Summary of The REAL REASON JonTron left the Game Grumps

00:00:00 - 00:55:00

The video explores the history of Flash and its impact on online entertainment, as well as the rise to fame of YouTubers Arin Hanson (Egoraptor) and Jon Jafari (JonTron), who later became the Game Grumps. The video examines the tensions between Jon and Arin, with Jon leaving the channel through a video in June 2013. The video discusses the fallout of his departure, including the rocky start to Danny's tenure on Game Grumps, as well as the speculation surrounding the reasons for Jon's departure. The video also delves into the impact of a deal with Sling, and the aftermath of Jon leaving Game Grumps, including his success with the Starcade series, and the NDA that was put in place between Jon and Game Grumps. Finally, it is revealed that the split was due to personality differences and a power struggle between Jon and Arin.

• 00:00:00 In this section, the focus is on the history of Flash and its significance in shaping online entertainment. Before YouTube, sites like Newgrounds and Albino Blacksheep dominated the internet with their animated content and games, which achieved a cult-like status among viewers. Animation was a big part of the early years of the modern internet, with most animations being made by one person from their bedroom. This community opened the door for many talented creators in the world of online entertainment, including Jon Jafari and Arin Hanson, who would later become the Game Grumps.
• 00:05:00 In this section, the video talks about the rise to fame of Arin Hanson, also known as Egoraptor, and Jon Jafari, known as JonTron, both of whom are prominent comedy YouTubers. Arin rose to fame with his unique, and sometimes controversial, animations on Newgrounds, with one of his most popular animations being "Metal Gear Awesome". On the other hand, Jon was known for his comedic reviews of games and movies, with his channel JonTron amassing over a billion views, making him one of the most recognizable comedy YouTubers in the world. Arin and Jon became friends after Arin fell in love with Jon's videos, and they started the Game Grumps show together as a result of an argument they had over whether or not the Wolf from Super Smash Bros. Brawl was too similar to the character Fox.
• 00:10:00 In this section, it is explained that Jon and Arin had differing views on what Game Grumps was to them and their audience. Arin saw it as an opportunity to move away from his animations that took a lot of production time, whilst Jon saw it as a chance to hang out with his friend whilst taking a break from the stresses of making his JonTron show. Their differing opinions would lead to a tense relationship that eventually exploded in E3 2013 where the pair went from being close to distant. After a day of silence, Jon left the channel through a video in June 2013. The suddenness of the change resulted in a backlash against Danny, Jon's replacement, and the new show, Steam Train.
• 00:15:00 In this section, the video discusses the aftermath of JonTron's departure from Game Grumps and the arrival of Danny as his replacement. Initially, fans were hesitant to accept Danny, but as he opened up about his battles with depression, he gained the respect and love of the community. However, when Jon's departure was never mentioned again and Suzy Berhow started taking a central role in Game Grumps, speculation grew about what really happened. Some rumors suggested that Jon's girlfriend, Nicole, was to blame, but Jerry Terry, a friend of Jon's, cleared the air and stated that Jon left of his own accord, despite Nicole's reservations. Many fans directed their criticism towards Suzy, feeling that her presence detracted from the original dynamic and connection between Arin and Jon.
• 00:20:00 In this section, it is revealed that the Game Grumps, especially Suzy, showed frustration when asked about JonTron's departure, and it was later revealed that the breakup wasn't amicable; however, details on what happened were scarce. During the episode of Super Mario 3D World, a Miiverse post from a fan appeared with the message "Game Grumps, Acknowledge JonTron," but was quickly dismissed. r/ConspiracyGrumps investigated and found out that Game Grumps censored and replaced aspects of the footage, and that the message was covered up. This secretive behavior raised alarms within the community, leading to JonTron retweeting a tweet of the evidence. After this, Game Grumps stopped using Miiverse posts in Super Mario 3D World episodes, citing a Wi-Fi issue.
• 00:25:00 In this section, it becomes clear that the breakup of JonTron and Game Grumps was not amicable, despite attempts of the parties involved to keep it quiet. There was speculation about the reason for JonTron's departure, with some alleging that Game Grumps had censored an episode, but Arin and Danny were ready to censor it. Arin later explained that Jon simply wanted to move on from Game Grumps, with no further details. Jon then disputed this claim on the Game Grumps subreddit. Arin's father, Lloyd Hanson, became involved in the discussions and was an active defender of Arin, going against speculation that he was lying about Jon's departure.
• 00:30:00 In this section, it is revealed that an NDA exists between JonTron and Game Grumps, which explains the silence of both parties regarding the real reason for the split. The NDA is likely to be a non-disclosure agreement, indicating that JonTron is potentially due financial settlement or income, pushed up by the situation where the MCN (multi-channel network) was acquired by Disney-owned Maker Studios and renamed Polaris, giving rise to Table Flip, a show produced by Polaris that ended up tanking after Polaris's big bet of a US-only streaming service called Sling failed. The contract between Game Grumps and Polaris assured that Game Grumps would have a highly polished and produced show with set, costumes, lighting, cameras, operators, even catering.
• 00:35:00 In this section, the video explains how a deal with Sling, a US subscription service for early access to shows on YouTube, was a turning point for Game Grumps. The deal required them to market Sling and promote their show, Table Flip, on the platform. However, the deal caused a divide among viewers, with some feeling that the Grumps had sold out and that the concept of paying for early access was unfair. The deal also excluded international viewers. This deal, along with other management changes and contract obligations, led to the end of Table Flip and the slowing down of other shows on the channel. Eventually, only Game Grumps remained with a few changes to comply with YouTube guidelines.
• 00:40:00 In this section, the video delves into the aftermath of Jon's departure from Game Grumps, highlighting Jon's success post-departure, especially with his Starcade series, which he had more creative freedom over. The video speculates that Jon may have wanted more creative control over his content, which could be a reason for his departure. However, it is unlikely that the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) was drafted by Maker or Polaris because they had little involvement in the day-to-day operations of Game Grumps, as Ross had previously confirmed. The video claims that it wasn't clear what caused the falling out between Jon and Arin until Jon was finally mentioned in a Game Grumps video in February 2015, 594 days after his departure, but the video promised to reveal more information about what had transpired between Jon and Arin in the subsequent section.
• 00:45:00 In this section, it is revealed that JonTron had a history of making reprehensible comments in his career as a YouTuber, alienating some of his close friends, including Jirad Khalil. In response, JonTron decided to leave Normal Boots, the collective that he had set up. Arin, on the other hand, made it clear that he wanted Game Grumps to be a friendly environment for everyone, and anyone who didn't align with those viewpoints would be cast out. The final nail in the coffin for the relationship between Arin and JonTron was when Arin attacked animator Sr Pelo on Twitter. Sr Pelo had made a light-hearted animation poking fun at some of the practices of other YouTubers, but Arin blew it out of proportion, causing Sr Pelo and fellow animator Oney to defend themselves on social media.
• 00:50:00 In this section, it is explained that Jon and Arin had clashing character traits that made it difficult for them to work together. Arin prioritized brand image, which was a big factor in his clean reputation, and Jon was incredibly impulsive. Jon’s impulsiveness led him to drop hints about what went wrong in Game Grumps along the way and make every wrong choice when it came to dialogue. Because of the NDA in place, the real reason for Jon leaving Game Grumps cannot be officially disclosed, but it has been narrowed down to E3 2013, which was reportedly the straw that broke the camel's back for Jon, who had been thinking about moving back to New York for a while prior to the event.
• 00:55:00 In this section of the transcript, it is revealed that JonTron left Game Grumps due to personality differences with Arin and a power struggle over who ran the show. Jon felt a lot of decisions were being made without his consent, and tensions rose when Arin became concerned about the public image of Game Grumps at E3. Eventually, Jon had enough and moved to New York, leading to negotiations for Arin to buy him out of the company, creating an NDA. Arin brought in Dan as a replacement, and Game Grumps continued with a sharp turn into a different direction, guided by Arin's creator hub vision. Ultimately, while the split was sad, it was necessary for Jon and Arin to move forward on different paths in life.