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Who Is 'Anthpo' And Why Is The Furry Community Mad At Him? The YouTuber's 'Furry Party' Controversy Explained
A popular YouTuber is going viral for the worst reasons after uploading a video about the furry community that included some questionable footage. The video was meant to be YouTuber Anthpo's big return, but now he's been forced to respond to a mountain of backlash and edit his video after including censored footage of a so-called "furry party" in the video. Here's what you need to know and how Anthpo responded to the criticism.
Who Is 'Anthpo' And Why Are Furries Mad At Him?
Anthpo, or Anthony Po, is a popular YouTuber with over 1.7 million subscribers. He started posting videos in 2019 as a high school student and continued throughout college, with his main content being lighthearted pranks, public stunts and comedy skits. In May 2023, as Anthony graduated college, he announced that he'd retire the channel and move on with his life.
Then, a year later, he announced that he was back and he'd be dropping a host of new videos throughout 2024, with the first official video covering the topic of furries. Specifically, Anthpo revealed that he'd been posing as a furry online for months in order to go to a convention and get invited to an adults-only "furry party."
Originally, Anthpo included spicy, censored footage from that party in the video, which garnered controversy from members of the community, who were curious if he got consent from all parties to post it. Further, the general tone of his video was criticized for being mocking of the furry lifestyle and perpetuating harmful stereotypes about furries.
How Did Anthpo Respond To The Controversy?
Anthpo received notable backlash from his subreddit, the /r/YouTubeDrama subreddit and X / Twitter users in the days following the video's release. In response, Anthpo removed around two minutes from the video, in which he purportedly showed censored footage from the furry party. He also blurred the face of another furry in the video after being asked to do so.
Anthpo released an apology on May 20th, where he claims he deleted the footage after a participant in the party reached out to him and asked him to do so. He also reiterated that he did get consent, but still admitted that it was a bad idea to include the footage, despite consulting lawyers before the upload. Finally, Anthpo apologized for perpetuating harmful stereotypes about furries and set the video as a fundraiser for the Trevor Project.
For the full history of the Anthpo Furry Party Controversy, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.