfilms (or “5SF”) has been demonetized by the Google-owned platform for sharing a five-second-long video on Luigi Mangione. 5secondfilms typically produces skits and meme-centric videos that last for just a few seconds. They have nearly 400K subscribers on YouTube.
Despite the short duration, the channel ended up facing repercussions for sharing a video on Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate who is charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
The video in question is a comedic skit, where Luigi is depicted in jail. In the clip, Santa arrives to let him know that he is at the “top” of his “nice list.” Reacting to YouTube’s actions, 5secondfilms said:
“YouTube took down our Luigi Mangione 5SF and demonetized our channel. You can still find it on our Instagram, our TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.”
While the video has been removed from YouTube (although available under the YouTube Shorts section of the 5SF channel), it is available on other platforms such as Instagram. Watch it here:
“That’s extreme” – Fans react to YouTube demonetizing channel over a 5-second-long video of Luigi Mangione
Luigi Mangione has rocketed to infamy and become part of online meme culture. Despite the serious nature of the charges against him, he has become the focal point of numerous debates and trolling.
5secondfilms seems to have faced punitive action for sharing content centered around Mangione. Despite the video being only five seconds long, their channel was demonetized, and the video in question was removed from their homepage.
News of this incident was shared on the popular r/LivestreamFail subreddit, sparking a wave of negative reactions. Here are some of them:
“F**king hell that’s extreme,” said u/Present_Block_5430
“Oh they’re SCARED scared,” remarked u/Ex-altiora
“A channel that’s been around for 16 years and has made way crazier stuff,” said u/TheHunterJK
“Imagine taking away an entire YouTube channel’s entire revenue for 5 seconds,” criticized u/Scar1et_Kink
“For what? There’s objectively much more harmful sh*t on the site,” said u/AnE1Home
Hours after news of Luigi Mangione’s arrest surfaced online, a mysterious YouTube channel bearing his name appeared, featuring a cryptic minute-and-a-half-long video. YouTube later confirmed that the channel was removed for impersonation.
Edited by Abhishek Manikandan
