Nikocado Avocado, the YouTuber famous for his mukbang videos, has shocked fans with his drastic physical transformation.

The 32-year-old internet personality, whose real name is Nicholas Perry, unveiled his new look on Sept 7 in a video on YouTube, appearing dramatically slimmer, compared with his most recent uploads several months ago.

The unexpected transformation led to rampant speculation from netizens about whether Perry had actually managed to lose so much weight in such a short time, with some suggesting they were fake.

Perry clarified in an e-mail to NBC News, that he had been uploading pre-recorded videos on YouTube and TikTok for the last two years, the news channel reported on Sept 9.

He revealed that he has lost 250 pounds (113kg) over the last two years, while continuing to post pre-recorded mukbang videos showing his heavier self.

Mukbang is a type of online video content where the creator eats large amounts of food while interacting with their audience. Originating in South Korea, the term combines the Korean words for eating (meokda) and broadcast (bangsong).

“The joke’s on you,” he declared in a video titled Two Steps Ahead that was uploaded on Sept 7, which has racked up over 38 million views on YouTube.

“People are the most messed-up creatures on the entire planet, and yet I’ve still managed to stay two steps ahead of everyone,”

“I edited the videos so that they would appear recent, allowing me to focus on healing my body behind the scenes,” he explained in his e-mail to NBC News.

To keep the lid on his secret and avoid being recognised in public, Perry shaved his head and even recruited fellow YouTubers to keep his secret.

Perry called the transformation “the greatest social experiment of my entire life” and likened watching people’s reactions to “monitoring ants on an ant farm”.

The video begins with him wearing a giant panda mask, which he said symbolised the “complexities of social media”. Perry explained: “The world of social media is not as black-and-white as it appears.”

Throughout his weight-loss journey over the past two years, Perry continued to share clips of himself filmed during his heavier days, including a video uploaded just days before the big reveal showing him weighing 351 pounds (159kg).

In a video from about four months ago, he declared he was giving up on weight loss, saying, “Oh, well, some people are fat. Get over it. You think we’re plopped down on this Earth to just starve and count calories and restrict carbs? I’m over it; it doesn’t work.”

Despite his newly slimmed-down appearance, Perry has returned to his mukbang roots.

In his reveal video, he ended with a familiar scene – devouring a massive tray of spicy black bean noodles. He shared that his latest revelation was meant to highlight the internet’s obsession with online personalities and over-consumption.

“While everybody pointed and laughed at me for over-consuming food, I was in total control the entire time,” he wrote, noting that the real issue lies in people’s obsessive consumption of internet content.

Nikocado Avocado is now moving into what he calls “a new era,” posting new before-and-after photos on his Instagram and X accounts.

In a follow-up video, he mentioned how he is unsure about how his audience would feel about his transformation.

“I don’t know if people even like me any more. I don’t know if people want to hear from me or like my content at all. I actually just don’t even know,” he said after another mukbang session.

“At the end of the day, if just one or two people show up to watch me eat, I’m happy.”