Ethan and Hila Klein have been pillars of the YouTube community since launching their original channel, h3h3Productions, in 2011. After moving away from traditional YouTube content in 2017, the Kleins started a new venture called The H3 Podcast.
With 5.7 million subscribers on their main channel, 2.73 million subscribers on H3 Podcast, and a collective three billion views across both channels, they are undeniably among the platform’s largest creators.
Over nearly 15 years on YouTube, they have been subjected to increasing levels of online hate. Recently, however, targeted harassment against them has escalated to new heights—or rather, new lows.
These harassment campaigns are originating from Reddit, with entire communities dedicated to scrutinizing and criticizing their every action. Over time, these attacks have intensified, culminating in a recent visit from Child Protective Services (CPS) due to coordinated calls from Reddit users.
Why the hate against the Kleins?
Ethan and Hila’s h3h3Productions channel helped popularize the now-common reaction video format, offering commentary on some of the internet’s most outrageous personalities.
From there, they transitioned into sketches and fully embraced reaction content, fostering a thriving community. This success solidified them as major figures on YouTube, especially following their viral hit Vape Nation.
While some of their videos have sparked negative reactions from viewers, much of the hate they receive today seems to be more personal than content-driven.
Antisemitism against Ethan and Hila Klein
The American-Israeli husband-and-wife duo met while Ethan was visiting a Holocaust museum on a Birthright trip to Israel. At the time, Hila was living in Israel and serving her mandatory conscription as a secretary in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
They quickly fell in love, moved in together, and began making the content that their audience knows today. The couple spent the better part of five years living in Israel, fine-tuning their craft.
Throughout their time on YouTube, the Kleins have faced threats, swatting incidents, and other forms of harassment—much of it stemming from antisemitic hate groups.
But even after being swatted by neo-Nazis, the recent targeted harassment against Ethan and Hila has reached new levels. Before examining what has transpired, let’s take a look at where this new wave of hostility originated.
The origins of r/h3snark
The backlash against the Kleins largely stems from the subreddit r/h3snark, which evolved from r/frenemies, a former fan community for Frenemies, Ethan Klein’s 2020 podcast collaboration with Trisha Paytas. The show ended in June 2021 after a series of public disagreements between the co-hosts.
After Frenemies dissolved, r/frenemies shifted from discussing the podcast to harshly criticizing Ethan, Hila, their employees, and, increasingly, their children.
Trisha Paytas also faced harassment through a separate subreddit, r/trishyland, which was notorious for tracking her real-life information and targeting her with personal attacks. Users in that community allegedly called her doctor, harassed her family, and publicly shamed her newborn child.
These types of communities, known as snark subreddits, claim to be spaces for critique but frequently escalate into cyberbullying. Some members spread unfounded rumors and even leak personal information, putting real people at risk. Over time, r/frenemies evolved into what became the largest and most prominent anti-Klein subreddit—r/h3snark.
The role of Leftovers and its fallout
Following Frenemies, Ethan launched a new political show called Leftovers with co-host Hasan Piker, a Turkish-American Twitch streamer known for his far-left political views.
The podcast focused on politics and internet culture, with its debut episode—covering COVID-19 vaccine misinformation—reaching over a million views on its first day. Leftovers lasted 61 episodes and ended following a nearly four-hour discussion on the Israel-Hamas war.
The fallout from this episode was significant. Piker, who advocates for a one-state solution regardless of the means, clashed with Klein, who supports a non-violent two-state solution. The podcast ended, and Piker’s supporters quickly turned against Klein, adding fuel to the growing wave of online hostility.
Following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack and the ensuing Israel-Palestine conflict, antisemitism surged online. Jewish content creators, including Ethan and Hila Klein, became primary targets. Some members of r/h3snark used the crisis as a pretext to label Ethan and Hila as “pro-genocide” or “Zionists,” further justifying their harassment.
While some may genuinely support the Palestinian cause, it is worth questioning whether certain individuals are exploiting the situation to spread antisemitic rhetoric.
Harassment reaches the Kleins’ children
One of the reasons The H3 Podcast remains popular is Ethan’s willingness to share details of his life with his audience—sometimes even showing personal medical records on stream. However, this openness has often been exploited by critics, and the latest controversy is no exception.
The most recent wave of harassment began after Ethan expressed concern about his rescue dog having a Giardia infection and the potential risk it posed to his children. Rather than engaging in a reasonable discussion, members of r/h3snark twisted his words, pushing a bizarre narrative that the Kleins’ children were living in filth—rolling in and even consuming dog feces.
But rather than simply voicing their supposed concerns about the children’s health, members of the subreddit escalated the situation by making calls to CPS, seemingly with the intent of disrupting the Klein family.
Even for the Kleins—who have faced years of online harassment—this level of real-world interference was unprecedented. And it didn’t stop there. Following news of the CPS visit, content creators like Denims openly supported the call, while the controversial figure BadEmpanada went as far as to take credit for it.
False reporting and Reddit’s reaction
As the harassment reaches his children, Ethan Klein continues taking legal action against four moderators of r/h3snark, accusing them of organizing a targeted defamation campaign.
Rather than acknowledging the severity of the situation, some reports framed the lawsuit as nothing more than H3 suing Reddit because “some users were mean to them”—downplaying the very real consequences of sustained online harassment.
This isn’t just a case of internet bullies being rude—it’s an orchestrated effort to defame and harm Ethan Klein, his family, and those associated with him. And perhaps the most shocking part? Reddit continues to allow it to happen.
Will Reddit take action against r/h3snark?
Despite the Kleins’ legal action, Reddit has yet to intervene. While the platform has removed other snark subreddits—such as the notorious r/trishyland, which targeted Trisha Paytas—it appears to be ignoring the harassment directed at the Kleins.
The r/h3snark subreddit has changed names multiple times and now operates under r/h3h3_productions, an inactive subreddit that was repurposed. Following legal action, the subreddit has been set to private, limiting access to members who had already joined.
Even if this subreddit is eventually banned, history suggests that another will take its place. This ongoing harassment campaign underscores the urgent need for Reddit to enforce its own policies against hateful content and take stronger action to protect creators and their families.
What’s next for Ethan Klein?
Ethan Klein, who once said, “I’m crazier than you, what left do I have to lose?”, has vowed to see r/h3snark shut down and hold its moderators accountable. But at some point, the focus must also turn to Reddit itself for allowing this kind of behavior to persist on its platform.
Reddit’s own first rule states that it is “a place for creating community, not attacking marginalized groups.”
So how do snark subreddits like r/h3snark not explicitly violate Reddit’s terms of service? These communities have evolved from spaces of lighthearted criticism into breeding grounds for harassment, doxxing, and outright antisemitism—now spilling over into real-life consequences.
Historically, Reddit has only taken action in situations like this when faced with legal threats, major media attention, or instances of real-world harm. Unfortunately, the platform has a poor track record when it comes to proactively addressing harassment.
We must demand better from the platforms we use every day instead of standing by while hate campaigns continue unchecked. No matter where you stand on Ethan or Hila Klein, it should be clear that no one deserves to be subjected to this level of targeted harassment.
Ethan has even vowed to take the fight directly to Reddit’s headquarters in San Francisco, planning to livestream The H3 Podcast outside their offices until the platform steps in.
Whether or not Reddit finally takes action, this battle is far from over.
