Ray William Johnson was one of the early YouTube pioneers who helped to promote the platform to wider audiences because of his show “Equals 3.” The show, which was a viral video review series (think Tosh.0 but without the budget and on YouTube only) flung him into success, with millions of viewers tuning in to not only see what crazy videos he was showcasing, but to Ray himself.
Viewers liked him – he was funny, witty, and had that small amount of crazy that is required to make him stand out from the others. However, the generation that grew up with YouTube in its current state probably has never heard of him, while us who are old enough wonder:
What Happened to Him?
Some people say that he had a downfall, some say that he burnt out, some say that he was deeply depressed and just couldn’t make videos anymore…but none of these are true. Ray William Johnson still makes videos to this day, in fact you can still check him out on his YouTube channel “Ray,” and apparently he puts out a lot of videos on his Facebook. It’s just that the type of content is completely different from what “Equals 3” used to be.
He makes his own music and music videos while having turned into a full-fledged vlogger now. So nothing really happened to him, and if you are wondering I’m sure some of those vlogs could tell you what he has been up to, including stand-up comedy.
If you find yourself asking what happened to Ray William Johnson and his relationship with “Equals 3” there are many things to consider. The first of them being boredom. “Equals 3” had become a boring routine to him, a day job behind a desk with little room to grow, but there were would be other obstacles that contributed to his disillusionment and eventual retirement from the show.
The biggest factor was the court case “Equals 3 vs Jukin Media.” It appeared that Equals 3 had used video clips that belonged to Jukin Media without permission, and according to foxrothschild.com, a legal-aid website: “Equals Three was receiving numerous DMCA takedown notices from Jukin. In order to stop Jukin from issuing these takedown notices, Equals Three decided to file a lawsuit.”
In the end, Equals 3 ended up losing the court-case and had to takedown the videos that used clips belonging to Jukin Media. This court-case would go on to start the “fair-play” discussion that is still rampant in YouTube today, if not worse.
The fallout of this court-case was huge. Ray William Johnson was severely affected by the decision and there was a slight dip in the quality of his content. Not only did he have this court-case in the back of his mind emotionally, but he was constantly wondering if the videos he was using were safe.
The dip in quality created a domino-effect. With less views came less revenue, meaning all the new production equipment and crew that he was using was becoming too expensive. With money problems stacking up, dwindling views, and a high amount of stress, it’s easy to see why he stepped back from the show.
What is he Doing Now?
Ray William Johnson was one of YouTube’s biggest stars during its early days, but now he finds happiness working on smaller videos such as Vlogs and music videos featuring his own tunes. His virtual music band is called “Upside Downs” and they have released a few albums with mixed success. The latest song “Everything is Bullshit 12” flopped and did around 16,000 views.
Over the last year, the 41 year-old has become more active on YouTube and recent uploads are averaging over a million views. He has been dating Kelly Farrell for over six years, a ginger-haired life coach who happens to be a huge Harry Potter fan.
