Nikocado Avocado Fooled Millions With a Secret 250-Pound Weight Loss and Unveiled a Drastically Different Look

Known for his over-the-top mukbang videos and larger-than-life online persona, the content creator left viewers speechless with one of YouTube's most unexpected reveals. Keep reading to learn how he pulled it off — and scroll to the end to see his dramatic before-and-after photos.

When Nicholas Perry, better known as Nikocado Avocado, uploaded a YouTube video titled "Two Steps Ahead" in September 2024, longtime viewers expected another installment of the loud, chaotic mukbang content that had made him one of the platform's most recognizable creators.

Instead, the video delivered one of the internet's most surprising reveals. After removing an oversized panda mascot head, he appeared with a dramatically slimmer frame and announced that he had secretly lost 250 pounds. The then-32-year-old told his more than four million subscribers:

"Today, I woke up from a very long dream and I also woke up having lost 250 pounds off my body."

The revelation immediately sparked widespread discussion online, but the dramatic physical transformation was only part of the story. In an email interview with The New York Times, he explained that the entire plan had been intentional.

"I have been strategically posting prerecorded videos for two years, on both YouTube and TikTok," he wrote, revealing that much of the content viewers believed was current had actually been filmed well in advance.

The announcement marked an unexpected turning point for a creator whose online career had become closely associated with excess.

The YouTuber first found an audience more than a decade earlier by creating mukbang videos, a format that originated in South Korea in which hosts eat large quantities of food while interacting with viewers.

Before adopting the eating style that would eventually define his channel, Nikocado Avocado had built an audience as a vegan creator. The "Avocado" portion of his online name reflected that period of his career, although he publicly abandoned veganism in 2016.

Behind the scenes, however, Nikocado Avocado said a very different story was unfolding.

The content creator described vegans as "imbalanced, hostile, militant, and mentally unstable," and his content soon shifted toward elaborate fast-food feasts, often featuring enormous portions consumed in a single sitting.

Videos regularly showed him eating thousands of calories while embracing an intentionally exaggerated on-camera personality filled with shouting, emotional outbursts, and crude humor.

As the years passed, viewers also watched him gain a significant amount of weight. The YouTuber occasionally documented that change by filming himself stepping onto a scale, while also speaking openly about health problems connected to his eating habits.

His growing size prompted concern from fellow creators, several of whom questioned whether his content was taking a serious toll on his well-being. Behind the scenes, however, Nikocado Avocado said a very different story was unfolding.

Rather than uploading content as it was filmed, he gradually released older footage while continuing to transform privately. One example he shared involved a Burger King review filmed in 2022 that was held back for a year before it appeared online, helping preserve the illusion that nothing had changed.

However, the strategy involved more than simply delaying uploads. Videos were also edited to appear recent, allowing viewers to believe they reflected his current appearance. He wrote:

"I edited the videos so that they would appear recent, allowing me to focus on my healing behind the scenes."

Nikocado Avocado also revealed that he shaved his head to avoid being recognized in public during the process and said that several fellow YouTubers helped keep the secret.

The carefully planned deception surprised much of the internet, with many viewers describing the reveal as one of YouTube's most memorable moments.

Still, the YouTuber suggested there had been clues from the beginning. "This has been the greatest social experiment I've come to know, the greatest social experiment of my entire life," he said.

However, not everyone accepted the transformation immediately. Some netizens questioned whether artificial intelligence or other digital editing techniques had been used to create the appearance of dramatic weight loss.

Nikocado Avocado rejected those claims, maintaining that the transformation was genuine. He also pointed to a recent TikTok video showing him posing with a fan as evidence that the weight loss was real.

"The vast majority of people seemed to have enjoyed the video and are thrilled to see me in a healthier state," he shared. "The comments have been very loving and kind."

While the transformation itself captured headlines, the YouTuber said the project was also intended to explore how audiences consume online personalities.

In "Two Steps Ahead," he declared, "People are the most messed-up creatures on the entire planet, and yet I've still managed to stay two steps ahead of everyone. The joke's on you." Expanding on that idea later, he explained:

"While everybody pointed and laughed at me for over-consuming, I was in total control the entire time. In reality, people become completely absorbed with internet personalities and obsessively watch their content. That is where a deeper level of over-consuming lies, and it's the parallel I wanted to make."

Despite the shocking reveal, the ending of the video reminded viewers that some aspects of his channel had not changed. After announcing the weight loss, Nikocado Avocado sat down in familiar fashion with a giant tray of noodles.

He resumed eating on camera, adding that he planned to continue making mukbang videos for the foreseeable future. Scroll below to see before-and-after images documenting the YouTuber's remarkable 250-pound weight-loss journey.

Before

After