Ian Hecox

Ian Andrew Hecox was born on November 30, 1987, in Sacramento, California, and grew up in Carmichael, California. His early education included attending Del Campo High School where he participated in cross-country. Hecox later attended American River College, taking screenwriting, film, and improv classes before dedicating his focus entirely to Smosh, a project he co-founded.

Hecox’s career officially began in 2002 when he joined smosh.com, a website established by his childhood friend, Anthony Padilla. In 2005, Hecox and Padilla launched the main Smosh YouTube channel. Their early content included lip-sync videos, with a Pokémon Theme lip-sync video reaching over 24 million views and becoming the most-viewed YouTube video for a period before its removal due to copyright. The duo then shifted to sketch comedy, creating popular series such as “Food Battle” and “If It Were Real.” Smosh achieved significant success, becoming the most-subscribed YouTube channel on three separate occasions. In 2011, Smosh was acquired by Defy Media (then Alloy Digital).

Throughout his career, Hecox has expanded his creative work beyond the main Smosh channel. In 2006, he created an individual YouTube channel, “IanH,” which later evolved into Smosh Pit, hosting behind-the-scenes content and personal series like “Ian Is Bored.” Hecox also ventured into film, co-producing and acting in “Smosh: The Movie” (2015) and “Ghostmates” (2016). In 2016, he provided a voice for Bubbles in “The Angry Birds Movie.” Following Anthony Padilla’s departure from Smosh in 2017, Hecox continued to lead the channel, becoming more involved in its business aspects. After Defy Media’s shutdown in 2018, Smosh was acquired by Rhett & Link’s Mythical Entertainment in 2019. In a significant career turning point, Hecox reunited with Padilla in June 2023 to reacquire Smosh, making it an independent channel once again. He is also slated to reprise his voice role as Bubbles in “The Angry Birds Movie 3” (2026).