TOGETHER WITH

It's Sunday and here’s a handpicked selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.

But first, a noted dog photographer is launching a talk show. Elias Weiss Friedman of The Dogist will interview (human) celebrities while hanging out with the (canine) all-stars of New York City.

CREATOR COMMOTION

Creators are hard launching podcasts, comedy films, and book deals

The hard launch: When Dan Howell and Phil Lester were going on massive tours in the 2010s, there were constant rumors about their alleged romantic connection. In a joint video, they revealed that the shippers were right the whole time, and they have been dating since 2009. Now they’re commemorating their “hard launch” with a podcast of the same name.

The comedy film: Freddie Wong and Matt Arnold “will return to our action comedy roots” with a film called Nail House. Wong, a special effects maestro who thrived on YouTube during the platform’s first decade, announced his new project on Instagram. To tell the story of a dumpling shop fighting a hostile takeover, Wong is re-teaming with Arnold, who he worked with on the acclaimed action comedy Video Game High School.

The kids’ book: Rhett & Link are authoring a children’s book for picky eaters. When it comes out in 2026, Spaghetti Head and Chicken Fingers will celebrate kids with stingy dietary preferences.

The cameo: Retired Game Theory creator MatPat will head to the big screen with a small role in the upcoming horror sequel Five Nights At Freddy’s 2. The indie game was one of MatPat’s favorite subjects for his theories, and in the post-Minecraft Movie landscape, it’s the right time for his hard work to be rewarded.

The survival guide: After asking “Who TF Did I Marry,” TikTok star Reesa Teesa is getting a book deal. A Penguin Random House imprint has acquired the rights to What (TF) Do I Do Now?, Teesa’s examination of her life post-viral fame. The book is described as “not just a memoir, it’s a survival guide.”

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POLITICS AS USUAL

The politics of social media are getting complicated

The call-out: Doctor Mike is hitting out at the AMA for its unengaging counters to misinformation. There’s faulty medical information everywhere these days, even at the highest levels of government—and with the AMA’s fact-checking tweets only reaching a few thousand people, Doctor Mike doesn’t think the agency’s efforts are adequate. He has a point. Factual claims are only powerful when they are boosted to as many people who saw the original misinfo. The AMA seems to be missing that part of the equation.

The settlement: Senate Democrats are looking into whether YouTube’s $24.5 million Trump settlement was a bribe. Given that the president used the payout to help fund a glitzy new ballroom for the White House, it’s no surprise liberal regulators want answers—and YouTube’s recent actions against channels critical of Trump means that this inquiry is standing on solid footing.

THE BIZ

This week in platform headlines…

The Twitch question: Is Twitch Amazon’s “zombie brand”? Dan Clancy doesn’t think so. In an interview with Bloomberg, the Twitch CEO said “Amazon has been great at supporting everything that we’re doing. Twitch gives Amazon a platform where they can reach a younger audience, which I think is important to Amazon.”

The YouTube update: YouTube has a neat new streaming feature that promotes paywalled content. In the middle of broadcasts, YouTube streamers can now switch between public access and subscribers-only segments. It’s like if sports broadcasters made viewers pay extra to watch the end of the game, which seems like a great incentive structure to get streamers more subscribers.

The Musk approach: By saying “YouTube does a much better job,” Elon Musk just shaded his own social media hub. The head of X believes the platform formerly known as Twitter is underpaying creators—and as evidence, he pointed to YouTube and commended the monetization on the Google-owned platform.

WATCH THIS 📺

The first episode of Duolingo’s new anime just dropped

The anime: Duolingo is teaching Japanese through an anime series that stars its owl mascot. We’re not sure if we’ll learn a lot of Japanese words from watching the show, or if we’ll just hear the word “nani” a thousand times—but either way, Duo seems pretty serious about getting his message across.

The owl’s warning for Episode One viewers: whatever you do, “don’t let your flame go out.”

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.