Jacksepticeye, also known as Sean McLoughlin, stands among content-creating titans like Pewdiepie as one of the first creators that rose to fame before streaming even became a thing. However, his fame didn't come without a price.
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00:00Jacksepticeye, also known as Sean McLaughlin, stands among content-creating titans, like
00:06PewDiePie, as one of the first creators that rose to fame before streaming even became
00:11a thing.
00:12However, his fame didn't come without a price.
00:14I just got really miserable doing the types of videos I was doing after a while.
00:19It was like a whole month where I was like, this is crap.
00:22Like I'm uploading s**t just for the sake of uploading."
00:24Jacksepticeye takes breaks from content creation during episodes of burnout or grief.
00:30There's no harm in taking a break, but Jack admitted that he sometimes pushed himself
00:34too hard during his career in order to avoid lapses in content.
00:38He spoke out about burnout in 2018 when he took his first break.
00:43My mental health has not been in the best place recently.
00:46So the reason I've been taking more time off is because I need to.
00:51I need to take the time off to get my brain back in order to just get that energy and
00:55that motivation back to record the videos."
00:58So he took about a week-long break to recover.
01:00Jack later collaborated with licensed therapist and YouTuber Katie Morton to discuss mental
01:06health in a video series.
01:07He discovered Katie through one of her videos about burnout, and the two decided to discuss
01:12the unique exhaustion content creators can experience from the pressure to constantly
01:17engage online for work.
01:19In one of the videos, he explained to his viewers that, quote,
01:21"...you don't have to be broken to do therapy."
01:24And that he now realizes the importance of implementing self-care to keep himself grounded,
01:30and to keep himself satisfied with the content that he's creating.
01:33"...I'm happier with my content than I have been in months.
01:36And even though it's not like a huge change or anything, but you can just take the time
01:39to make those individual videos a lot better, put a lot more energy into them, just feel
01:44more fulfilled with what you're uploading."
01:47As if the last few years weren't enough cause for health scares, Jack has suffered even
01:51more because of his chronic illnesses and other health issues.
01:55It's had nothing to do with the pandemic, although it did coincide with the global crisis
02:00and put him in a category of high-risk individuals because of his history with asthma.
02:04"...many of you know I've had health issues for the last year, I've been dealing with
02:08asthma stuff ever since I went to VidCon UK where I probably got COVID."
02:12One viewer suggested that it could be just his age, but the 33-year-old YouTuber said
02:17it was more than just, quote, "...getting old."
02:20He recounted how he sometimes wakes up without much energy to do anything.
02:24Even worse, his poor physical health also affects his mental health.
02:27Luckily, Jack has been open and aware of his struggles, encouraging others to seek support
02:32and destigmatizing prioritizing health.
02:35"...my dad passed away recently.
02:38It's been almost two weeks now since he passed, and I've just been trying to sort of grapple
02:45with a lot of thoughts about the situation."
02:51Jack announced that he will be taking an indefinite hiatus in January 2021 after the death of
02:57his father.
02:58He posted the sad reason for his break on Twitter, where many of his fans responded
03:03with their support.
03:04In a post, he wrote,
03:05"...my father passed away today.
03:07I won't be doing anything for a while.
03:10Please respect me and my family's privacy during this time."
03:13However, others thought it would be funny to tell jokes about his dad's death, like,
03:18quote, "...Jack's dad was not the imposter."
03:20Referencing Among Us, Sportskeeda reported that one particular person created a now-deleted
03:26video about how Jack's dad, quote, "...deserved it," and said that he was now, quote, "...burning
03:32in hell."
03:33His dad's death became such a horrific joke among trolls on the internet that Jack felt
03:38the need to address the haters.
03:39"...to any of you who posted memes about it and posted, uh, negative stuff about it, you
03:48are absolute scum and I f***ing hate you because you made something that was hard so much harder
03:54to go through."
03:55These harsh words shocked even his fans, who know him for his typically kind personality.
04:01However, at the end of the video, he also took the time to thank his supporters for
04:05having his back throughout the situation.
04:08"...thankfully, most people were very kind and very sincere and genuine about it, so
04:13thank you."
04:14Though Jacksepticeye built a fanbase with his sardonic wit and quippy personality, fans
04:20are also drawn to him for his honesty.
04:22He's not afraid to cry on camera when a game really touches him on an emotional level.
04:27More on that in a bit.
04:28But he's also been up front with viewers about his struggles with imposter syndrome.
04:33As impossible as it may seem for someone with millions of followers, even someone as well-liked
04:37as Jacksepticeye has the occasional moment when he feels like he doesn't belong in his
04:42position.
04:43In a video from 2019, Jacksepticeye explained that he sometimes takes a step back to really
04:49think about how massive his brand has become.
04:51"...it almost feels like a different person has done them.
04:54Because you get those moments where you feel down and you feel sad and you just don't want
04:57to record and you feel like, man, people just don't care anymore."
05:01He continued, saying that sometimes, he wasn't sure if he even cared anymore.
05:05"...that little voice in your head creeps in and starts to take over, and you kind of
05:10have to push it out."
05:11According to the streamer, he's usually able to ignore that voice and channel his nervous
05:15energy into his work.
05:17But it's not always easy to maintain perspective.
05:21Jacksepticeye was reminded of a truly difficult personal moment when playing the video game
05:25That Dragon, Cancer.
05:27The game, which tells the true story of parents caring for a child with terminal cancer, has
05:32been praised for its unflinching emotional storytelling.
05:35And it's plain to see that it struck a chord with the YouTuber.
05:38At one point in the game, the player is given an opportunity to read a series of greeting
05:42cards.
05:43Some of these express their condolences, and some are a bit more lighthearted.
05:47But all of them added up to an emotional moment for Jacksepticeye.
05:51Though his grandmother didn't die of cancer, he explains that, quote, "...That Dragon, Cancer
05:56caused him to reflect on his last visits with her," recounting how, quote, "...she was in
06:01hospital for a few months before she died, and her mind completely went."
06:06He shared a particularly heartbreaking memory.
06:08"...and I remember going in one time with my sister to see her, and we were talking to
06:15her, and my granny was like, is Sean gonna come in to visit us?"
06:19He added, quote, "...I was sitting right next to her, and she didn't know who I was."
06:23It was at this somber moment in the video that he finally admitted to viewers that the
06:27game was becoming very difficult to keep playing.
06:31In July 2021, Jacksepticeye shared one of his most personal projects yet, a short film
06:36called 15 Months.
06:38The wordless short offered viewers a glimpse into the content creator's mind as he gripped
06:42with feelings of isolation and anxiety during the quarantine period of COVID-19, as well
06:48as the constant threat of asthma.
06:50Viewers have commended Jacksepticeye for his vulnerability in creating 15 Months, as well
06:55as for the surreal and often heartbreaking visuals seen in the short film.
07:00Solemn shots of drawers full of medication, half-empty glasses, and rows of critical YouTube
07:05comments projected on a wall are just a few of the sequences that have stunned fans of
07:09Jacksepticeye's more lighthearted output.
07:12In the time since its release, fans have debated the full story behind the movie, with many
07:17viewers finding their own meanings in the short film's various vignettes.
07:2115 Months paints a vivid picture of how the YouTuber was feeling in these days, making
07:25the short a must-watch for Jacksepticeye fans.