by Alfonce94 September 19, 2011
Get the Sophomore Storymug. A “phoenix” story (in the context of online creators/YouTubers/influencers) is when someone gets completely burned to the ground publicly — massive controversy, cancellation, doxxing, harassment, loss of all platforms and income — and then, after disappearing for a while, quietly rebuilds a new career (often under a new name/brand) and ends up happier, healthier, and frequently more successful than before.
It’s called a phoenix story because, like the mythical bird that dies in flames and rises from its own ashes, the person has to let their old online identity “die” completely, then rebirth themselves from whatever is left.
It’s called a phoenix story because, like the mythical bird that dies in flames and rises from its own ashes, the person has to let their old online identity “die” completely, then rebirth themselves from whatever is left.
Some well-known (or semi-known) examples of a phoenix story:
• Creators who were huge in the 2010–2015 era, got accused of something (true or false), lost everything, deleted all socials, and then years later came back as a totally different channel/niche and now have bigger audiences who have no idea about the old drama.
• People who used to be in drama-heavy circles (Skeptic YouTube, commentary community, etc.), got dog-piled, vanished, and resurfaced doing chill gaming, cooking, or educational content with a fraction of the old audience size but 10× the peace of mind and actual money.
• A few have even gone quasi-anonymous (avatar + voice changer at first) and built seven-figure businesses because they no longer have the baggage of their old name.
The key elements that make it a true phoenix (rather than just “they came back”) are usually:
1. They never really “clear their name” in the old space; the old controversy is still out there on Kiwi Farms or old Reddit threads.
2. The new audience is almost entirely unaware of the past (or doesn’t care).
3. The creator themselves says some version of “Getting canceled was the best thing that ever happened to me” because it forced them to escape a toxic ecosystem and build something sustainable.
• Creators who were huge in the 2010–2015 era, got accused of something (true or false), lost everything, deleted all socials, and then years later came back as a totally different channel/niche and now have bigger audiences who have no idea about the old drama.
• People who used to be in drama-heavy circles (Skeptic YouTube, commentary community, etc.), got dog-piled, vanished, and resurfaced doing chill gaming, cooking, or educational content with a fraction of the old audience size but 10× the peace of mind and actual money.
• A few have even gone quasi-anonymous (avatar + voice changer at first) and built seven-figure businesses because they no longer have the baggage of their old name.
The key elements that make it a true phoenix (rather than just “they came back”) are usually:
1. They never really “clear their name” in the old space; the old controversy is still out there on Kiwi Farms or old Reddit threads.
2. The new audience is almost entirely unaware of the past (or doesn’t care).
3. The creator themselves says some version of “Getting canceled was the best thing that ever happened to me” because it forced them to escape a toxic ecosystem and build something sustainable.
by VenturaBox November 22, 2025
Get the phoenix storymug. by ploafmaster April 27, 2017
Get the story foodmug. by Racquees August 31, 2023
Get the Nick Storymug. A dramatic event that happened in someone’s life that changed them into a villain doing evil things to mask their pain.
Bro 1: “Can’t believe your gf cheated on you with 30 guys in one year and you didn't find out until now.”
Bro 2: *cry* “this will be my villain origin story! Everyone will pay for what she did to me!!” 😡
Bro 2: *cry* “this will be my villain origin story! Everyone will pay for what she did to me!!” 😡
by PeachPlugger9000 July 4, 2024
Get the villain origin storymug. A story that is preluded by a lengthy backstory to create the context and ends abruptly with no worthwhile conclusion given the lengthy setup.
These stories are typically told by people named 'Ben'
These stories are typically told by people named 'Ben'
"So I was at work... but the thing is with the checkouts... the button for rockmelon is under stone fruit... my store manager yelled at my coworker... and that's how I made a joke about rockmelons."
"What a Ben Story."
"What a Ben Story."
by flyboy45 June 23, 2023
Get the Ben Storymug. : the subjective interpretation (a story) of someone's behavior (that may or may not be true) that is used to blame, criticize or otherwise target them as the cause of something
I have nothing to say about your story-blame comments that I drank too much and was flirting with everyone because the facts are, I had one beer and I didn't flirt with anyone.
by MOLove1966 March 14, 2021
Get the story-blamemug.