Boogie2988

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LolcowLive

Steven Jay Williams (born: July 24, 1974 (1974-07-24) [age 50]), better known online as boogie2988 (or simply Boogie, also known as Francis), is an American YouTuber and commentator who makes gaming-related videos discussing gaming news, personal rambling vlogs, and character sketches, the most famous of which is his character Francis, a childish, lisp-afflicted, geeky adult with a tendency to smash various objects.

About

Steven began the channel on April 5th, 2006, and has been expanding since then. His first video was a 49 second clip titled Playing Dungeons and Dragons and simply showed Boogie playing the game with a few friends. Before this, he had a video titled promiscuous girl, fat guy which is currently unlisted due to copyright infringement.

Steven has mainly dedicated his channel to vlogs, where he talks about gaming news and upcoming games, he also does Rambling vlogs where he shares things about his everyday life. His most popular videos have been those involving his character Francis where he rages on various topics, and more often than not, smashes stuff. Other characters include the patriotic southern redneck Jessy who features in his own series Jessy Weighs In.

He made a video commemorating his 1000th video and took this moment to truly thank his fans for their support and the overwhelmingly positive effect the channel and the whole experience has had on his life.

He also streams on Twitch.tv 3-5 times a week. Where he plays various video games, often in a comedic way. He also sings karaoke versions of songs and even has a few original raps.

His main source of content is through YouTube and Twitch, but he has also created other fan bases on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and Tumblr and has recently rebooted his gaming channel boogieplays. He currently resides in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

History

As the internet got bigger, the demand for web designers decreased, until Boogie had no money left. He was supported by his roommate until he discovered YouTube in 2006. He was very surprised that not everyone who watched his videos were mean some were kind and found it funny. After making a video of his character, Francis, being hacked in World of Warcraft, Boogie was given a shoutout from Ray William Johnson, which caused him to have a boom in subscribers, and could start to support himself from YouTube.

Boogie would eventually reveal his personal life in a Draw My Life video on April 10, 2013. His Draw My Life is one of the most viewed videos on the channel. He is very open about the health issues he has been living with as a result of being so overweight, and touches on the topic often in his Rambling vlogs.

On June 25, 2016, Boogie was hacked, and the hackers closed his channel. Thanks to being at VidCon at the time of the hack, Steven was able to recover his channel and videos with expert assistance from staff at Google and YouTube who were in attendance.

Documentary

On October 31, 2023, a documentary starring and about Boogie was released titled The Dark, Sad Life of Boogie2988, which was made by Mike Clum.

It details Boogie's mental health, his downfall online, and financial situation. He had admitted that he had a poor spending habit, spending $1,000 to $10,000 on games, merchandise, and sex workers, though he does make attempts to make up money, such as selling his cards or attempting to get a job from an employment center, though this attempt failed due to his felon and wanting to make content on YouTube instead.

He would eventually end up in a relationship with a girl named Deziree Davis. In the end, he attempts to meet up with a shaman and take mushrooms to fix his behavior, to which it seemed like it changed his outlook on life. The documentary was praised for its editing and in-depth look at Boogie's life, though he was heavily criticized for his covert narcissism, poor spending habits, and sexist and creepy feelings on women, mostly towards the age of Dez, who at the time of the documentary, was 20 years old, while Boogie was 49.

Personal life

Early life

Steven was born on July 24, 1974, in Abingdon, Virginia and grew up in St. Paul. Steven's father Carl was a coal miner, and his mother Wanda was a preschool teacher. Boogie had an older brother named Bryan and an older sister called Karla. After his siblings left home, he was left alone with his mother, as his father was always working. However, his father would suffer a stroke and couldn't work anymore. Boogie said that his mother became physically and verbally abusive towards him, which made Boogie more depressed and overweight. He also claims that he was molested and raped by his parents, however this claim has been disputed by fans and YouTubers.^[1]

Steven attended St. Paul High School, where he went to a pre-collegiate program called Upward Bound, where he made many friends and his first girlfriend. He then went to the UVA-Wise but flunked out after breaking up with his girlfriend. His brother then gave him the opportunity to move to Fayetteville, Arkansas to reinvent himself. He learnt how to code and became a web designer.

He made many friends with whom he played Magic the Gathering. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with lymphedema, and a doctor tried to amputate his leg, but Boogie wouldn't let him. The lack of being able to exercise caused Boogie to become more overweight, and he became more depressed. Shortly after, his father died of cancer. His mother then had a fall and broke her leg. It would never heal, so she couldn't work. Boogie has said that this event pushed her over the edge, though he would eventually recover due to his positive attention on YouTube.^[2]

In October 2009, he received a phone call that his mother was in the hospital due to renal failure. He went to visit her, and she died on October 6 whilst he was there.^[3] This would make Boogie depressed and suicidal, but he wouldn't go through with it due to his friends and YouTube. He later met Desiree Dez who had seen his videos. She eventually moved down to Arkansas to live with him, and they got married in 2013.

Health problems and surgeries

On August 1, 2017, Steven received gastric bypass surgery to help with his morbid obesity. As of February 2019, Steven has dropped from over 500 lbs. to 347 lbs. According to Steven, this is the lowest he has weighed since 1992, when he graduated from high school at 380 lbs. During April 11-13, 2019, as mentioned on his Twitter account, Steven took a dental implant surgery to replace all of his teeth, of which 17 out of 19 were infected due to poor maintenance.

Divorce

On December 19, 2017, Steven announced via a YouTube video that he and his wife were getting a divorce, which was finalized on February 13, 2018. He gave an explanation to this on Reddit, stating, “I think the reason we separated was simpler. She wasn't happy and wanted to leave to see if she could be happy. She waited until she knew I was gonna be ok, post-surgery, before she left.” Additionally, Steven has also spoken about his divorce whilst on the H3H3 podcast.

On July 11, 2023, Boogie uploaded the video, "MY GIRLFRIEND MOVED IN" in which he reveals that he has a new girlfriend. However, his girlfriend is not shown, and they are having a fun time with each other. On KidBehindaCamera's YouTube video titled "BOOGIE"S GIRLFRIEND IS REAL" is where boogie's girlfriend got revealed.

Boxing career

Boogie2988 vs. Wings of Redemption

In February 2023, American YouTuber Wings of Redemption accidentally leaked DMs about the fight. At first, they're simply looking at Twitter mentions of his opponent, Boogie2988. The conversation includes several messages from Keemstar, who says that while the contracts are not yet ready this is "very much real." "We are very much really doing this," he tells both Boogie and Jordie, as if to make clear to both that they should be preparing for the match.^[4]

One specific detail that's particularly interesting is that Keemstar mentions how much both YouTubers will be paid for the boxing match. According to Keemstar, both Boogie and Wings of Redemption will be paid $10,000 each for the match.^[5]

On 27 February 2023, Keemstar twitted that his boxing promoter Happy Punch is in talks with Boogie and Wings of Redemption for a boxing match for May 2023.^[6] On April 19, Boogie uploaded a video titled "This Is Really Happening - I Am Fighting WingsOfRedemption" where he announced that he is fighting Wings of Redemption on the undercard of MF & DAZN: X Series 007: KSI vs Joe Fournier in Wembley Arena, London, England on 13 May.^[7] On the fight of the night, Boogie was defeated by Jordan via TKO.

Controversies

Twitch Persona And Statements

In one example, during a podcast appearance Boogie claims that some good has come from the Holocaust, in the form of medical advancements made possible by the tortuous human experimentation and research conducted by Nazi Germany.^[8] He later retracted the statement, declaring that he had gotten the idea from one of his previous teachers.^[9] In another example he and his friends made fun of Danielle, a deceased friend who had died from lung cancer.^[10] Boogie later clarified via tweet, stating that he and Danielle used to share in dark humor together.^[11]

Girlfriend Relationships

Boogie's previous wife, Desiree Dez, divorced Boogie in response to ongoing behavioral issues. Boogie went on to make a video in which he played his fictional persona, Francis, having a mental breakdown following the divorce and alleging Dez to be the cause.^[12]

Boogie would later use the dating platform Seeking, where he would meet and subsequently enter into a relationship with Lucy Foxx, though it would not last. Following the end of the relationship, Foxx would later release a video in which she accused Boogie of manipulation and abuse, recalling that in one such case he had verbally abused Foxx and attempted to deter her from finding employment. Despite the severity of the accusations, Foxx did not disclose Boogie's identity.^[13]

It was revealed in the 2023 documentary, The Dark, Sad Life of Boogie2988 that Boogie had spent over $200,000 on sex workers for vacations, dinners, luxury items, and theme parks between 2018 to 2021. He admitted that he likes to be around and have sex with beautiful women, saying he wanted "LA tens" and not "Arkansas eights". An anonymous sex worker said that because of her time with Boogie, she quit her position to have a family and pursue her nursing degree. Boogie also says that he deserves to have fun and have sex with women because of his status on YouTube. Many criticized Boogie for his sexist and misogynistic view on women, spending over $40,000 a month on sex workers, and his entitlement on women.^[14]

TotalBiscuit Death Response

On May 24, 2018, YouTuber John "TotalBiscuit" Bain passed away after going through a coma. Boogie responded in a community post saying that John threw him under the bus. He stated that he was working with a shady PR company at the time and John asked him to quit.^[15] Boogie was criticized for claiming that John was lying to him. He responded in a tweet saying that the post was meant to be complimenting John for saving his career and not criticizing him.^[16]

Thoughts On LGBTQ+ Community

On June 19, 2018, Boogie starred on a podcast with h3h3Productions. He gave his opinions on the LGBTQ+ community, saying that while he did support gay rights, he stated that they should have equality at a slower pace instead of having it immediately.^[17]

Lies And E-Begging

There have been numerous accounts of Boogie lying and manipulating his fans about his mental and physical health, and other topics. This made fans even more frustrated since he came off as honest and had promised his fans to stay on a healthy diet. One example was when Boogie went on a trip to a Mortal Kombat 11 event and multiple pictures show Boogie eating unhealthy foods. He gave an excuse saying that they only provided fries, burritos, cheeseburgers, and other foods. However, pictures and videos from the event show food trucks that were serving much healthier options.^[18]

Another example was around June 2019, when Boogie was planning to buy a Tesla. In several tweets, he had claimed that he had enough money to afford a Tesla but realized that he couldn't afford it.^[19][20] Many people criticized Boogie for lying to his fans. Boogie later said in a video that Jesse "McJuggerNuggets" Ridgeway convinced him to buy the car, in order to not get blame. He later appeared on the PKA podcast and admitted that he asked fans to pay off the Tesla.^[21]

Christopher Tom Video

In 2019, Boogie got exposed by a YouTuber by the name Christopher Tom. In the video, Tom stated that Boogie had been manipulating his fans for a while now. He showed proof that Boogie played different characters on YouTube, Twitch, and Twitter. He also showed proof that Boogie manipulated with fans with his weight.^[22]

Nazi/Rapist Statement

On a Twitch stream, a donator asked why Boogie was getting so much hate online. Boogie proceeded to list the different types of trolls. He eventually talked about trolls who intentionally took things out of context and made them look worse than they actually were. Boogie called them the worst human beings on the Earth, further stating that Nazis and rapists were better than internet trolls because Nazis and rapists stood for their beliefs, while trolls stood for nothing.^[23]

After garnering a severe amount of backlash and hate, Boogie backpedaled his statement by saying he meant trolls who stalked, harassed, and killed people such as the murder of Christina Grimmie and the attempted murder of Gavin Free and Meg Turney.^[24] But many people, such as Keemstar, said that he didn't mention trolls who killed online celebrities.^[25]

Frank Hassle Shooting

Eventually, Frank moved over to Boogie's town and started threatening to come to his house and hurt him. Keemstar did an interview with the two, but hesitated to upload it since it mostly consisted of Frank saying that he was going to go to Boogie's house and Boogie saying that he would pull a gun on Frank.^[26] On September 28, 2020, Frank eventually came to Boogie's house and Boogie threatened him with a gun and told him to leave. After not listening, Boogie fired a warning shot at Frank. He left soon after.^[27]

Boogie later addressed this incident in a video. Keemstar uploaded the interview and some footage from the shooting on StoryFire. Months later on May 11, 2021, he was charged with an arrest warrant with $5,000.^[28] The next day, he turned himself into the Washington County Jail. He was released later on and is currently awaiting trial. Boogie made a video on June 1 talking about the situation. He clarifies the arrest and says he's been coping using therapy, medicine, and other practices. He also says he's aware of the controversies he's been in since 2018 and wants to become a better person.^[29]

Cryptocurrency

In 2019, Boogie began to invest his money into Bitcoin after getting advice from his friend, Jesse Ridgeway. While Boogie admits that it was a bad investment, he also says that he will still have the funds even if he retires from the internet.^[30] However, on October 5, 2022, Boogie released a video where he says he's lost the majority of his money after investing in cryptocurrency and getting demonetized by YouTube. He encourages his fans to subscribe, like, and comment, but also consider donating money, use super-chat, or buying his merchandise.^[31]

The video was heavily criticized by fans and other YouTubers as people think Boogie is begging for money and depicting making videos as tiring, often comparing him to the controversial streamer, DarkSydePhil. They've also criticized him for investing in cryptocurrency. Weeks later, Boogie uploaded another video in which he thanks his audience for donating money while also reacting to comments on YouTube and Reddit.^[32] Though this video was also heavily disliked as well.

KidBehindACamera Break-Up

In a YouTube video titled FIGHTING BOOGIE2988, KidBehindACamera anncounced that he is not friends with Boogie anymore because of a Twitch livestream where Boogie is going to Charleston for a gaming convention and said that he wants to fight Michael Green. Michael stated that he still wanted to be friends with Boogie, but he gave up on that friendship.^[33] Later in the video "BOOGIE2988 ALMOST SHOT ME!", Michael Green goes to Fayetteville, Arkansas to see Boogie for footage for the Keemstar Show for the boxing match between Boogie and Wings of Redemption. Boogie thought Michael was Frank Hassle and he almost got shot when Boogie knew it was Michael and was invited in Boggie's house. At Boogie's house, Michael Green throws his behavior medication down the sink in his bathroom while they travelled to Houston, Texas for a gaming convention, though Michael frames it was an accident.^[34]

Boogie did not like the fact that Michael lied to him saying his pills went missing but had to tell the truth. Boogie and Michael have broken up their friendship after the incident had happened. Michael Green stated that he was gonna break his friendship with Boogie because of the prank he did and so they both cut ties on each other. Meanwhile, Boogie leaves Michael outside by himself and Michael goes back to Charleston.^[35]

Faddy Coin Scam

On June 27, 2024, Boogie launched and promoted a new cryptocurrency called "Faddy Coin" on his Twitter. He would later upload a video also promoting his new cryptocurrency.^[36] However, Boogie was accused by Coffeezilla of promoting a pump and dump scam. Findeisen specifically noted that the Faddy Coin had lost 90% of its value by June 28, 2024. In response, Boogie claimed that none of his fans would buy the cryptocurrency. Instead, he asserted that his cryptocurrency would only be bought by millionaires who would "waste .01% of their worth on a meme coin as a joke".^[37] On July 2, 2024, Boogie apologized on his Twitter stating that he had deleted every Faddy Coin he had owned, before writing: "If any fan comes forward and can show me they lost money on that coin I will gladly apologize to them. I will try to do more than just apologize and see what else I can do to make you whole."^[38]

Cancer Lies Accusations

On November 15, 2022, Boogie would upload a video onto his YouTube channel saying that he was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer called polycythemia vera. He tells his audience not to worry since its easily treatable.^[39] Additionally, Boogie was at one point diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, which is a form of skin cancer as confirmed in The Dark, Sad Life of Boogie2988. When Boogie was confronted about the Faddy coin scam by CoffeeZilla, he said he needed the money to pay medical bills to fight his cancer.^[40] Some YouTubers, such as Destiny were skeptical since Boogie didn’t provide any evidence of his diagnosis and how Boogie was inconstant about the severity of his cancer.^[41]

On July 11, 2024, an episode of the Lolcow podcast was uploaded where several YouTubers, such as Destiny, XQC, SomeOrdinaryGamers, and Mister Metokur confront Boogie for lying about his cancer diagnosis. They point out several inconsistencies, such as Boogie still getting biopsies after his diagnosis and the multiple types of polycythemia that he doesn’t clarify on what he has. They also question why doesn’t actually get the medical documents to prove its legitimacy, though Boogie says that it would reveal private information but they tell him to redact the private information.^[42] Keemstar would post a tweet saying that Boogie was taking steroids years ago and that he had a high chance of getting cancer. He would later go to the doctor and that he had a high amount of blood cells, showing he was at a high risk for cancer. He said that he would be going to the doctor to get a legitimate diagnosis.^[43] Boogie’s brother, Bryan Williams would also post a tweet saying his diagnosis is legitimate.^[44]

In the tweet, he said that he would do one more colonoscopy test to confirm whether or not he does have polycythemia vera, but he was still battling it for the past two years with blood tests and medications. He stated that his family and friends were there to see the doctor talked about his cancer and that he never asked his audience for money. He does say that he apologizes for impulsively talking about his cancer without officially confirming it and that he will make this a private matter from now on.^[45]

On July 17, Boogie would go on a live stream on the Lolcow podcast and would confirm that he didn't actually have polycythemia vera. He said that his doctor found that Boogie has polycythemia, which means he high amount of blood cells that could lead to polycythemia vera and would begin to treat it, though Boogie impulsively told his audience that he did have cancer. He said that he didn't want to take a bone marrow test because it was painful. Boogie did say that he would take a colonoscopy test to confirm if he does have cancer.^[46]

Trivia

• Boogie won in the trending gamer category of the Game Awards 2016.
• His persona, Francis, is similar to KidBehindACamera due to their anger, swearing, and destruction of their own property.
• Boogie also has another popular persona named Jessy, a southern redneck type character.
• Boogie was featured as a guest on the 70th episode of the H3 Podcast hosted by Ethan and Hila Klein of h3h3Productions.
• Boogie has met Jacksepticeye, Markiplier, Emma Blackery, Angry Joe, KidBehindACamera McJuggerNuggets, Vsauce, Ninja, h3h3Productions, CaseyNeistat, Jacksfilms, Billy the Fridge, Philip DeFranco, Jimmy Here (popular for creating the It's Wednesday My Dudes meme), Hank and John Green, Rhett and Link, Asian Andy, and Liza Koshy.
• Boogie was also featured as a guest on the 26th episode of Super Planet Dolan.
• He was parodied in an episode of The Amazing World of Gumball named The Line, in which there is a scene where Gumball uploads a false review of Stellar Odyssey: The Force Rehashed onto the internet in which he assumes the persona of Dollyboy1923. In the review, he is an overweight nerd, indirectly referencing Boogie.
• Boogie has not had positive subscriber growth since 2018.
• Boogie was featured in a commercial for the 2013 Super Bowl.
• Boogie was in the English reality show, Supersize vs Superskinny where Boogie talks about his food addiction.

Subscriber Milestones

• 100,000 subscribers: March 8, 2012
• 200,000 subscribers: August 22, 2012
• 300,000 subscribers: February 4, 2013
• 400,000 subscribers: April 14, 2013
• 500,000 subscribers: June 6, 2013
• 600,000 subscribers: July 5, 2013
• 700,000 subscribers: August 11. 2013
• 800,000 subscribers: October 13, 2013
• 900,000 subscribers: November 12, 2013
• 1 million subscribers: November 16, 2013
• 2 million subscribers: April 11, 2014
• 3 million subscribers: January 31, 2015
• 4 million subscribers: June 3, 2017

Decline

• Below 4 million subscribers: May 2, 2024

Gallery

Boogie at age 5

Boogie at age 15

Boogie at age 23 working as a web designer

Francis angry when people call him fat.

Boogie as he appeared in the British TV program, Supersize vs Superskinny.

Boogie in his most viewed video on YouTube, "Dramatic Fat Guy Splash".

A comparison before and after gastric bypass surgery

Boogie's teeth before dental implants

Boogie's mugshot during his May 7, 2021 arrest as he is charged for aggravated assault due to being involved in an incident with YouTuber Frank Hassle in late 2020.

Boogie with Danger Dolan

Boogie as he appears in the poster for The Dark, Sad Life of Boogie2988

Boogie with a face tattoo saying "liar"

References