Alexis Kestler
YouTube creator Nikocado Avocado has morphed into one of the most controversial and perplexing internet stars over the past few years. His dramatic journey illuminates some of the most toxic incentives social media creates. This article will provide a deep dive into the bizarre, tragic, and instructive story of Nikocado Avocado.
Who is Nikocado Avocado?
Full Name: Nicholas Perry
Born: May 19, 1992 (age 30)
Hometown: Born in Ukraine, raised in Pennsylvania after adoption
Height: 5 foot 6 (168 cm)
Peak Weight: 400+ pounds (181+ kg)
YouTube: 3.82 million subscribers, 1.1 billion views
Nikocado Avocado, real name Nicholas Perry, is an American mukbang YouTuber who films himself binge eating large amounts of unhealthy foods on camera. But he wasn‘t always this way…
From Vegan Violinist to Mukbang Villain
Nikocado began his YouTube career in his 20s as a vegan cook after giving up professional violin. He had degrees in violin performance and music education.
At his peak as a vegan, Nikocado weighed 130-150 pounds while eating a raw vegan diet. He was the picture of health and fitness.
Nikocado maintaining a fit physique as a vegan violinist
In late 2017, he suddenly gave up veganism and shifted to mukbang eating videos. Over the next few years, Nikocado‘s weight ballooned to over 400 pounds. He now relies on mobility scooters and supplemental oxygen.
This shocking transformation catapulted him to fame in the YouTube mukbang community. Nikocado‘s extreme eating and erratic behavior make him one of the scene‘s most notorious stars.
He inhales mountains of burgers, pizza, pasta, and junk food in one sitting – sometimes over 10,000 calories per video. His excessive eating, weight gain, and public meltdowns transfix his 2 million subscribers.
Fans are left wondering – how did this promising young musician end up here?
Adoption and Childhood
To understand Nikocado Avocado, you have to go back to his unusual childhood.
He was born in Ukraine in 1992 under the birth name Nicolai Perry. His parents were musicians who struggled financially.
At age 2, Nicolai and his older brother were adopted by American parents. They left behind Ukraine‘s instability to move to Pennsylvania.
Growing up, Nikocado lived a comfortable middle class life. But he still longed to find his biological parents some day.
Nikocado displayed an early gift for the violin. By age 12, he performed with professional orchestras. His strict parents pushed him to practice for hours daily.
While intellectually gifted, Nikocado struggled socially as a child. He was bullied for being overweight and effeminate.
These difficult childhood experiences stayed with the fragile young prodigy into adulthood. The combination of adoption trauma, social ostracization, and intense pressure to succeed impacted Nikocado deeply.
Pursuing Violin and Vegetarianism
In his teens, Nikocado shed over 60 pounds by adopting a raw vegan diet. This new healthy lifestyle gave him confidence.
He went on to earn Bachelor‘s and Master‘s degrees in violin performance on scholarship. Nikocado performed concerts worldwide in his early 20s.
A 20-something Nikocado pursuing his violin performance career
During these years, Nikocado strictly followed a raw vegan diet out of concern for animal ethics. At his peak, he weighed only 130-140 pounds.
But behind the scenes, Nikocado was suffering from crippling anxiety, perfectionism, and loneliness.
The hyper-competitive world of professional violin began wearing on him. Nikocado started questioning if music was right for him. The stresses of travel and performing intensified his social anxiety.
Quitting Violin and Turning Vegan Chef
At age 23, Nikocado permanently quit violin and left music behind. He moved to New York City to become a vegan chef instead.
Cooking felt more rewarding than performing. He taught vegan cooking classes and worked at Vegetarian restaurants.
Nikocado also began building a YouTube audience by sharing his vegan recipes. While never a huge channel, he sustained moderate success in this healthy niche.
Behind the scenes, Nikocado was miserable in New York. He felt isolated and directionless. The vegan lifestyle also proved too restrictive for him.
After 4 years struggling in NYC, Nikocado made the fateful decision to radically change course…
The Fateful Pivot to Mukbang
In November 2017, 27-year-old Nikocado announced he would no longer follow a vegan diet, shocking loyal fans. He claimed poor health and unsustainability as reasons.
Within months, he gained his first 20 pounds. Feeling self-conscious about his weight, Nikocado transitioned his channel to mukbang eating videos.
This genre was blowing up on YouTube thanks to personalities like Trisha Paytas and Stephanie Soo. Nikocado saw an opportunity to reinvent himself.
He moved from NYC back home to Pennsylvania to live with family while launching his new mukbang career.
Nikocado began filming himself binge eating large pizzas, gallons of pasta, entire cakes, massive burgers, and huge spreads of Mexican food.
Fans were stunned to see their once-slim vegan idol gorge on meat and junk food. But Nikocado finally found his niche.
His extreme eating challenges attracted millions of views from people curious to see just how far he would push his body.
Spiraling Into Obesity and Erratic Behavior
As Nikocado‘s weight ballooned over 400 pounds, his personal life grew increasingly chaotic too.
He exhibited erratic, hyperactive behavior in videos. Nikocado would scream, smash things, storm off, mock fans, and break down over his ballooning weight.
Concerns mounted over his declining mobility, health, and mental stability. But any criticism just led to more over-the-top behavior from Nikocado.
His obese mukbang persona became inseparable from who he was. Addicted to the fame and income, Nikocado seemed trapped in a persona of his own making.
Nikocado‘s shocking weight gain over a 3 year period
He pushed his binges further, sometimes eating until literally sick. He strained relations with family, friends, and loved ones.
In 2021, Nikocado‘s mother was granted a 3-year restraining order claiming domestic abuse, drug abuse, and terrifying behavior.
It became clear Nikocado was on a dangerous path with no signs of slowing down.
Health Crisis
Medical experts express grave concern over the long-term impacts of Nikocado‘s diet. He exhibits obvious mobility issues and breathing struggles in videos.
At just age 30, Nikocado already relies on mobility scooters and oxygen due to morbid obesity. He appears addicted to junk food despite countless warnings.
Cardiologists warn that Nikocado is at extremely high risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke considering his weight and uncontrolled binge eating.
One doctor said Nikocado shows "all the signs of a massive heart attack or stroke waiting to happen."
With a BMI over 65, Nikocado is over twice the obesity classification. Some doctors give him just years to live if he remains this weight.
Fans frequently beg Nikocado to seek professional help for food addiction and apparent mental health struggles. But he always refuses.
Only Nikocado can decide to save his own life. And so far, he appears unwilling to change.
The Downward Spiral of Mukbang Addiction
Nikocado seems trapped in the endless cycle of a food addict.
The more weight he gains, the more depressed he becomes. This depression fuels more binges for comfort and distraction.
But the excessive eating only worsens his obesity, health issues, and popularity demands.
When fans comment concern over his mental or physical health, Nikocado lashes out and threatens to eat even more.
He uses food as both self-harm and self-medication. Professional intervention appears badly needed at this point.
Many mukbang stars exhibit similar addictive tendencies. They enslave themselves to the never-ending demand for more extreme eating challenges.
This business can take a devastating toll both physically and mentally.
Controversies and Drama
Beyond his health struggles, Nikocado also courts nonstop controversy and drama.
He picks fights with other internet stars, digs up dirt on people, and goes on angry tirades. Nikocado purposely uses drama to stay relevant in the crowded YouTube ecosystem.
In 2021, his feud with former collaborator Stephanie Soo turned toxic. He made disturbing accusations leading to harassment of her family.
Fans also question whether drama with his husband Orlin is real or scripted. The line between reality and fiction blurs when fame and money tempt people.
Many mukbang YouTubers rely on fake drama, scripted conflict, and internet beefs to drive views. But at what human cost?
Nikocado appears willing to sacrifice his relations and well-being all in the name of chasing fame and online attention.
Mukbang Genre Promotes Eating Disorders
Beyond just Nikocado, critics condemn the mukbang genre itself for promoting obesity and overeating to young viewers.
They accuse creators of profiting off an unhealthy preoccupation with food at the expense of human dignity.
Mukbang videos may also contribute to disordered eating patterns like binge eating disorder.
Studies show binge watching extreme eating can trigger increased consumption and foster a dangerous fixation on food.
Impressionable young viewers may emulate idols like Nikocado. Children lack the judgment to moderate sensational content.
While mukbang stars earn advertising revenue, their admirers develop unhealthy obsessions with eating. This is the toxic side of internet fame.
Financial Incentives Rule Social Media
Nikocado Avocado‘s tragic journey reveals the dark underbelly of internet stardom.
On platforms like YouTube, shock value reigns supreme. Outrageous behavior drives clicks and views, which directly translate to income.
This creates a dangerous incentive structure where the worst actions have the highest financial rewards. It breeds addiction to extremism.
When being the most erratic, excessive, and controversial pays the most, many creators sell their dignity for dollars.
The deeper problem lies with social media business models that prioritize engagement over ethics. Until that changes, the Nikocados of the world will only multiply.
Companies like YouTube and TikTok benefit greatly from the circus of drama, yet take little responsibility for those it destroys.
Perhaps regulators should scrutinize the impact of algorithms that deliberately amplify shocking content to feed human cravings for spectacle.
Because until the performer is separated from the performance, the Nikocado Avocados of the world will only multiply as social media drives people to extremes.
Inside the Tragic Downward Spiral
While Nikocado Avocado bears responsibility for his choices, his story remains tragic at its core.
Years ago, he was a promising violin prodigy with the world at his fingertips. Had he received proper mental health support, perhaps his life would be unrecognizable today.
Instead, childhood traumas festered until he reached a breaking point. Loneliness, emptiness, and social anxiety created the perfect storm.
The adoption healing journey is complex and lifelong. Add in pressures of the toxic entertainment industry, and it becomes easy to see how Nikocado painfully lost his way.
In the fractured modern world, too many young people fall prey to addiction in a misguided search for purpose. They desperately crave the validation of strangers to fill an inner void.
There are no easy answers when social media profits off someone‘s self-destruction. But perhaps Nikocado‘s story can sound warning bells.
If we cannot show compassion for someone so clearly suffering, then we all lose our humanity. Even villains have wounds.
A Plea for Compassion
The time has come to stop gawking and enabling Nikocado‘s next grotesque stunt.
Publicly shaming him as a sideshow achieves nothing but fuel deeper self-loathing. Mockery is easy, understanding is hard.
Intervention, not judgment, stands the only chance of altering his self-destructive path. Professional help combined with social support could gradually nurture insight and balance.
But our hyper-critical online culture fosters no redemption. We seek only to punish and destroy what we do not understand.
This collective shadow projection serves to mask our own voids. To fill inner emptiness, we crave extremes then condemn those who supply our fix.
Until society builds more compassion for the wounded souls who monetize outrage online, the system stays stalled. Their trauma simply manifests differently than ours.
There are no winners in the tragedy of Nikocado Avocado – only degrees of loss. His demonstrative suffering places a mirror before us all.
May we confront our shared sickness with wisdom and grace.
