Overview
- Reddit users noticed on Dec. 9–10 that every YouTube Rewind upload on the official channel was switched to unlisted and no longer appears in search or on the channel page.
- The videos were also removed from users’ Watch Later lists, though they remain accessible via direct links and community-compiled playlists.
- The timing drew user speculation after Ryan “NigaHiga” Higa said on Twitch he left a Rewind set when asked to do a dance he had explicitly refused and then declined later invites.
- YouTube has not provided an explanation for unlisting the archive, and Mashable reported it has requested comment from the company.
- YouTube Rewind ran annually through 2019 and faced heavy backlash in its later years, with the 2018 edition among the platform’s most-disliked videos.