You’ve likely encountered it while scrolling through social media: a person surrounded by a feast, engaging with an unseen audience as they consume copious amounts of food. This is mukbang, a digital trend that has captured global attention. Whether it’s the allure of fast food from brands like Taco Bell or Pizza Hut, or the spectacle of a seafood boil, mukbang videos feature individuals enjoying large meals, often while interacting with viewers. Some mukbang creators, like YouTube personality Trisha Paytas, have built their platforms on a conversational style, sharing personal stories between bites. Others, particularly ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) artists, focus on the auditory experience, with microphones amplifying every slurp, crunch, and pour.
Even if the term “mukbang”—a straightforward combination of the Korean words for “eating” and “broadcast”—is unfamiliar, the concept likely isn’t. Originating in South Korea in the late 2000s, this live-streaming genre, where individuals indulge in large quantities of food for a virtual audience, gained international traction in the mid-2010s. Since then, a wave of internet personalities, especially in America, have embraced mukbangs, some achieving significant financial success. The trend has permeated various online spaces, with brands and influencers outside the food niche incorporating mukbang-style content. While culinary entertainment has traditionally been defined by cooking shows and travelogues, the act of eating itself has emerged as a form of televised spectacle.
Consider popular online series such as Mythical Kitchen and First We Feast’s Hot Ones, both of which have become essential stops for celebrities on press tours. It’s now commonplace to see high-profile actors like Cate Blanchett discussing their latest projects while tackling spicy chicken wings. Even Vogue features YouTube segments where glamorous cover stars, including Florence Pugh and Kylie Jenner, are presented with elaborate multi-course meals.
Despite its mainstream appeal, mukbang retains an element of transgression. The health risks associated with consistent binge-eating for online content are undeniable, and have even led to tragic outcomes. In July, Chinese mukbanger Pan Xiaoting tragically passed away due to a suspected stomach rupture during a ten-hour livestream. Nutrition experts have also voiced concerns about mukbangs potentially encouraging unhealthy eating habits and disordered eating patterns.
Nevertheless, mukbangs continue to thrive in online culture, remaining a persistent trend that individuals and brands alike are eager to engage with.
Mukbangs: From Korean Livestreams to Global “Guilty Pleasure”
The year 2015 is frequently cited as the point when mukbangs gained significant momentum in the United States, following their initial emergence in South Korea in the late 2000s. A pivotal moment was the popular YouTube channel Fine Brothers Entertainment (now React) posting a viral compilation video featuring YouTubers reacting to Korean mukbangs with a mix of shock and amusement.
This exposure quickly influenced American internet personalities. Trisha Paytas, a prominent figure on YouTube known for her dramatic storytelling, transitioned her content into “eating shows.” Nicholas Perry, known online as Nikocado Avocado, notably shifted from promoting a vegan lifestyle to creating undeniably unhealthy mukbang content. Bloveslife, or Bethany Gaskin, is another successful mukbanger who shares entertaining anecdotes, often with family and friends, while consuming large platters of seafood.
Critics and commentators have argued that the increasing Westernization of mukbang content has led to a dilution of its original essence. Academics have explored mukbangs primarily from a sociological perspective, linking the phenomenon to rising loneliness and the increase in single-person households in South Korea in the late 2000s. Korean mukbang hosts often foster a sense of community by interacting with viewers in real-time through live streams. In contrast, American vloggers often pre-record their mukbangs and blend them with “story-time” formats, emphasizing entertainment over direct interaction and connection.
Despite cultural variations, mukbangers across the globe grapple with the controversial image associated with the genre. These videos often merge two elements often considered “guilty pleasures” in Western culture: reality television and indulgent food consumption. The sheer excess and sometimes bizarre nature of mukbangs can also invite a voyeuristic perspective, particularly if creators intentionally play into it.
For instance, a 2016 research study examined online communities of overweight, male mukbang viewers who expressed a specific interest in watching thin, attractive women consume large quantities of food. The concept of “feeders” has also become a point of debate on platforms like TikTok, as mukbang content expands its reach.
“It’s a controversial fetish because it can be detrimental to the feedee’s health,” explains Magdalene J. Taylor, a sex and culture critic. “For ‘feeders,’ it’s not solely about the act of eating but the act of watching someone consume large amounts of food and, consequently, gain weight.”
This element of excessive consumption is central to mukbang’s contentious reputation online. Mukbangs pose potential risks not only to the creators engaging in these high-calorie, often processed food binges but also to viewers who consume this type of content.
While not every mukbang viewer is immediately influenced to overeat, the genre does present food consumption in a way that is not necessarily focused on nourishment, unlike other influencer content categories like fitness or beauty. Dietician nutritionist Shelby Becker points out that these videos “promote consumption of food that is often far beyond what is needed to nourish the body.”
“This can lead to a disconnect from natural hunger cues and the body’s actual needs, and it can also make individuals more prone to various gastrointestinal problems,” she cautions.
Mukbang’s Evolution: Celebrities, TikTok, and a Mainstream Rebrand
The rise of TikTok in 2020 injected new vitality into the mukbang genre, while also introducing certain limitations. While large-scale food challenges are still present, the time constraints of TikTok videos have led to a trend of mukbangers consuming smaller portions over shorter durations. The “mukbang” hashtag on TikTok now encompasses videos featuring regular-sized, single-person meals, from appetizers like the Chili’s Triple Dipper to a pricey lunch from Erewhon. Many creators, such as Sara Morgan (@snackwithsmac), prefer to identify as “eating” or “food” pages, aligning themselves more with mainstream “foodie” culture than the more extreme connotations of mukbang.
“I think the term mukbanger has broadened to include people like me who may not be eating huge quantities of food but are still sharing an eating experience,” Morgan explains.
TikTok creator Nakyah Bourgeois (@asmrwnak) is another example of a mukbanger whose content prioritizes a shared experience over shocking displays of food quantity. Her videos, like many contemporary mukbangs, incorporate ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) elements. These videos typically feature minimal or no dialogue, focusing on the sounds of eating to create a relaxing effect. (ASMR enthusiasts often describe these sensations as “brain tingles.”) “Relaxation and comfort are always my primary goals with my content,” Bourgeois states.
The content created by Bourgeois and Morgan presents a less controversial image of mukbangs, emphasizing shared enjoyment and community over excessive consumption. This shift is also evident in content from brands and other creators who have contributed to integrating mukbangs into mainstream foodie culture, moving away from its perception as a bizarre novelty.
Notice how Vogue’s mukbang-inspired videos adopt the genre’s hallmarks, such as celebrity subjects sharing personal anecdotes and incorporating ASMR sounds. However, they often only lightly engage with the food itself. Similarly, on Hot Ones, celebrity guests participate in a standard interview format while testing their tolerance for hot sauces. Mythical Kitchen features celebrities discussing their hypothetical last meals, focusing more on the memories associated with their favorite foods and promoting their latest projects, rather than intense eating. These formats prioritize celebrity relatability over the interactive or excessive elements traditionally associated with mukbangs. This mirrors the common practice of celebrity profiles taking place in restaurant settings.
However, for many dedicated mukbangers, or “food account” creators, community remains a central focus. In a post-pandemic world marked by isolation and reduced social interaction, mukbangs have, in some ways, returned to a role closer to their origins in South Korea, fostering a sense of connection and shared experience.
“I’ve always appreciated how eating videos create a feeling of participation, like you’re sitting at the table with someone,” Morgan reflects. “It’s a casual invitation, like, ‘Hey! Let’s eat together.’ That’s the atmosphere I want to create on my page.”
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