“Top o’ the mornin’ to ya’, laddies!”
So screams Sean “Jack” McLoughlin at the start of nearly every one of the videos on his YouTube channel, jacksepticeye. Yes, the Irish man is aware of how stereotypical it sounds … and that’s kind of the point.
McLoughlin is quite possibly the most recognizable Irish YouTuber on the platform—and one of the most recognizable gaming-focused YouTubers, period. Nearly 30 million subscribers propel him toward the pinnacle of this genre, alongside the likes of Markiplier and PewDiePie.
Whether jacksepticeye is playing a silly game or a horror game, his streaming videos radiate with cheerful banter and quick one-liners—and the same can be said for his reaction videos, too. McLoughlin’s comedic timing paired with his optimistic and friendly demeanor clearly connects with a huge online audience.
But is the channel, as a whole, a pot of gold?
McLoughlin has used his fame to raise millions for various charities, even raising over $10 million during his last “Thankmas” charity stream. He furthermore frequently engages with content made by his fans and thanks them for taking the time to make it for him.
Optimism infuses nearly every one of his videos. However, he has also been quite vocal about the difficulties of YouTube, explaining to his audience how his job can be quite stressful and has negatively impacted his mental health. Because of this, he decided to cut back on the frequency of his uploads and even took some time away to recuperate.
McLoughlin frequently uses crude language, including the f-word, s-word and various words for male or female anatomy. He will often take God’s name in vain. Jesus’ name is likewise used as an expletive.
McLoughlin plays many horror games that may scare younger audiences, and he also plays games that contain ample amounts of animated blood and gore. Viewers will also hear explicit sexual references occasionally.
On the channel, jacksepticeye will react to various things posted on the Internet that may not be appropriate for viewers. These might include nudity and sex, real life gore and scatological content (all of which is blurred or censored). Content like this is particularly prominent when McLoughlin, as a sort of game, reacts to certain subreddits on Reddit that promote the risk of seeing such things.
One thing that’s immediately evident reading up on jacksepticeye is this: He’s been a big inspiration to his fans. One teen after another commented about how McLoughlin’s videos were an oasis in a desert full of mental illnesses and the pains of growing up. And, to his credit, McLoughlin certainly does his part to make sure his fans know that his personality is genuine; he does care for them.
But despite those nice sentiments, the many content issues included in the channel make this a hard sell for younger audiences, especially that frequent harsh profanity and the sexual references.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
