TenEighty investigates what The Jonaskians have been up to since they left our computer screens.
Nowadays, Chase Hudson and the rest of the Hype House have our undivided attention, but 10 years ago a different gang of friends ruled the internet. The Janoskians – “Just Another Name Of Silly Kids In Another Nation” – dominated YouTube from 2011 until 2018.
The group first rose to fame with prank videos and mockumentaries. They went on to release a number of charting singles, embarked on three world tours, released a movie and starred in an Australian TV series. However, as of August 2018, they are no longer online as a group.
Jai Brooks, in a video posted in May of this year, explained the reasons behind The Janoskians’ split. He said that when they first started the channel, they were just teenagers doing it for a hobby and weren’t “expecting to making a career out of it”. Once it became their job, they felt they “lost the raw comedy style [they] used to have”.
Jai described it came to a natural end as they got older, “To be honest, none of us wanted to be pranksters our whole lives.” However, as he shared, “It was funny back then when we were kids.” He threw some shade at other YouTubers of the era, saying that “those scripting and staging pranks got 10 times the views we got”. This caused frustration for the boys and “it took the fun out of pranks”.
“To be honest, none of us wanted to be pranksters our whole lives.”
Now that we know the true reasons behind why the boys decided to go their separate ways, we’re eager to see what they’re up to now. Thankfully, they’re still sharing their lives with those online.
Jai now describes himself as an artist. He hasn’t released any solo music like others in the group, and instead sells and showcases his painting on his Instagram, @jaibrooksart.
James Yammouni first left the group in June of 2016, citing the desire to spend more time with his family and focus on his DJ career. He is still releasing music and working with many collaborators, including Anfa Rose and Adam Saleh.
Beau Brooks, one third of the brothers in the group, embarked on a solo music career after the group split. He released four singles and has dropped hints on Instagram that he is working on an EP. He has also embarked on providing music therapy for young people.
He started a fundraiser with Simona Sapuppo called Deconstruct Recreation. The fundraiser’s GoFundMe page says Beau is “currently completing a Bachelors in Audio Engineering” and that he “has entered into a partnership with Creative Art Therapy Australia (CATA) and Sound and Audio Engineering (SAE) Institute to produce a Creative ARTS Therapy program that creates music with children and adolescents braving trauma”.
“Books has entered into a partnership with Creative Art Therapy Australia (CATA) and Sound and Audio Engineering (SAE) Institute to produce a Creative ARTS Therapy program that creates music with children and adolescents braving trauma.”
Luke Brooks was known for his passion for photography during his time with The Janoskians, and since their split has continued to pursue it. He now is the director of two companies. Shutter Island Multimedia does photography and videography for corporate functions and events, as well as content creator’s brands and portfolios. More recently, he set up Tradie Films and describes it as “digital content specialists for all trades”, such as construction and demolition.
Luke says The Janoskians YouTube Channel is what started his photography and videography career.
Daniel Sahyounie – nicknamed Skip – continued to make YouTube videos on his own after The Janoskians announced their split, but he has since taken down his content. According to his Instagram, he spends a lot of time with his family, and seems to spend a lot of time on TikTok, trying out the viral challenges as they come.
@danielskip9When you think your alone but your not!!!! 🤦♂️🤦♂️ ##aussie ##JumanjiChallenge ##funny ##comedy ##weird ##yt ##ytb♬ Hey! What? – iambannd
It appears the boys are doing well and pursuing their dreams and aspirations. While we miss the content they created whilst together, we are happy to see they’re still somewhat active on social media, whether that be sharing their new projects or giving us an insight into their personal lives.
Want More?
Check out our five favourite moments from KSI and S-X’s time on Celebrity Gogglebox, or read about Twitter rolling out voice tweets to iOS users.
- Keeping Content: The Complex Challenge of Online Moderation
- Chris From MrBeast Welcomes First Child Tucker
- Creators Speak Out For Black Lives Matter
- Pokimane Joins CLOACK As Partner and Creative Director
- Disability On YouTube: Growing Representation Within The Digital Sphere
For updates follow @TenEightyUK on Twitter or like TenEighty UK on Facebook.
