They tried to silence him. YouTube deleted his channel. Blocked most of his videos. Buried him in the algorithm.
And still, Dope As Yola hit 2 million.
No fancy marketing. No corporate boost. Just stories, weed and community.
Thomas Araujo—aka Dope As Yola—just made YouTube history, becoming the first weedtuber ever to cross the 2-million-subscriber mark.
And he did it his way. Raw, unfiltered, and always real.
‘You guys have seen me grow up on camera’
Yola didn’t drop the news like a press release. He lit up his Instagram with gratitude:
“The 1st Weedtuber to ever hit 2,000,000 Subscribers… I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!! 2,300,000 Comments since I started and I’ve tried to respond to every single one! I truly love you guys for watching and supporting… you have seen me grow up on camera and it’s wild to say.”
And then he went live. On YouTube. All day. Smoking and hanging out with his fans like it was just another Tuesday. No gimmicks. Just vibes.
This isn’t a YouTuber with a script. This is someone you feel like you know. A guy who tells stories about his fuckups, his hustle, his wins, his weirdest nights. Stories you laugh at because you’ve lived some version of them too.
Blocked, banned, and still breaking records
Let’s be clear: his account is one of the most restricted and shadowbanned in all of YouTube. Most of his videos are flagged. His reach is throttled.
And yet—2 million. Not despite the censorship. Because of the community.
The people showed up. Over and over. For the humor, the honesty, the highs (literal and emotional). For the Story Time. For the chaos and the heart.
And over time, Yola built more than a YouTube channel. He launched Push Trees, his streetwear brand that’s now in 250 Zumiez stores. He co-hosts Dope As Usual, a podcast that cracked Spotify’s top 25 comedy charts. He gave a TED Talk. He inked a partnership with Spotify. And he did it all while keeping his content—and his soul—intact.
“2,000,000 Subscribers on the most blocked and shadow banned account on YouTube… I love you guys!!! Got a bunch of new videos on the way too…”
So what’s next?
More videos. More lives. More joints. More stories. More people telling their friends, “Yo, you gotta watch this guy.”
Because this milestone isn’t just about a number. It’s about winning the long game, without selling out.
Dope As Yola didn’t blow up overnight. He lit the flame and passed it around, one story, one joint, one moment at a time.
And now? He’s not going anywhere. Except up.
Article via El Planteo
Photo courtesy of Dope as Yola.
