Lucas Cruikshank

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Lucas Cruikshank
Cruikshank in 2014
Personal information
Born
Lucas Alan Cruikshank

(1993-08-29) August 29, 1993 (age 30)
Columbus, Nebraska, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
PartnerMatthew Fawcus (2013–present)
Websitewww.heyitsfred.com
YouTube information
Also known asFred, Lucas
Channel
Years active2006–present
Subscribers3.36 million[1]
Total views242.5 million[1]
100,000 subscribers2008
1,000,000 subscribers2009
Last updated: June 19, 2023

Lucas Alan Cruikshank (born August 29, 1993) is an American YouTuber and actor who created the character Fred Figglehorn and the associated Fred series for his channel on the video-hosting website YouTube in late 2006.[2] These videos are centered on Fred Figglehorn, a fictional six-year-old who has a dysfunctional home life and "anger management issues".[3]

Early life[edit]

Lucas Alan Cruikshank was born on August 29, 1993,[4] and raised in Columbus, Nebraska, where he attended Lakeview High School. He is the son of Molly Jeanne (née Duffy) and Dave Alan Cruikshank.[5][6] He has five sisters and two brothers.[7][8]

Career[edit]

Fred[edit]

Main article: Fred Figglehorn

Cruikshank, while testing character ideas, created the Fred character in a Halloween video, and uploaded it to a YouTube channel that he had started with his two cousins. Upon the success of Fred, he started a video series, and set up the Fred channel in April 2008.[7] By April 2009, the channel had over one million subscribers, making it the first YouTube channel to do so, and the most subscribed channel at the time.[9] In December 2009, Cruikshank filmed Fred: The Movie, which aired on Nickelodeon in September 2010. Nickelodeon created a franchise surrounding the character, and began producing the sequel in March 2011.[10] Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred aired on October 22, 2011, also on Nickelodeon. In 2012, Fred: The Show, consisting of twenty-four 22-minute episodes, and a third movie called Fred 3: Camp Fred aired on Nickelodeon.

Sponsorship and appearances[edit]

In the Fred series, Cruikshank promotes various products and movies. He is seen using a Zipit,[11] as well as his own products[12] and T-shirts.[13] In addition to promoting his own movies and albums, Cruikshank has also promoted the movies City of Ember,[14] Year One,[15] and Adventures of Power,[16] and the artist Kev Blaze, by featuring in his song "Watch How I Do This".[17]

He made a guest appearance as both "Fred" and himself on Nickelodeon's iCarly in "iMeet Fred", which first aired on February 16, 2009.[18]

Cruikshank appeared in the Hannah Montana episode "Come Fail Away", which aired December 6, 2009.[19] He appeared at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards as well as the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards presenting awards to winners off-stage. In 2011, he appeared on the Cartoon Network Hall of Game Awards and in an episode of Supah Ninjas. In 2012 and 2013 he starred as the lead in the Nickelodeon television show Marvin Marvin, as an alien "teenage" boy adjusting to human life.

Other YouTube work[edit]

Cruikshank was originally a part of JKL Productions, a group comprising twins Jon and Katie Smet and Lucas Cruikshank, their cousin.[7] Cruikshank formally left the group and deleted his individual videos. In January 2009 he set up his own channel, called "lucas", in which he appeared as himself. Between 2013 and 2014, Cruikshank partnered with Jennifer Veal to produce a series of videos on the channel, which was renamed "Lucas and Jenny," adding to the duo's popularity. After Jenny left the channel in November 2014,[20][21] Cruikshank reverted the channel name back to "lucas" and continued to release vlogs.[21] In April 2019, Cruikshank's channel name was changed to "Lucas", and currently sees over 3 million subscribers as of 2020.[22]

Cruikshank made an appearance on Brandon Rogers' Four Million Subscriber Freakout video after the latter gained four million subscribers as of June 2018.[23]

Personal life[edit]

Cruikshank came out publicly as gay in a YouTube video released August 20, 2013, saying, "I'm gay. I feel so weird saying it on camera. But my family and friends have known for like three years. I just haven't felt the need to announce it on the Internet."[24][25][26] Cruikshank met his current boyfriend, Australian model Matthew Fawcus, "from afar" at a gay club, and the two were introduced by fellow YouTuber Kingsley. The pair have been dating since March 18, 2013.[27]

Filmography[edit]

Internet[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2006–2014, 2020-2021 Fred Fred Figglehorn
2010 Annoying Orange Fred Figglehorn Episode: "Fred"
2012–2018 YouTubers React Himself 13 episodes
2013 The Flipside Henry Episode: "Me, Myself and My Conscience"

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2009 iCarly Fred Figglehorn Episode: "iMeet Fred"
2009 Hannah Montana Kyle McIntyre Episode: "Come Fail Away"[28]
2010 Fred: The Movie Fred Figglehorn / Derf Nrohelggif Television film
2011 Supah Ninjas Spencer / Kickbutt Episode: "Kickbutt"[29]
2011 Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred Fred Figglehorn / Derf Nrohelggif / Judy Television film
2012 Fred: The Show Fred Figglehorn Lead role[30]
2012–2013 Marvin Marvin Marvin Forman Lead role[31]
2012 Fred 3: Camp Fred Fred Figglehorn Television film
2013 Big Time Rush Himself Episode: "Big Time Cameo"[32]
2013 Monsters vs. Aliens Smarty Voice; Episode: "Screaming Your Calls"

Discography[edit]

Comedy albums[edit]

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart
positions
US
Comedy
[33] 		US
Heat.
[33] 		US
Holiday
[33]
It's Hackin' Christmas
with Fred[34] 		8 24 13
Who's Ready to
Party?[35]
  • Released: September 21, 2010
  • Formats: Digital download
  • Label: Collective Records
 1 29 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Singles[edit]

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart
positions 		Album
US
Comedy
[36] 		US
Holiday
[37]
"Christmas Cash" 2009 22 5 It's Hackin' Christmas with Fred
"Christmas Is Creepy" 9 1
"Fred's 12 Days of Christmas" — 28
"I Wanna Be a Celebrity" 2010 11 — Who's Ready to Party
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Other appearances[edit]

Title Year Album
"All Night"
(with Zhone and Fraxiom) 		2021 Mutants Vol.6: Home[38][39]
"The Climb"
(with Molly Cruikshank) 		2022 Best of Both Worldz[40][41]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Category Award Result
2009 Favorite User Generated Video People's Choice Awards Nominated
2009 Choice Web Star Teen Choice Awards Won
2010 Choice Web Star Teen Choice Awards Nominated
2010 Iconic Web Star J-14 Teen Icon Awards[42] Nominated
2013 Favorite TV Actor Kids' Choice Awards Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "About Lucas". YouTube.
  2. ^ Keen, Andrew (July 28, 2008). "Andrew Keen on New Media: Kids with cameras lead the way in giving web users their daily Fred". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
  3. ^ Stephen Hutcheon, with Tom Burton (June 20, 2008). "Fast-talking Fred is the toast of YouTube". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
  4. ^ Cruikshank, Lucas (March 14, 2013). "Draw My Life - Lucas Cruikshank". YouTube. Archived from the original (Adobe Flash) on March 17, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  5. ^ Freeman, Eric. (September 23, 2010) Fred a hit in TV movie Archived September 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Columbustelegram.com. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  6. ^ See today's new hot trend. Feedagg.com (May 23, 2009). Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  7. ^ a b c partnersproject (April 21, 2011). "Lucas Cruikshank aka Fred Exclusive Interview: The Partners Project Episode 19". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  8. ^ Columbus' 'Fred' becomes an Internet star : The (402)/411 Archived May 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Journalstar.com (October 6, 2008). Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  9. ^ Editorial Team (November 13, 2008). "BB Suggests: The Best of Web TV". Archived from the original on November 17, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  10. ^ Barnes, Brooks (March 24, 2010). "'Fred: The Movie' Lands on Nickelodeon – Media Decoder Blog – The New York Times". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  11. ^ "Fred Goes Swimming". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  12. ^ "Fred Finds a Creepy Doll". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  13. ^ "Fred Faces a Dirty Campaign". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  14. ^ "FRED WANTS TO BE A STAR!! (City of Fred?!)". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  15. ^ "Fred Gets Dissed at Bible School". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  16. ^ "Lucas Gets Kidnapped!". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  17. ^ "Kev Blaze feat. FRED – "Watch How I Do This (remix)"". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  18. ^ Albrecht, Chris (November 18, 2008). "'Fred' Cranks Up the YouTube Views and Ad Dollars". Business Week. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
  19. ^ "Come Fail Away". Internet Movie Database. 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  20. ^ LUCAS & JENNY BREAKUP // Lucas & Jenny, retrieved April 15, 2020[dead YouTube link]
  21. ^ a b "Jennifer Veal Leaves Lucas Cruikshank For Her Own YouTube Channel". J-14. November 7, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  22. ^ "Lucas". YouTube. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  23. ^ "Four Million Subscriber Freakout". Brandon Rogers. June 10, 2018. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  24. ^ Cruikshank, Lucas. "ARE YOU GAY?!?". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  25. ^ Eby, Margaret (August 20, 2013). "Lucas Cruikshank, star of Nickelodeon's 'Fred,' comes out as gay". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  26. ^ De Hoyos, Brandon (August 20, 2013). "Lucas Cruikshank, 'Fred' Actor, Comes Out as Gay Man". News 92 FM. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  27. ^ "Lucas Cruikshank Officially Confirms He's Dating Boyfriend Matthew Fawcus - Superfame". Superfame. January 14, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  28. ^ "Fred Figglehorn: The pop-culture sensation you've never heard of". theweek.com. September 22, 2010.
  29. ^ "Lucas Cruikshank 'Fred' Guest Stars On 'Supah Ninjas' – New Clip". youtube.com.
  30. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 1, 2011). "Nickelodeon Greenlights Third 'Fred' Movie, Picks Up 20-Episode 'Fred' Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  31. ^ MacIntyre, April (November 9, 2012). "Nickelodeon's brand-new comedy series, Marvin Marvin Nov. 24". M&C. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  32. ^ clevverTV (May 30, 2013). "Lucas Cruikshank Talks Guest Spot on 'Big Time Rush' in "Big Time Cameo"". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  33. ^ a b c "Fred Figglehorn Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  34. ^ "YouTube Sensation Fred Releases Christmas Album and Premieres Music Video - Pynk Celebrity". Archived from the original on November 13, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
  35. ^ "Who's Ready to Party? by Fred Figglehorn". iTunes. Apple Inc. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  36. ^ *"Christmas Cash" and "I Wanna Be a Celebrity": "Comedy Digital Tracks: Oct 2, 2010". Billboard. December 28, 2012. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  37. ^ "Holiday Digital Songs: Oct 09, 2012". Billboard. December 28, 2012. Archived from the original on June 14, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  38. ^ "MUTANTS VOL. 6: HOME IS OUT NOW! ALL PROFITS TO RED COMUNITARIA TRANS 77 TRACKS, 4H 23M FEATURING AGAINST ALL LOGIC, MERZBOW, ANDY MORIN, ZHONE W/ FRAXIOM AND LUCAS CRUIKSHANK, GLASS BEACH, NMESH, FIRE-TOOLZ, FOODMAN, KFC MURDER CHICKS, AND DOZENS MORE". twitter.com.
  39. ^ "MUTANTS VOL. 6: HOME by MUTANTS". bandcamp.com.
  40. ^ "The Climb - Single". music.apple.com.
  41. ^ "What Happened to Fred From Youtube – Lucas Cruikshank 2023 Updates". gazettereview.com. May 3, 2022.
  42. ^ "Vote for J-14's Teen Icon Awards!". J-14. September 14, 2010. Archived from the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2011.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lucas Cruikshank.
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