YouTube Accidentially Banned Channels That Advertise Boner Pills

BlueChew is a big sponsor of podcasts on YouTube, but a bunch of channels were temporarily popped by the platform this weekend

Image: Chris Stokel-Walker

The market for advertising boner pills on YouTube is looking limp as the platform hardened its approach to advertisers securing sponsorship with BlueChew, the makers of a chewable pill designed to help erections.

If you listen to podcasts aimed at a certain demographic — men of a certain age, interested in pasttimes like comedy and pro wrestling — the likelihood is you’ve heard of BlueChew (we’re not here to judge). Like other start-ups like Casper and Squarespace, the company has splurged on advertising with some relatively large podcasts, including Your Kickstarter Sucks, Outside the Theatre, and many run by mortgage broker-turned-pro wrestling podcaster Conrad Thompson. Logan Paul has even hawked the erection pills on his podcast, Impaulsive. Some of those podcasts recut and crosspost their audio to YouTube. Others have cameras in their studio, and upload the video version to the platform. Which is where things get problematic.

Thousands of videos sponsored by BlueChew are hosted on YouTube. The company sponsors radio, TV, and hundreds of podcasts — many of which have a YouTube component.

But in the last few days, a number of podcasts with YouTube presences have reported they’ve had their channels terminated without notice — something first noticed by YouTube reporter Josh Pescatore.

One of those who found his channel terminated was Chicago-raised comedian Godfrey, who stars alongside Shaquille O’Neal on the TruTV series Upload.

Godfrey had built up an audience of nearly 50,000 subscribers on YouTube for video uploads of his podcast, In Godfrey We Trust. “The podcast has been around for a little over a year but has seen significant growth,” he explains.

Just as Godfrey’s YouTube channel was about to reach 50,000 subscribers, it was taken down by YouTube — one of three affected, including a channel owned by fellow stand-up comedian Sam Tripoli. A single video on comedian Tim Dillon’s YouTube channel which was sponsored by BlueChew, a conversation with Brendan Schaub, was also removed automatically by YouTube.

“They sent us the reason why and it didn’t make sense,” says Godfrey. They said we were violating a rule — the advertising of drugs on the channel.”

Correspondence seen by FFWD indicates that some channels were terminated due to perceived “severe violations of our community guidelines”. The automated emails to channel owners said that “Content intending to sell certain illegal or regulated goods and services, such as drugs or pharmaceuticals without a prescription, is not allowed on YouTube.” It’s believed that the channels and individual video may have been flagged by an automated system in error.

BlueChew is a company selling drugs for erectile dysfunction, set up by Chicago doctor Alex Jovanovich (Jovanovich didn’t respond to a request for comment). It offers buyers the option of two drug options, sildenafil or tadalafil. Sildenafil is the active ingredient in Viagra, while tadalafi is the active ingredient in Cialis — two over-the-counter drugs. BlueChew pills can be chewed, rather than swallowed, purportedly for quicker uptake.

Importantly, BlueChew is prescribed online by licensed doctors — which may nullify the reason that channels advertising it have been struck down by YouTube.

FFWD understands from Pescatore that podcast advertising managers who deal with BlueChew have contacted YouTube to appeal the channel terminations, and have provided information to the platform about how it prescribes its pills.

Complicating the issue is the fact that only a small number of YouTube channels advertising BlueChew have been terminated. All of the video versions of pro-wrestling podcasts by Conrad Thompson, for instance, which feature BlueChew advertising regularly, are still online. For Chicago comedian Godfrey, that’s a concern.

“I thought it was a bit suspect because there are plenty of podcasts that are sponsored by BlueChew and they are not terminated,” the comedian says.

“I think I’ve been targeted because of what I say on my podcast. It’s usually race related,” he adds. “It’s never hate speech, but I talk about a lot injustices going on in the world especially with Africans, African Americans, Carribeans and other minorities. I also talk about a variety of things because I’m a comedian dammit.”

On Saturday afternoon, after YouTube was approached for comment by FFWD about this story, both Godfrey and Tripoli’s channels were reinstated. YouTube had not provided comment by the time of publication. Simultaneously, Tripoli tweeted that podcast host and YouTube Joe Rogan contacted YouTube to reinstate his channel. Dillon’s missing video, which FFWD did not know about before contacting YouTube, still remains offline.

You could say that while at first the effects of the BlueChew ban appeared to be massive, they quickly wore off.