“My Family and I Can’t Live Normal Lives” — Why Did the Outdoor Boys Turn off Comments?

Luke Nichols began posting the outdoor fun he and his sons, Tommy, Nate, and Jacob, enjoyed in the Alaskan wilderness to YouTube in May of 2015. Since then, their clips of fishing, hunting, swimming in creeks, and traveling to different parts of the world have amassed millions of followers under The Outdoor Boys channel. As of this writing, they've accumulated over 17.6 million subscribers across over 1,000 videos.

However, fans have noticed some changes to the account. Video upload frequency slowed down, and the comments section on them was turned off.

A visit to any one of The Outdoor Boys videos shows that the comments have indeed been disabled. This may seem strange, given the fact that the channel's clips receive tens of millions of views. Like this one particular upload that shows Luke camping during a blizzard and rescuing fellow drivers trapped in the snow.

If you're trying to grow an online audience, keeping comments activated on your videos is a good way to ensure repeat views and that folks are engaged in the content you're posting. Especially when folks get caught up in discussions or arguments, these back-and-forth discussions signal to social media algorithms that viewers are responding to content.

Keeping comments turned on for videos can help boost a channel's SEO presence. So why would such a wildly popular channel disable its comments section? It's part of an intentional pivot Luke was making for the channel. And his reasoning has earned respect from fans online.

In one of the videos Luke posted to his channel titled "Goodbye" (which you can watch here), the father and YouTuber laid out his reasoning for taking a break from the regular uploads he posts to his account.

In the clip, Luke says that his primary reason for slowing his video upload roll was to protect the privacy of his family. Horror stories of child endangerment and parents exploiting their home lives for views are unfortunately a sad reality in the world of influencer-family clout-chasing.

Luke made it clear that he was uncomfortable with the amount of attention his children were getting in the videos. Furthermore, he cited that the amount of time and dedication it takes to plan for these trips, along with late-night editing of videos and managing footage, is significant.

And while Luke says he's grateful to have been able to make wonderful memories for himself and his family, he noticed there was a tremendous amount of growth on his platform. Thanks to cross-posting and sharing of his video on other platforms. In the clip, which was uploaded in June of 2025, Luke mentioned that The Outdoor Boys gained a whopping 12 million followers in just 18 months.

All in all, Luke told viewers that his content has accumulated over 4 billion views, not counting the 2.8 billion views on his YouTube channel alone. He said that the attention was palpable, and he wanted to nip it in the bud before it altered his family dynamics.

"The sheer volume of fans trying to contact me, trying to take pictures with me or just trying to come up and talk to me in public can be a bit overwhelming at times. My wife and I, we both have real concerns about what this will do to our family if I keep growing my YouTube channel at this pace. And the time to stop is before this problem gets so out of hand that my family and I can't live normal lives," he said in the clip.

A Reddit user who posted to this r/outoftheloop sub replied to someone who wanted to know what the deal was with the Outdoor Boys channel. The commenter praised Luke and his family's wholesome content, along with Luke's decision to turn down millions of dollars.

"It’s a big deal that they’re quitting because this is the epitome of quitting while you’re on top. They generate literally billions of views, the channel has been growing rapidly, they share a positive message, and they are surely raking in millions and millions of dollars. It’s hard for anyone to turn that away, but that’s what they’re doing because it’s what’s best for their family," the commenter wrote.

Although Luke said "Goodbye" several months ago, he has recently uploaded a new video to his page. In it, he explores Dick Proenneke's Cabin during a three-day camping and fishing trip with his children. In just three days, it accumulated over 8.6 million views.