The Views: ‘Hot Pot Boys’ Take Over FUNG BROS.
David and andrew fung - Youtube
After establishing a fanbase, it is common for content creators to expand into other ventures within the realm of content creation. Thus, content creator podcasts have skyrocketed in popularity with shows like Chuckle Sandwich and Dropouts. YouTube channel FUNG BROS. have followed suit as they continue to make videos about Asian diaspora, culture, and food. But how does their podcast, Hot Pot Boys, differ from their mainline content on YouTube?
Handle: @fungbros on YouTube
Series: Hot Pot Boys, a podcast subsidiary of the “FUNG BROS.” main channel
Creators: Brothers Andrew and David Fung, better known as the FUNG BROS.
Platform: Hot Pot Boys is primarily posted to YouTube on the “FUNG BROS.” channel. However, clips of the show are often cross posted onto other social media platforms such as TikTok.
Genre(s): Hot Pot Boys mainly aligns with political and sociocultural content, specifically discussing issues pertaining to Asians and Asian Americans.
Subscribers: The FUNG BROS. YouTube channel currently sits at about 2.18 million subscribers.
Andrew and David Fung created their YouTube channel FUNG BROS. in 2011. The channel grew to prominence in the early 2010s as they made videos about Asian culture, ranging from interviewing Jeremy Lin to reviewing various Asian cuisines. The Fung brothers focus their attention primarily on the Asian diaspora within the San Gabriel Valley, referenced by the duo as the “626.” East Asian culture within 626 has evolved into a diaspora called “AZN”. Though the Fungs discuss aspects of Asian culture that don’t pertain to the 626, it’s important for viewers to be aware of the brothers’ AZN background in order to understand certain perspectives and cultural differences.
Originally the FUNG BROS. channel focused on Asian identity, a central thesis of the channel that continues to this day. However, the initial presentation of this thesis was different, featuring not only the food videos that the brothers currently post, but also skit content. By far one of the most popular series on the channel, “Things Asian Parents Do” was a skit series featuring the Fungs’ mother. The title of the series is fairly self-explanatory. Ms. Fung would act as a stereotypical Asian mother, often to the relatability of viewers. The last video in this series was posted five years ago, reflecting the channel’s move away from sketch comedy.
However, food videos, which were also an original mainstay of the FUNG BROS. channel, are uploaded to this day. Their most recent food video is an hour-long installment in their “Cheap Eats in Chinatown” series. Food is both central to the content on the channel and a core aspect of Asian identity. Because food is so important to Asian culture, it is also often brought up on Hot Pot Boys.
Rather than long-form interviews, food reviews, and skits, viewers can spy 10 to 15 minute podcast clips filling up the vast majority of the channel’s content. The channel uploads a new short podcast clip almost daily, much different from other podcasts on the platform. Most podcast listeners associate the medium with the hour-long discussions that can be found on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Instead of following this pattern, the Fung brothers create rapid takes on subjects. This perspective on podcasting may be indicative of a push towards short-form content. As mentioned previously, clips from Hot Pot Boys are often cross-posted to platforms that focus on short-form content. This reflects a growing preference for short-form over long-form content. The Fung brothers are veterans of the content creation industry, and they clearly understand current trends to maintain their audience. Podcasting itself is a trend that the Fung brothers, and many other creators, have hopped on. However, the Fung brothers’ unique perspective and identity sets Hot Pot Boys apart from other podcasters.
If sketch comedy and food content are two sides of the FUNG BROS. YouTube channel pyramid, its third leg would be discussion. Long before Hot Pot Boys was established, the FUNG BROS. channel had a segment called “Fung Bros on the Street.” Questions about Asian identity and culture were asked to everyday civilians regardless of race, gender, and age. This allowed for the brothers to gauge outside perspectives on topics important to their primarily Asian audience. Additionally, the brothers asked questions about aspects of AZN culture that would seem otherwise mainstream, like fashion and hypebeast culture. The Fungs have also had sit down interviews with prominent East Asian figures including Jeremy Lin, Jimmy O. Yang, and Andrew Yang during his press campaign for president.
Instead of dedicating full-length videos to Asian American social and political issues, the brothers now discuss these topics with each other in front of a set of microphones. Though interviews have not been stripped away from the channel entirely, FUNG BROS. has largely been composed of Hot Pot Boys content since the podcast premiered two years ago. Despite being shorter than a traditional podcast, the content is engaging. Both Fungs quickly reach the heart of each video’s topic, not only supplying their own opinions and perspectives, but hypothesizing about what others may think. Thus, they engage with their audience. The brothers almost always guess what they think their audience will agree with, regardless of if that opinion aligns with their own. Both men are firm on their perspectives even as they are open to hear what the other (and in turn viewers) have to say.
This empathy, on top of their shift in content focus, drives their audience growth. Asians come to the FUNG BROS. channel to hear what people within their culture have to say about that culture. It is a safe space for Asians and Asian Americans to debrief about their identity without outsider speculation or misunderstanding. Hot Pot Boys acts as a hub of news on Asian, Asian American, and AZN culture, which means that the FUNG BROS. YouTube channel will always have a steady supply of viewers excited to hear what’s new.
While Hot Pot Boys is a subseries of the FUNG BROS. channel, it’s clear that content from the podcast has overtaken the long-form videos the channel began with. The podcast takes the style of the FUNG BROS and puts it in a more professional looking package. The content is still incredible, the news is fresh, and most importantly, Hot Pot Boys acts as a safe space for Asians to hear and talk about themselves.
