Drew Gooden

Drew Gooden was born on October 26, 1993, in North Carolina, later relocating to Orlando, Florida, at a young age. His early ambition was to write for Saturday Night Live. Gooden began his internet career on Vine in 2013 after two attempts at community college and taking improvisational theater classes. He gained significant recognition on the platform for his short comedy sketches, with his “Road Work Ahead” Vine in 2016 becoming widely recognized. This particular Vine, where he humorously states, “Road work ahead? Uh, yeah. I sure hope it does,” became a notable internet meme and a personal catchphrase. While Vine was active, the video’s popularity was moderate, but it gained broader viral status through YouTube Vine compilations after Vine ceased operations.

Gooden appeared in the Vine-produced web series ‘Camp Unplug’ in 2016, where he met fellow Viner Danny Gonzalez. When Vine closed in January 2017, Gooden transitioned to YouTube, following many other popular Viners. He experimented with various formats before focusing on commentary and reaction videos, analyzing internet culture and pop culture. His YouTube following grew significantly, particularly after his critical review of Jake Paul’s live show in June 2018, which garnered 4 million views in one month, a considerable increase from his typical 100,000 views. He reached one million subscribers by October 2018 and began creating content full-time three years after starting his YouTube channel. In collaboration with Danny Gonzalez, he embarked on the “We Are Two Different People Tour” in 2019, which involved music, effects, and original comedy sketches. In 2021, Gooden received a Streamy Award in the Commentary category, and was nominated again in 2022.