A lot of people probably forgot that pro skateboarder Kelly Hart was already on YouTube long before it became normal for pro skaters to post regularly.
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Back then, being a skater on YouTube was looked at very differently than it is today. It was not seen as part of the real skate world, and for many core skaters and industry heads, it was something to mock rather than support.
This topic came up again during the Spanish Mike episode of The Nine Club podcast with Chris Roberts.
The crew talked about how Spanish Mike used to film his friends and upload clips to YouTube.
Those videos started getting attention, but instead of support from the core scene, there was a lot of shutdown.
It was obvious that YouTube skaters were not welcome and were not seen as part of skateboarding culture.
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Kelly jumped into the conversation and shared his own experience.
When he was posting skate content on YouTube, he said he was told directly by core skaters he knew to stop.
The reason was simple. They thought it was corny as hell. That pressure was real, especially coming from people who had been around longer and had influence in the scene. Kelly listened, stepped away, and stopped posting.
This was happening around the same time that Aaron Kyro, Ricky Glaser, John Hill, and other early YouTube skaters were starting to gain traction.
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Tutorials, skits, and skate-related videos were blowing up online.
Younger skaters were watching, learning, and getting inspired, but the industry itself was not ready to accept it. There was a clear line between what was considered core and what was not.
Kelly stepping away is wild to think about now.
Imagine having the chance to build something for nearly a decade, reaching younger skaters and creating a huge following, but choosing to stop because the culture around you said it was wrong.
At that time, listening to the OGs felt like the right thing to do. Respect mattered more than views or subscribers.
Fast forward nine years and everything has changed.
Kelly is back on YouTube, doing things on his own channel. He is building his channel again and sharing parts of his life that go beyond skating alone. His return feels natural now, not something people question or laugh at.
In his recent video titled "Kelly Hart Gets a Hip Replacement: The Intro," he opens up about dealing with hip pain and learning what he needed to do to fix it.
He explains his situation honestly and invites viewers to ask questions or suggest topics related to his injury.
It is a very different side of skate content than what people expected years ago, but now it feels normal.
What makes this moment interesting is how much the culture has shifted.
Today, plenty of pro skaters run successful YouTube channels. Names like P-Rod, Kader Sylla, Pedro Delfino, Moose, and many others post regularly and get support for it.
Even major brands like Powell Peralta are now backing skaters who are active on YouTube. Something that once got shut down is now fully accepted.
Kelly coming back shows how much attitudes around skating and YouTube have shifted.
The same industry that once looked down on YouTube skaters is now comfortable with them being part of the community.
Younger skaters benefit from it, pros have more control over their own stories, and the idea of what a skate video can be has expanded along with income.
By making YouTube videos, skaters can generate more income than ever compared to doing a nine to six job while skating professionally. This provides an additional income stream and lets them entertain their fans.
If there is anything to take from this, it is that criticism from respected voices does not always age well.
What was once called corny is now just another way skaters connect, share, and stay relevant.
Kelly stepping back into YouTube shows that timing matters, and sometimes all it takes is waiting for the culture to catch up.