How Brittany Broski went from viral Kombucha meme to internet royalty
As someone who spends a high-key unhealthy amount of time online, I’ve grown to cultivate my very own personal list of favourite content creators. While this list may sometimes vary, some of the core group include Drew Afualo, Cody Ko and Kelsey, and of course, Trixie and Katya (I’ve been an UNHhhh fan since 2016, FYI). I’m a YouTube kid at heart, so it’s no understatement to say that the faces I spend my time staring at on my screen, mean a hell of a lot to me.
Someone who’s been a solid fixture on my list is none other than Miss Brittany Broski. While the content creator was for a long time primarily known to most white straight cisgender men as simply ‘Kombucha girl’, Broski has now amassed a seriously impressive cohort of dedicated and fabulous fans over the years, myself included. How’s she done it? By being the ultimate stan.
Brittany Broski Kombucha meme
In case you never saw the Kombucha meme, let me quickly explain. In 2019, Broski posted a video of herself online trying Kombucha for the first time. In the clip, Broski starts off by laughing and noting that “it smells like a public restroom,” then she goes on to actually try the drink and double takes immediately, recoiling at the taste. She then takes a moment and ponders it, but ultimately decides it’s really not the beverage for her.
@brittany_broski Me trying Kombucha for the first time #foryoupage #foryou #fyp #AllBrandNew
♬ original sound - Brittany
It might seem like a pretty insignificant clip, but this video ended up being shared everywhere and soon, Broski was a household internet meme. Not long after though, people forgot about her Kombucha moment and instead focused on her love and participation in stan culture.
What is stan culture?
Now, if you’re not familiar with stan culture, let me explain. In its most basic form, stan culture refers to the act of obsessing over a celebrity or famous person, sometimes to a manic extent—it’s there in the name ‘stalker’ + ‘fan’. There’s no doubt that stan culture can be incredibly toxic at times, with groups of fans often taking things too far. No one is contesting that.
However, I think it’s important to note that stan culture has also been incredibly healing and important for a lot of people seeking a community online. It can bring people together and it’s helped cultivate an entire multiverse of internet besties.
Before we continue, let’s make one thing abundantly clear: even though the internet often likes to infantilise and patronise women and girls for publically loving a musician, influencer, or actor, it does not mean that their loyalty and adoration of that individual is invalid or something to be trifled with.
Men have always been allowed—and even championed—for their dedication to their favourite football players or sports heroes. Just because I stan a drag queen and not a cricket player, does not mean my obsession is ‘less than’. If anything, it makes me way more interesting. Okay, rant over.
How did Brittany Broski get popular?
Broski first started off online back in 2019, with a couple of viral clips here and there. Pretty quickly, she established herself as a down-to-earth 20-something who was in a perpetually silly goofy mood. There was no inhibitions about having a double chin on camera or being caught with Cheetos dust around her lips. Broski was a breath of fresh air compared to the likes of Jake and Logan Paul. The happiness she exudes through the camera has always given me serious comfort, and the vibes are, well, *immaculate*.
One of the reasons Broski blew up so quickly was because she found herself circulating on gay Twitter. Now, everyone knows that no group of people champion a delusional woman like the gays. So, naturally, she became an overnight internet sensation. Pretty soon, Broski had built a sprawling online community that’s been based on a mutual love for giggles, Rosalía, nostalgia, Harry Styles, Fanfiction, Game of Thrones, and 70s makeup.
Why is Brittany Broski the ultimate stan?
While Broski has a lot of different kinds of content on her socials, from makeup tutorials and cooking videos to vlogs and themed celebrity interviews, there’s always the same underlying theme: stanning. Broski loves, and she loves hard. She’s the ultimate gen Z female archetype, a girl who grew up online, writing Wattpad stories about One Direction members, obsessing over moody blonde men in films, and laughing to herself in her bedroom as she scrolled on YouTube and felt comforted by her favourite people. Now, she’s one of those comforts to so many.
One of my favourite videos of Broski’s is when she met Styles. Mind you, this woman has been obsessing over and outwardly loving this man for a long time. So, naturally, when she was finally presented with him in the flesh, she did what any modern-day woman would—ran the fuck away, overcome with emotion.
I don’t think Broski still quite understands that she now has her own set of personal stans. Both her YouTube series Brittany Broski’s Royal Court and BroskiReport, are loved by her followers. I mean, I never knew I needed a medieval-themed pop culture quiz in my life until Broski created one.
being a girl is turning on The Broski Report @brittany_broski , closing your eyes, and taking your hands off the wheel
— and the bell (@radtexasdad) August 29, 2023
What happened between Brittany Broski and Sarah Schauer?
As unproblematic and uncontroversial as Broski is, there is one question that does sometimes plague her followers: where is Sarah Schauer? Schauer is Broski’s cousin and collaborator who lived with the content creator for some time. The two often made videos together and Schauer became an integral part of Broski’s content. They even started a podcast together called Violating Community Guidelines.
Flash forward to the end of 2022, and it seemed as though all content of the pair had dissipated. Neither party has ever addressed any kind of conflict and so a number of fans have come to assume that Broski and Schauer have simply gone in different creative directions.
What’s next for Brittany Broski?
Broski, it seems, is pretty unstoppable. For the past two years, she’s been on an upward trajectory when it comes to both her views online, as well as her stance as a media force outside of the internet space.
What’s next for the content creator? No one’s quite sure. But, all I’m saying is, if Miss Broski is ever hosting a Royal Court, you know that I’ll be in attendance. Keep slaying babes.
