{"id":402691,"date":"2026-07-17T21:12:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T21:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/402691\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T21:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T21:12:18","slug":"these-l-a-comedy-stars-sprang-from-one-of-the-first-ever-youtube-channels-l-a-taco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/402691\/","title":{"rendered":"These L.A. Comedy Stars Sprang From One of the First Ever YouTube Channels ~ L.A. TACO"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re fluent in internet history, you\u2019re probably familiar with Smosh<\/a>\u2014which started as a website coded by co-founder Anthony Padilla, before it became a YouTube channel<\/a> created with classmate Ian Hecox.<\/p>\n

While in high school, the teens wrote, directed, filmed, and edited comedy sketches<\/a>, making content that naturally developed catchphrases (\u201cSHUT UP!<\/a>\u201d) for adolescents across the country.<\/p>\n

Over two decades later, Smosh has amassed over 43 million subscribers across its YouTube channels and over 4 million followers on Instagram<\/a>, despite temporarily losing ownership of the company and a member of the duo.<\/p>\n

Hecox and Padilla have since rebuilt the company with an ensemble cast of comedians from throughout L.A.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The humor often runs satirical, with the comedians improvising as obnoxious true crime podcasters, \u201cboy moms,\u201d aka mothers who dote way too much on their adult sons, and familiar pop culture characters (like in this tense and dirty Teletubbies reunion<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"three(from left) Angela Giarratana, Tommy Bowe, and Amanda Lehan-Canto perform in an episode of “Bit City” on Smosh. Photo via Smosh\/YouTube.<\/p>\n

Once two dudes with a webcam and a dream, they now head one of the only YouTube channels to achieve generational success.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur sort of motto or mission statement is \u2018comedy rooted in friendship,\u2019 so I think for us it’s always important to listen to our partners and support them . . .\u201d Hecox tells L.A. TACO. \u201cI think that’s kind of the thing that separates us from maybe some other channels, is it really is a team effort, and there’s not a big star that everyone is supporting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moving from the original duo format to an ensemble cast was more of \u201can adjustment period\u201d for the Smosh audience than for Hecox, he says. When selecting cast members, Hecox says that he looked for team players, active listeners who could hold a conversation.<\/p>\n

\"aIan Hecox, co-founder of Smosh and a fan of Taqueria Frontera’s al pastor taco. Photo courtesy of Smosh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I’ve always been a very collaborative person, so to be able to make content with more people was great for me,\u201d Hecox says. \u201cI feel like I’ve always been a good support for other people, and I’ve never really wanted to be like the sort of \u2018number one\u2019 person with the spotlight on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hecox is frequently seen on the channel, acting and improvising as a member of \u201cStraight Eye,\u201d a doomsday conspiracist, and a worker at a baked potato joint\u2014among other roles.<\/p>\n

Recommended<\/p>\n

The main Smosh channel is known today for sketch comedy series like \u201cBit City,\u201d and its sister channels, \u201cSmosh Pit<\/a>\u201d and \u201cSmosh Alike<\/a>,\u201d have developed the company into a sort of online variety show including gameplays, podcasts, and \u201cSmosh Reads Reddit Stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDescribing the job that we do at Smosh is probably the hardest thing, the closest I can come to it is, \u2018We’re like, if SNL sometimes did the sketches, but was more about the personalities of it all,\u2019\u201d comedian and Smosh cast member Tommy Bowe says.<\/p>\n

Beloved by audience members both online and at in-person performances, the Smosh team has formed a synchrony with viewers, mastering what it means to utilize the digital economy as comedians in L.A.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Smosh has given consumers something to grip onto, many viewers incorporating videos into their daily routines.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a following and being in a space that lends toward a parasocial relationship, like YouTube, where you’re putting them on while you’re cooking, while you’re folding laundry, or you’re basically hanging out with us, there are, of course, drawbacks to that,\u201d Bowe tells us. \u201cLike, how you are constantly perceived, but as it relates to me doing comedy, I think it’s only been beneficial.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bowe moved to L.A. about ten years ago from Palm County Beach, Florida, an area \u201cwhere all the old people who can’t afford Boca Raton go to retire,\u201d according to Bowe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"aTommy Bowe, a comedian and Smosh cast member whose favorite taco is the fish taco from Burbank’s Fiesta Taco. Photo courtesy of Smosh.<\/p>\n

Like many eager film students, Bowe moved out to L.A. without visiting beforehand, taking a chance on the entertainment industry. Bowe says that the most surprising part about the city was its neverending bounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI love that [L.A.] is a never-ending pocket of\u2014wait, it\u2019s not really a pocket, it’s more of like a whole dress, a never-ending space to explore,\u201d Bowe says.<\/p>\n

Bowe has been performing in improv shows hosted by The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB<\/a>), a coastal comedy group known for an alumni pool packed with acclaimed comedians (like Ayo Edibiri, Jessica Williams, and co-founder Amy Poehler).<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve been doing improv on and off since college, where I first truly learned the UCB version of improv,\u201d Bowe says. \u201cIt’s come in and out of my life, depending on what I’m really into, and it’s truly the most fun you can ever have.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the Smosh channel, viewers have seen him as a scrappy landlord with a silver combover, a personified Tesla, and a co-judge alongside drag star Trixie Mattel on \u201cAmerica\u2019s Next Top Bald Person.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"five(from left) Anthony Padilla, Chanse McCrary, Trevor Evarts, Ian Hecox, and Tommy Bowe perform in an episode of “Bit City” on Smosh. Photo via Smosh\/YouTube.<\/p>\n

Bowe also performed in a queer musical parody of 2005\u2019s \u201cHitch\u201d at Typewriter Dynasty<\/a> earlier this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve had fans come and show up to shows, and from what I’ve been able to learn from the people who are not only Smosh fans, but Tommy fans, is that the fans who come out for me are the coolest, chillest people on Earth, and it’s so hard for me to not be like, \u2018Can we be genuine friends?\u2019\u201d Bowe says.<\/p>\n

\u201cSERVING!\u201d is Bowe\u2019s self-produced web series which lives on his personal YouTube channel<\/a>, separate from Smosh. The concept arose during a night out at a bar, whose decor was severe with paintings. Bowe gamified this by asking his friends which paintings were the most aesthetically impressive (aka serving).<\/p>\n

The series has accumulated over 2 million views on YouTube.<\/p>\n

\u201cA fun part about knowing different skill sets from beginning to end is that I can ideate, produce it, write it, get a crew together, direct it, and then bring it to the edit myself, and make exactly what my brain wanted to make, even graphics,\u201d Bowe explains.<\/p>\n

Similar to Bowe\u2019s ventures into independent production and musical theater, SFV native and fellow castmate, Angela Giarratana, is known for her on-screen acting credits, extensive theater experience, and ensemble podcast<\/a> when she isn\u2019t on the Smosh channel. (UCB improv, HBO\u2019s \u201cMinx,” and StarKid Productions are just a few of her credits.)<\/p>\n

Giarratana was raised near the Tarzana-Encino region of the Valley, looking up to comedians like Julie Louis-Dreyfus, Amy Poehler, and Raven-Symon\u00e9. She says that she \u201cgrew up with so much anxiety,\u201d but eventually learned to \u201clead with the light and the bright and the best parts of life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"aAngela Giarratana, a comedian and Smosh cast member whose favorite taco in the Valley comes from a truck outside of her old high school. Photo courtesy of Smosh.<\/p>\n

This translates to Giarratana\u2019s current magnetic presence as a performer, keying in on moments others might miss to make an entire film set crack up.<\/p>\n

Giarratana performs as the host of \u201cBit City,\u201d leaning into a classic late-night show host archetype. She has also been seen as a Foot Locker employee who has taken too many hits of weed, someone undergoing an exorcism, and a film crew\u2019s nonchalant grip guy.<\/p>\n

Comedy is not just Giarratana\u2019s career, but an outlet for her and her peers, especially during periods when our country seems to be hurting the most. She says that comedy has felt especially important during eras of Covid, the Black Lives Matter movement, and ICE activity.<\/p>\n

\u201cA year ago, I was doing shows right after all of the L.A. fires, and it was really hard because it felt necessary to go and make each other laugh and have fun, but sometimes you’re like, \u2018Is this appropriate?\u2019 . . . You never want to make light of anything or help in a way that’s superfluous, and you want to read the room, but then you also need to laugh,\u201d Giarratana tells L.A. TACO.<\/p>\n

She has become a Smosh \u201cfan favorite,\u201d garnering praise via online comments and fanmade compilations<\/a> of her best moments. Lots of the clips feature her candid, exuberant energy, while adorned by wigs and costumes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think all of our dynamics in the Smosh cast are as real as they look, and the way we are on-camera is the way we are off-camera, so it’s like we share\u2014the best friendships I have, I\u2019m sharing with everybody, instead of just keeping it to myself, which I wouldn’t label a disadvantage. It’s just a little weird,\u201d Giarratana says.<\/p>\n

Giarratana explains that being part of an online company like Smosh brought a sense of autonomy to her career, especially following the 2023 SAG-AFTRA writer and actor strikes.<\/p>\n

As someone familiar with the traditional actor workflow, she says that the internet\u2019s capacity to distribute content straight from creators to audience members is the \u201cnew greatest thing\u201d in this era of \u201cthe old studio model failing.\u201d<\/p>\n

YouTube comedy channels like Smosh and Dropout<\/a> started using membership-based platforms to release exclusive content within recent years, a strategy growing in popularity as more consumers vow to cancel subscriptions to mainstream media companies like Netflix.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t have to just wait for a job, I can kind of just do it and put it up on my own YouTube, or put it up on my own Patreon, or put it up on my Instagram or TikTok, so that’s benefited me immensely,\u201d Giarratana says.<\/p>\n

Hecox and Padilla are far from the days they spent scripting their own sketches to perform in their backyards and driveways after class. But at least, when you develop one of the largest online empires in history in a formerly untouched digital landscape, you get used to evolving.<\/p>\n

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