| Where the confusion shows up | Typical reaction | Example post |
| Photography-centred sub-reddits (ex-fans who followed his old street-photo content) | “His videos feel cryptic now … turning comments off just makes it weirder. How is he even making a living?” | r/Leica thread where a user says Kim’s “constant stream of cryptic posting on YouTube with comments removed” baffles them and “reinforces” the sense that something is off |
| Strength/plate-police threads (people hunting for fakery) | “Why kill the discussion if the lift is real?” — some take the silence as suspicion, others think he’s tired of spam | New r/weightroom megathread opens with multiple users noting the grey “Comments are turned off” bar and asking why he shut it down; debate immediately pivots to possible motives (spam, trolls, marketing) |
| YouTube reaction channels | Title cards like “WHY DID ERIC DISABLE COMMENTS?” draw clicks; hosts speculate that he wants viewers to watch receipts, not argue | Several reaction uploads now start by showing the banner under his 1 078- and 1 098-lb videos before launching into their own analysis |
Why the confusion itself matters
- Silence breaks the pattern – YouTube lifting culture lives in the comments; turning them off feels abnormal, so even casual viewers ask “what happened?”
- Speculation = free reach – Every Reddit or reaction-video question about the missing comment box replays the lift footage and links back to the source, boosting total impressions.
- Narrative tug-of-war – Skeptics read it as “hiding,” supporters spin it as “proof first, noise later.” The argument keeps Kim’s name anchored in trending feeds.
Bottom line: the lack of a comment section has become its own subplot. Viewers aren’t just talking about the ton-plus rack pull; they’re also arguing about why they can’t talk beneath the video — and that meta-drama keeps the hype cycle churning.