CGP Grey is an AmericaneducationalYouTuber,podcaster, andlive streamer based in the United Kingdom who creates explanatory videos on subjects including politics, geography, economics, sociology, history, philosophy, and culture. In addition to video production, he is known for creating and hosting the podcastsHello Internet withBrady Haran andCortex withMyke Hurley.[1]
Grey's Irish citizenship allowed him to move to theUnited Kingdom. He attended a masters program in economics in London.[‡ 6][2] He became a physics teacher while in London.[3]
Grey's primary YouTube channel,CGP Grey, predominantly features explanatory videos[4][5] on subjects including politics, geography, economics, history, productivity, the Internet, transportation,vexillology, science,American culture, andBritish culture. The videos intend to debunkcommon misconceptions or answer everyday questions people may hold.[5]
The videos feature Grey narrating over animations, stock footage, and still photographs. While nearly all of his videos feature his voice, his face has never been shown in his videos, and he almost always has his face obscured when appearing in other people's videos;[6] he generally uses a stick figure with glasses to represent himself.[7] He has stated that the presentation style of his videos is influenced by that ofBen "Yahtzee" Croshaw'sZero Punctuation series.[‡ 7][‡ 8]
Grey's video that debunks popular misconceptions has been featured onCBS,[8] as has his video about the history of theBritish royal family.[9] Two videos differentiate London and theCity of London, while explaining the history and government of the latter.[10][11] Another two videos explaining copyright law and theElectoral College have been featured onMashable.[4] The channel also explains theeconomic disadvantages of US one-cent coins in a video titledDeath to Pennies.[12][13] Other videos, includingHow to Become Pope, have received media attention and have been used in instructional settings.[14][15] His video on theAmerican debt limit received praise from economists.[16]
In January 2014, Grey launched the podcastHello Internet along with co-hostBrady Haran, another educationalYouTuber and online content creator. The podcast peaked as the No. 1iTunes podcast in United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Canada, and Australia in February 2014.[23]The Guardian included the podcast among its 50 best of 2016, naming episode 66 ("A Classic Episode") its episode of the year.[24] The paper described the podcast as having "in-depth debates and banter that is actually amusing."[24] Grey reported a podcast listenership of approximately "a quarter million" downloads per episode as of September 2015.[‡ 9]
The podcast features discussions pertaining to their lives as professional content creators for YouTube, as well as their interests and annoyances. Typical topics include technology etiquette; movie and TV show reviews; plane accidents;vexillology;futurology; and the differences between Grey's and Haran's personalities and lifestyles.[25] Their opinions and comments on feedback usually starts the next episode of the podcast. As a result of their conversations, Haran has been noted for reappropriating the term "freebooting", among other words, to refer to the unauthorized re-hosting of online media.[26] The podcast has been on hiatus since May 2020.[27]
On 3 June 2015, Grey launched his second podcast,Cortex, with co-hostMyke Hurley ofRelay FM.[28]
In 2013,Caitlin Dewey wrote that Grey is regarded as a "celebrity in the niche world of educational YouTube videos."[29] According to economistJoshua Gans, "while they may not be names in the halls of academia," YouTubers like Grey "have brought diverse explanations of mathematics, physics, political institutions, and history to millions on the Internet."[30]
Robert Krulwich ofNPR wrote that Grey has "a curious talent for truth telling; he can take a charming lie and, with evenmore charm, rip it apart. It is very, very hard, as any teacher will tell you, to unlearn something that makes you comfortable and makes you feel smart, but Mr. Grey has the knack."[31]
^Haran, Brady; Grey, CGP (28 May 2014)."Nobody Owns the Facts".Hello Internet (Podcast). No. 13. Hellointernet.fm.Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved17 June 2014.
^Grey, C. G. P.; Hurley, Myke (14 August 2015)."Cortex #10: Zero Artistic Skills".Cortex (Podcast). Relay FM.Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved16 August 2015.
^Haran, Brady; Grey, CGP (29 September 2015)."Grumpy About Art".Hello Internet (Podcast). No. 48, 58:05. Hellointernet.fm.Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved30 September 2015.
Media related toCGP Grey at Wikimedia Commons
