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2020 was a year of tragedy and loneliness. And, while our physical world was shut down, we began to rely on the digital world more than ever before. In the darkest times, we turned to art, film, and social media to feel connected to the rest of the world. Thankfully, being stuck in quarantine and experiencing the unsteady state of the world for the past year provided a great deal of inspiration to content creators. They delivered amazing content across social media platforms that left a lasting impact on their viewers. But which was the most watched YouTube video out of them all? These are the highest trending videos of 2020 with millions of views.
10. Ricky Gervais’ Monologue – 2020 Golden Globes
- NBC
- 16.4M views
The tenth most watched YouTube video of the year is actor Ricky Gervais’ comedic monologue from the Golden Globe Awards back in January. The monologue was quite controversial, as the target of his jokes were the entertainment industry, politicians, and his fellow actors. Overall, the monologue made a huge impact on the world and definitely stood out.
9. Some Good News with John Krasinski Ep. 1
- SomeGoodNews
- 18.4M views
In March, soon after COVID-19 began to spread across America, actor John Krasinski started a YouTube show called Some Good News. In this show, he shared some good news in a time of so much bad news. In the first episode of the show, Krasinski reunited with Steve Carell, his co-star on The Office. This reunion warmed the hearts of lovers of the show, making this video one of the most watched YouTube videos of the year.
8. WE CAN’T BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED!!
- David Dobrik
- 24.4M views
When the country shut down and everyone went into quarantine in March, David Dobrik, one of the most well-known influencers in the world, stopped posting his weekly vlogs. In April, he broke his silence by posting this vlog, in which he partners with EA and surprised people with iPads, PlayStations, XBoxes, money, and cars. He also explained that he will not be posting again until all of this is over, so we may not be getting more vlogs for a while.
Want to know more about this top influencer? Read all about David Dobrik and the rest of the Vlog Squad here.
7. 8:46 – Dave Chapelle
- Netflix Is A Joke
- 29.4M views
In June of 2020, comedian Dave Chapelle held an outdoor, socially distanced show in which he commented on the tragic death of George Floyd, police brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement. The video was released a few days after the show through YouTube and was watched by millions of people, making it one of the most influential videos of 2020.
6. We Broke Up
- jeffreestar
- 33.2M Views
In January, beauty guru Jeffree Star posted what became one of the most watched YouTube videos of the year when he revealed that he and his boyfriend five years, Nathan Schwandt, had broken up. In the 17-minute video, Jeffree opened up and explained what happened between them and how he was feeling to his subscribers.
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5. I’m Coming Out
- NikkieTutorials
- 36.5M views
Back in January of 2020, beauty guru NikkieTutorials shocked her subscribers by coming out as transgender on her YouTube channel. She revealed that she had been blackmailed by someone threatening to expose this information. Instead, she came out on her own terms before they could get the chance to take that away from her. The video inspired people around the world and soon became one of the most watched YouTube videos of the year.
4. $250,000 Influencer Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament
- MrBeast
- 37.6M views
In April, MrBeast held a tournament in which some of the biggest influencers in the world competed against one another in the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors – even Jack Black made an appearance. All of the money he raised during the stream was donated to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the $250,000 won in the tournament was donated by the winner to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
3. Quarantine Stereotypes
- Dude Perfect
- 43.5M views
Dude Perfect, a group of five men who specialize in sport and comedy videos, created a video back in April in which they demonstrated a bunch of quarantine stereotypes comedically. These stereotypes include Mr. Homemade Mask, The Conspiracy Theorist, The TikTok Dad, and more. The video definitely describes the different phases of quarantine we went through back at the beginning of the pandemic.
Want to read more about Dude Perfect? Check out this blog on their net worth breakdown here.
2. Building The Perfect Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder
- Mark Rober
- 56.1M views
Mark Rober is a scientist and engineer who films experiments on his YouTube channel. In this video, the second most watched YouTube video of 2020, he creates a genius obstacle course in an attempt to challenge the squirrels who had been stealing from his bird feeder. The video is hilarious and a great demonstration of both Rober’s engineering skills and the squirrel’s intelligence.
1. Minecraft Speedrun vs. 3 Hunters Grand Finale
- Dream
- 61.7M views
Dream is a popular gamer on YouTube who quickly rose in popularity due to his engaging and hilarious Minecraft videos. In August, he released what eventually became the most watched video of 2020, in which he sets out to defeat the game of Minecraft with three of his friends hunting him. The video had his viewers on the edge of their seats as they watched Dream run from his friends and ultimately defeat them and the Ender Dragon all in one video.
Some other viral videos of 2020
| Title | Channel | Views |
|---|---|---|
| First Debate Cold Open | SNL | 29.9M |
| I Bought The World’s Largest Firework ($600,000) | MrBeast | 56.7M |
| CONFESSING HIS LOVE FOR MY ASSISTANT!! | David Dobrik | 18.4M |
