Remember the YouTuber Fred? His life has changed 20 years on, and he’s married to a male model

Growing up in the golden age of YouTube has given us lots of good memories, but it’s also scarred us for life with individuals like Logan Paul, Shane Dawson, and Fred.

I was a full-grown adult when I learned that Fred Figglehorn wasn’t a real person. He was a character designed by internet personality Lucas Cruikshank. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what Fred’s content was like, but it was usually some wild adventure where he behaved objectively awful. His voice was a hybrid between a helium-induced voice and the sound of nails on a chalkboard.

“I would describe Fred Figglehorn as a really hyper-active, temper-throwing teenager who’s stuck in the mentality of a six-year-old,” the creator told ABC News of his alter-ego in September 2010. “He’s opened so many doors for me.”

Some of his most popular videos included: Fred on Halloween, Fred Goes Swimming, and Fred Goes Grocery Shopping feat. Annoying Orange.

Fred sent Lucas’ popularity skyrocketing, and he was soon the very first person to hit one million subscribers on YouTube. It also sparked several Fred movies, where John Cena played his dad, and Pixie Lott played his love interest.

I honestly forgot Fred even existed, so here’s what his creator has been up to for the past 20 years.

Lucas basically killed Fred

Though Fred generated millions upon millions of clicks for Lucas, he’s since moved past the persona. While the OG YouTube is still up, he hasn’t posted a new video on there since 2015. At the time, he expanded Fred’s repertoire with content connected to the wider Fred mythos.

“Lately, I noticed that there weren’t many channels on YouTube that families can enjoy together. So, I opened up the FЯED channel for a bunch of cool new shows inspired by the spirit of Fred Figglehorn, including original comedy, music, game shows and animation,” Lucas wrote on the page.

He came out in 2013

Over a decade ago, Lucas came out as gay in a video with Jennifer Veal from the Disney Channel show Jessie.

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“I’m gay. It’s so weird saying it on camera,’ Lucas answered a fan in the video. “My family and friends have known for like three years and I just haven’t felt the need to announce it on the Internet.”

He’s still making content, but it’s different

In 2026, Lucas Cruikshank boasts 475k followers on Instagram, 3.38 million subscribers on YouTube, and close to a million on TikTok. Despite leaving Fred dead and buried, he’s still doing exceedingly well.

In modern times, much of Lucas’ content is typical influencer videos: Food, travel, and review-based videos. He also has an ongoing series with his straight brother.

He’s now married to a very low-key husband

Credit: Instagram

In 2013, shortly after coming out, Lucas was at a gay club when he watched male model Matthew Fawcus “from afar.” The two were introduced by fellow YouTuber Kingsley, and they struck up a relationship. The couple have been together ever since, and just last year, fans of Lucas were shocked to learn that he and Matthew had gotten married.

Matthew seems to be an incredibly private person, so there isn’t a lot of information about their relationship besides the odd picture.

Fingers crossed we get a 20 year Fred comeback.

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Featured image credit: YouTube/Instagram