Sushi Cha

The amount of people who just HAVE to say something about Shayne or Courtney on the other's individual IG posts and TikToks. The people speculating on if Courtney's pregnant... Seriously, Courtney should legally be allowed to kill at least one of y'all a day with how some of you be commenting 😒

(ted's cool too, i guess 🙄)

let me preface this by saying i'm NOT complaining a single bit

is it just me, or is there a shourtney moment/mention in almost every single video now? any opportunity shayne gets to mention courtney in a conversation, he does. any time shayne or courtney see a joke where they can mention their relationship/marriage, they make it. any time shayne is on another channel answering questions, his marriage gets brought up. and even examples where neither shayne or courtney are in the video, sometimes it just gets... brought up by others.

it really makes me want to make a compilation where it begins with the smosh mouth clip where shayne says "we don't want to make our marriage content", immediately followed by every shourtney moment that's happened since april 1st, and more specifically WHEN that the video containing each moment took place. i promise you, there'd be a lot of "literally the next day" moments... it has been back to back mentions for months now.

i'm a very content strategy-minded person, so i think it's sort of obvious they're ABSOLUTELY milking it for content, and i honestly love that for them.

it's not a new revelation that shourtney drives up viewer engagement. this was a thing even BEFORE their marriage announcement. it's why almost every video that includes both shayne and courtney, they're the thumbnail.

shourtney moments create compilations, clips, reposts, discussion threads, all of which cause fans to engage with smosh and occupy their time and attention with smosh, thus solidifying a loyal group of dedicated watchers. always watching for the next shourtney moment, waiting for new lore and new interactions. and in the process of doing so, fans fall in love with smosh as a WHOLE because they're just watching so many videos.

and some of y'all don't realize, EVERY time someone makes a fan compilation involving smosh on youtube, they get the ad revenue. smosh can immediately content ID the video and claim all ad revenue while allowing the video to remain public.

also, courtney mentioned on the try guys' show that their social media is popping ever since they got married. since april 1st, courtney's had some pretty crazy sponsors on their personal social media (minecraft, carls jr., outside lands, and buca di beppo).

i think shayne and courtney's marriage genuinely had a BIG impact on their individual careers and smosh's cultural relevancy as a whole. so many more fans are now interested in shourtney, which means they watch more videos all the way through, which makes them fall in love with smosh in general, and even big advertisers are starting to take notice at how much people love courtney and shayne. meanwhile they just get to gush about their partner once a video and laugh all the way to the bank.

i think that's also part of the reason courtney and shayne haven't made a dedicated video talking about how they started dating, or any of the deeper shourtney lore. i think they're gonna gradually tell all of the shourtney stories over the span of many, many videos (i'd wager at LEAST a year) just so they can milk it and keep people wanting more, so that they'll ultimately want to keep watching smosh.

Shayne seems like someone who's an awesome friend to have, and the thought of losing someone who adds such positive value to your life is DEVASTATING. Not to mention they worked together and had a really good dynamic going that you wouldn't want to tarnish. I know they both LOVED their jobs, and the off-chance they date and things go horribly wrong, thus making your work life painful is just... terrifying.

But at the same time, feelings are STRONG, man. When someone makes you feel seen and understands you on such a deep level, accepts and likes you for who you are, is everything you want in a partner... AND is super hot and smart and funny and talented??? Like, hello?? I'm literally vomiting???

I want to give 2017-2019 Courtney a hug and tell them it'll all be okay in the end. Truly. On top of everything, their horrible self-image due to acne, their struggles with their identity in terms of sexuality/gender, their imposter syndrome and lack of confidence as a performer... and on topp of that, unrequited love... that's literally top 5 nightmare scenarios for me. Brb jumping off a high rise building. 🚫

And that's NOT to take away from their own individual growth and accomplishments. However, I don't think it's a stretch to say that Shayne came into Smosh with a bit more professional experience as an improviser and comedian than Courtney did. And like with anything, when you're in a relationship with someone and spend an inordinate amount of time with them, you naturally absorb some of their personality through osmosis. I imagine that played a role in some of the changes to their comedy chops over the years. Courtney and Shayne definitely share a brain cell now more than ever, and it's awesome to see. And even before they were dating, they were obviously friends and had pretty similar taste.

Clearly Courtney was never going to respond to that question with, "Oh, and I'm also funnier because I'm in a romantic relationship with my coworker, Shayne Robert Topp." Aside from their relationship being private, I don't think Courtney wanted to give out any kind of connotation that they're only funny because of Shayne. Because it's not true and misogynists can quickly draw those kinds of shitty conclusions to saying that kind of thing. Give them an inch, they take a mile, you know?

But like... why am I a stalker because I watched Jackie's IG story and saw them slow dancing? Or why am I a stalker because Courtney posted a cute picture with Shayne on their IG story that quickly got removed? Or why am I stalker because I have fucking eyes and can tell there are extreme similarities between Courtney's and Shayne's apartments? Or why am I a stalker because one day I look through Courtney's tagged photos and see a family picture with both of them? Does it take Sherlock levels of obsessiveness to conclude that Courtney wearing Shayne's exact ASU sweater is kind of an intimate thing?

Like, I just love Smosh, I follow a lot of their socials, and I have basic fucking observational skills. And the idea of them dating is kind of exciting and I like to talk with other people about it and make sure I'm not crazy.

I agree that certain Shourtney discourse over the years has sucked. People extrapolate wild conclusions based on little to no evidence at all. It's been very cis-heteronormative which is lame, especially when Courtney is LGBTQ.

That's why I wasn't really a Shourtney shipper until the ACTUAL evidence started rolling in. And the thing is, the proof is all on public platforms, y'all. Half of the shit literally just pops up on my feed, like Smosh people's stories, or even Shourtney TikToks and compilations. It's usually tagged with Smosh, so like, I'm gonna see it? And for the little amount of digging I have done, I literally just look up "#shourtney" on IG or Tumblr. Takes two steps.

"Stalking", be so ffr...

I get that everyone wants to enjoy the fruits of the Shourtney ship while moral grandstanding about how "weird" the shippers are in order to make themselves look superior. Like, congrats to you all??? But we're all lowkey invested, and it's not that deep.

I'm the first to admit that it sucks that they want to keep their relationship a secret, yet all of us have lowkey found out and dissect their posts and shit. But again, I just have eyes... I'm not out following them home, and I'm not out here Jehovah's Witnessing at people's doors about the good word of Shourtney. We hop on Tumblr or IG or TikTok and talk amongst ourselves.

Yeah, they've probably seen some of, or maybe even a lot of what people have found out. We're not conversing in private chatrooms. However, the sheer number of people who DON'T know, and/or Shourtney deniers is proof that we're not out of control and their efforts to conceal it is still very effective. No one's made a YouTube essay, mf'ers like Keemstar aren't running their mouths... it's chill, guys. Despite all the evidence out there, Courtney still said that Shourtney shippers don't bother her. So like???

So growing up, my parents weren't very strong influences in my personal development, so I always tell people I was practically raised by the internet and was obsessed with YouTube since I was 8 years old (I'm 24 now...). But I've spent so much of my life surfing through garbage trying to find positive influences. There were times I was almost sucked into the alt-right pipeline, and even though I was eventually guided to the left, I made it through so much shit that I'm still unpacking a lot of the bullshit I consumed...

Rediscovering Smosh and the cast was a GODSEND! Not only is Smosh non-problematic and left-leaning, it's a COMEDY GROUP? Y'all have no idea how rare that is... so many creators out there whose sense of humor is being as offensive and edgy as possible. I just like silly content, dude. And Smosh is IT, man. Their stuff was cool back when it was Ian and Anthony, but modern Smosh is just SOOOOO good 😭

I was in an extremely toxic work environment for the last 4 years (toxic masculinity, homophobia, racism, misogyny, you name it...), and I'm so glad I rediscovered Smosh around that time. I became obsessed and watched everything they put out because it was in such stark contrast to the environment I was in.

Shayne became my biggest influence because he's so outwardly not a toxic masculine man. Very respectful, very understanding, very uplifting, just trying to make everyone laugh and feel good about themselves. I know he's pretty traditionally masculine, but I'm also that way and I just can't stand how many men get sucked into this idea of never showing emotion, never being vulnerable, hating the powerless, hating anything remotely considered feminine... he's none of that. I've spent my entire adult life trying to purge all my internalized misogyny and toxic traits (it's not easy!) and he's been such a great influence in that way. And his influence over my sense of humor has been GALACTIC. His humor isn't at anyone's expense but (sometimes) himself, and that's the best way to be funny is to just be as silly and ironic of an entertainer as possible. It's everything I aspire to be. I just wish he dressed a little better sometimes, LMAO 💀

If Shayne is my yang, Courtney is my yin! Courtney represents everything I've come to love and appreciate about personal growth, self-expression, and femininity (even though I know they're NB). They're SO weird and SO not afraid to be themself, even at the risk of seeming "cringe". But I freaking love it, dude! It takes so much pressure off of trying to be perfect and fit into everyone's box, and I think that's what makes them so funny and entertaining! They're so... authentic. And Courtney's always the one to uplift the vibes, to bounce off people's energy, to bring out everyone's potential. They have this natural charisma that makes it insanely difficult not to want them to be in every video. And they've grown SO MUCH in the last 4 years! You would think 2018 Courtney vs. 2022 Courtney are completely different people! Getting to witness that change in real-time was soooo epic. And them understanding their own identity helped me reevaluate my own understanding of gender, masculinity, and femininity. I'm still cishet, but I think it's important that everyone have a thorough understanding of themselves and Courtney got me to explore those questions more than I ever would have.

Putting Shayne and Courtney in a room together makes actual magic, y'all. Everything I just said about them individually, put that TOGETHER. PLACE AN EXPONENT AT THE END OF THAT SHIT 👏 They bring out the best in each other, and it makes for some of the most entertaining shit. Like yes, I'm a Shourtney shipper, but dating or not, they are an unrivaled duo and I'm here for every minute of it.

Y'all, I was DEVASTATED when they cancelled Smoshcast. I listened to it every week at work because it was so refreshing listening to such intelligent and adorable humans talk about life vs. the sea of brainless testosterone I was drowning in 😓 AND COULD YOU IMAGINE SMOSHCAST NOW??? A BRAND NEW COURTNEY, ALL THESE NEW CAST AND CREW MEMBERS, ALL THE STORIES THEY WOULD HAVE TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME??? I get why they cancelled Smoshcast, they want to focus on other stuff, but man, it still hurts 🥺 I'M FINE

Borrowing this Shourtney/Shartney rant from my IG! I originally made this when the evidence got super clear, and I was scared the ship was about to explode in popularity and people were gonna freak out 😬 that hasn't necessarily happened (yet), but I still want the advice out there:

This is kind of a semi-rant and word of caution about the shipping of Shayne and Courtney. Tumblr and IG are pretty much the only two places to talk about this.

So if you've been following the Shourtney hashtag on IG, or have seen evidence here on Tumblr, it's becoming increasingly clear that Shayne and Courtney are dating. With what's been brought to light, it's fairly certain.

I'm the first to admit that I've shipped these two for a while and that I was always curiously looking for proof. There wasn't much evidence prior to 2021, so that's likely around when they started actually dating. Even as the evidence was really pouring in and some of it was kinda stalkerish, I was still morbidly curious, and I know a lot of you did the same. Guilty as charged, I'm a lonely hoe... 😔

I'll start by saying the evidence is NOT from videos. I know a lot of you have tried to use their gazes and interactions in Smosh videos as "proof" for years, but body language is not evidence. There's a million ways to interpret a "gaze" or how they talk to and interact with each other. Courtney especially has that type of aura about her where she's very comforting and has great chemistry with others, so what people interpret as "flirting" is just her normal friendly behavior (it's very reminiscent of how men will sometimes misinterpret women just being nice to them as "flirting"). And despite the fact that they're likely in a relationship, nothing about how they interact now is tangibly different than previous years. They're professionals, they're actors, and Smosh is very self-aware that Shourtney drives up viewer engagement, so there's no doubt they've played it up at times.

But... regardless of how little evidence there is in videos, there's other stuff out there which makes it safe to say they're dating. Look for it yourself, I'll no longer be sharing that info.

To me, it appears like it's more of an "open secret" at this point, like a "if you know, you know" type thing. Courtney is more comfortable posting pictures in Shayne's clothes, Courtney's vlogging in their apartment now... I feel like they're at least at peace with the fact that SOME of us know, especially because the Shourtney fandom is still pretty underground and not a lot of people have seen the harder evidence.

Some might be asking, then, why don't they just go public and get it over with??? Damaige did, so why not them???

Why WOULD they, is the real question?

Public relationships are so complicated. All semblance of real privacy vanishes. Everyone suddenly has some opinion on your relationship. People still analyze the shit out of your body language. People still attribute the woman or fem-presenting person's success to the man. People become entitled to personal information. If you guys breakup, people make wild assumptions and take sides. It becomes a breeding ground for the worst aspects of parasocial behavior. Public relationships sound like a complete nightmare. Having to ignore all of the problematic comments while constantly looking over your shoulder sounds like a complete nightmare. People wanna live their lives privately and be known for their personal accomplishments and skills, not their relationship. Shayne and Courtney are both talented individuals BY THEMSELVES.

They have both expressed in videos and podcasts that neither want to have public relationships. They almost always go bad.

But the unfortunate reality is that their relationship being "exposed", even if it's at a relatively small scale, has been seemingly against their will. While Courtney said in a recent Q&A what she posts is intentional, that might not be the case for friends who accidentally exposed Shourtney. It must suck to have to be so careful about what you post and with who, especially at large parties and whatnot. So much is out of your control. Like, who the fuck wants to closely analyze reflections in windows and shit? Or have to tell someone you might barely know not to post a picture of you two?

Maybe they'll address it at some point. Maybe they won't. Making the comparison to Damien and Saige was always completely unfair because Damaige going public was their own personal decision. Shayne and Courtney are completely different people and may have a different line of thinking on the matter. That's not to mention, Saige has expressed a few times on her Twitch that she regrets going public with her relationship and it only made weird incels attribute her successes to Damien even more.

So what should the fans do???

Not be fucking assholes and creeps. Not be misogynistic. Call out assholish, creepy, misogynistic behavior. Not make wild speculations, or become entitled to their personal lives. Don't send Shayne or Courtney (or anyone they know) weird DM's about it. That type of thing. Keep it chill, talk among us Shourtney stans if you must, and live your fucking life, man. Find your own relationship 😅

I know most of the Shourtney stans have been pretty respectful, all things considered. A few bad apples, stalkers, etc. But whatever weird shit that happened on that (now shutdown) Shourtney Discord server should stay in digital hell.

Shayne and Courtney are gonna share what they wanna share. I make this post foreseeing that they may eventually feel the need to say something, but if I'm wrong and they say absolutely nothing, so be it. They've both said shipping is okay because it's content and mostly harmless, but clearly there's a line. And if you see someone crossing it, call them out!