Sarah Whittle Is Leaving Smosh for a New Adventure — Here Are the Details
May 5 2021, Published 5:28 p.m. ET
On May 4, 2021, Sarah Whittle announced that she was leaving Smosh, and fans have been trying to wrap their heads around the devastating news ever since. Sarah first joined the eclectic cast of the hit YouTube channel in 2015. She worked her way to the top, landing the role of the director of unscripted content in January 2020. She also appeared in hit series like Spelling Bee-Kini Wax. So, why is the "best ref" leaving Smosh?
Why did Sarah leave Smosh?
Sarah first announced that she was leaving Smosh in the fall of 2018, shortly before DEFY Media, the company behind the channel, folded. She made a U-turn following a five-month-long stint at E!, where she worked as a producer, writer, and social media content creator. This may have instilled some sense of hope in fans who would like to see Sarah return — but it does appear that her decision is final this time around. So, why exactly did she leave?
As Sarah explained during a recent appearance on SmoshCast, she was eager to move away from Los Angeles and start over elsewhere. The stars aligned perfectly, as she landed a superb job at the same time.
"I'm leaving Smosh. I found a new opportunity. There was no challenge here that I wasn't willing to face or work through. It ultimately came down to this past year being so hard and it really putting a spotlight on what home means for me," Sarah said.
"I'm literally leaving the state," Sarah said.
"Personally, I've never looked at Los Angeles as a final place. I've never felt like this was home for me. It was fun, it's a fun city, I never saw myself putting roots down here. I'm literally leaving the state," she added.
As Sarah emphasized, the past year or so made her want to rethink what home means to her. The time was right to take the next big step and build a nest away from the metropolis — and she decided to go for it.
Sarah tried her hand at various roles during her time at Smosh.
As Sarah explained during an appearance on SmoshCast, she started as a coordinator, and in only a few years, she was producing and directing videos.
"I've done pretty much every position. I started as a coordinator, I was an AP, I was a producer, then I moved over to the social team. One time, I flew to Sacramento, Calif., because Olivia [Mu Sui] had food poisoning, and I was Olivia's understudy," Sarah explained. "Last year, I moved over to creatively directing Smosh Pit and Smosh Games. And then also being more in front of the camera because of the restrictions. I've directed [sketches] too."
During her years-long reign on Smosh, Sarah made regular appearances in series like Spelling Bee-Kini Wax, Try Not to Laugh Challenge, or Eat It or Yeet It. And, of course, she partook in the Smosh Winter Games and Smosh Summer Games. In addition to her work in front of the camera, she also produced videos, created branded content, and wrote and directed scripted and unscripted content.
