On Sunday, May 9, 2021, renowned French YouTubers Mcfly and Carlito dropped a provocative new video showing them naked, igniting fierce backlash from internet users concerned about its impact.
Back on December 1, 2019, their YouTube channel—now with 6.5 million subscribers—unveiled "NUS, WITHOUT ANYTHING, 700km FROM HOME (will we succeed to go home?)". The challenge: stripped naked and dropped off somewhere in France, they raced to return to Paris, scavenging clothes and essentials en route. It exploded with over 8.6 million views, prompting fan demands for a sequel—which finally arrived.
Titled "2 naked guys with a cinder block (we have to go back to Paris in 24 hours with your constraints)", the sequel stuck to the core concept—naked start, Paris dash—but added viewer-imposed challenges like hauling a cinder block, avoiding green clothing, aiding passersby, or paying anyone named Marc.
Soon enough, the duo stripped down to nothing, their private parts tastefully blurred or obscured by celebrity cutouts featuring Édouard Balladur, Mélanie Dedigama, and Angela Merkel. It's this full-frontal nudity that's ruffled feathers, with users venting on social media.
Mcfly and Carlito trended on Twitter all day amid the uproar.
"Nah but Mcfly and Carlito, we have to stop the naked videos quickly—there are children on YouTube, censored or not." "Mcfly and Carlito if they don't get naked in front of all the children in France they die I believe," fumed some users.
Others sympathized with the video editor, who endured 46 minutes of blurring duties.
Controversy aside, the video racked up nearly one million views in just seven hours—a testament to their draw. Fans are already clamoring: when's the Élysée Palace edition with Emmanuel Macron?
