“Two steps ahead … I am always two steps ahead,” Nikocado Avocado said. “I am the villain.”
When I saw the new, skinny Nikocado Avocado on Instagram reels, I thought I was seeing an artificial intelligence creation. Years of internet exposure to him has made me numb to his crazy antics and meltdowns. His overly saturated thumbnails across the internet of him sobbing or making out with his boyfriend while eating noodles had made me think I was just about desensitized to anything he could throw at me.
Yet Nickocado managed to throw a curveball I never saw coming. In a video posted on Sept. 18 to YouTube, Nikocado revealed his new self to the world. When he took off the mask that covered his face at the start of the video, I was shocked. It was a face I hadn’t seen in a while— the skinny, parrot-loving, vegan face named Nick. His demeanor was calm, completely the opposite of the voluptuous monster I once recognized.
Nikocado describes his obesity as just a “bad dream,” though I’m not fully convinced. There was a bit of authenticity to his videos where he would frequently sob in his flubber and giant platter of food displayed to the camera, telling the audience how he hated his life. He stated how he felt trapped eating to support his family, but he was barely making any money because all of his videos were being demonetized.
“While everybody pointed and laughed at me for over-consuming food, I was in total control the entire time,” Nikocado, real name Nicholas Perry, said. “In reality, people are completely absorbed with internet personalities and obsessively watch their content.”
Choosing to be 411 pounds didn’t make me think he’s “the villain.” Rather, it seems like he created poor life choices and decided to turn his life around by possibly abusing Ozempic or another weight loss drug.
Without knowing the way he lost weight, we can’t place him on a pedestal for just being skinny, like we do for most people on social media. Weight loss medication is something people have to take constantly if they don’t want to regain the weight they lost. Additionally, the side effects can not be ignored. According to the official Ozempic website, the side effects include, “nausea, diarrhea, stomach (abdominal) pain, vomiting, and constipation.” It doesn’t seem like it was all part of the plan to become morbidly obese for clout, and then have to go through surgery and long-term side effects to lose weight.
Later in a different Instagram reel, Nikocado reveals that once again, he has played everyone and he is always, “two steps ahead.” This video seemed to be another trick to confuse his audience into wondering if he was still fat or not, but it seems to be another prerecorded video. In the video, he is back to his obese self, claiming that he found a Batman monologue and tricked millions of people into believing that he gained weight for five years as a social experiment.
In a jumpcut at the end of the reel, he appears with a giant platter of black spicy vegan mung bean noodles, still appearing to enjoy eating obscene amounts of food, so it is unclear if he has converted into healthy eating habits. So while he tricked everyone into believing he was still fat for two years, he has still damaged his health for life.
In most Youtube videos analyzing Nikocado Avocado’s character, they mention his success as a violinist and vegan before he became obese. His audience seems to root for him and wish for his success in life. For the sake of his health and wellbeing, I hope he turns his life around. Continuing on the trend of unhealthy eating won’t lead to anything good in his life. He certainly knows how to be viral and gain clout, so I don’t think he will have trouble in the future if he makes a content change.
