【The Pursuit of Lust】

VidCon 2025 kicked off its opening ceremony in Anaheim,The Pursuit of Lust CA, by honoring YouTube legends on Thursday. Hosted by Kalen Allen and VidCon's social media manager Ali Booth, the Hall of Fame Ceremony honored Hank Green, co-founder of VidCon and half of the Vlogbrothers channel; Rhett & Link, hosts of Good Mythical Morningand founders of Mythical Entertainment; Grace Helbig; Tyler Oakley; Joey Graceffa; Rosanna Pansino; and Smosh co-founders Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox.

SEE ALSO: VidCon 2025: The latest updates from your favorite creators Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox, co-founders of Smosh accepted their Hall of Fame awards together on the VidCon stage. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

Each creator arrived on the VidCon stage to accept their awards. The first award of the night went to Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox, co-founders of Smosh, who shouted out Hank Green for his hand in founding VidCon.

The second honoree, Tyler Oakley, took the stage with a heartfelt thank you: “Ever since I was little I knew I wanted to talk to strangers on the internet. Thank you for being those strangers.”

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Grace Helbig accepted her stage on the VidCon Stage, celebrating her 18 years as a creator on YouTube. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The next award of the evening went to Grace Helbig, who took to the stage with her signature comedy, thanking “Everyone who has ever paid attention to her.”

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Up next was Joey Graceffa, who was hard to hear over the screams. “Y’all are loud,” Joey laughed. He talked about his most important VidCon memories — meeting Smosh as a fan, having his first kiss, and premiering his YouTube series Escape the Night.

Following Joey Graceffa, the next award of the night went to Rosanna Pansino. She thanked the community, remarking on her 15 years of YouTube, and that the platform changed her life.

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Good Mythical Morningcreators Rhett & Link then took the stage, starting off by acknowledging that people often ask them what the key to longevity is on YouTube. As the crowd shouted back answers, Rhett clarified, “This is not an interactive exercise.”

The final inductee of the evening was Hank Green, co-founder of VidCon. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The final inductee of the evening was Hank Green, co-founder of VidCon. In his acceptance speech, he thanked his brother, John Green, who has been his long time collaborator, noting that their mission has always been to leave things better than they found them.

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