On Monday, YouTube vlogger David Dobrik posted his 439th vlog, simply titled “we broke up.” The video starred Dobrik and his girlfriend of two years, popular Vine and YouTube personality Liza Koshy. The title got straight to the point — the beloved couple separated late last year, and the internet was left reeling at yet another iconic couple breakup.
Fans of Dobrik and Koshy — who, between the two of them, have over 21 million subscribers to their main YouTube channels — were shocked and devastated at the loss of their favorite power couple. The video reached No. 1 on YouTube’s trending page, and the memes about the breakup are countless.
Koshy was born in Houston in 1996. She was enrolled in the University of Houston but dropped out to pursue her acting career. Since then she has seen massive success and has transcended the realm of internet personality.
She was in Hulu’s “Freakish,” had a role in a Medea movie, hosted the pre-show for the 2017 Golden Globe Awards (and brought in the most views a pre-show had ever gotten) and even interviewed Met Gala attendees for Vogue magazine. Per her YouTube bio, the “little brown girl with big dreams” has certainly made a splash in the entertainment industry.
Dobrik, a 21-year-old Slovakia-born Chicagoan, became known for his vlogs through collaborations with famous Vine stars, such as Gabbie Hanna, Brandon Calvillo and, of course, Koshy.
However, his main YouTube page seems close to devoid of Koshy. A quick scroll through his videos over the past six months shows Koshy about four times, and one of those being the “we broke up” video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=J2HytHu5VBI
The other videos seem buried in a sea of titles with clickbait and exclamation points, making the simple “we broke up” title stand out. The breakup video stands out for another reason — it has 20 million views, compared to the majority of Dobrik’s other videos, which typically have around four to seven million.
So far, fans are praising the video for its authenticity as Dobrik and Koshy discuss their separation and the reasoning behind it with an impressive clarity. Koshy quietly cries her way through most of the video, and Dobrik joins in on the tears toward the end. The ex-pair also joke with and tease each other about potential future partners, even alluding to a future reconciliation when they’re older, wiser and more certain about what they want.
I’m going to be the first to say I was skeptical of a “breakup video.” There was, and honestly still is, nothing that sounds like a PR ploy to me than a YouTube video detailing the breakup of a two-year relationship. Part of me was even angry; I’m just out of a long-term relationship, too, with the same tears and bittersweet love, and where the hell is my medal?
After watching the video, my opinion began to shift. If the love these two share is a publicity stunt, that would be some damn good acting — which may or may not be the case — but does it even really matter? The feelings they shared with the world felt exactly like mine coming out of my breakup, and in that sense, I, and the many who have gone through those feelings, might’ve felt heard.
