Pranav Radhakrishnan, the creator behind the popular educational YouTube channel Science Is Dope, revealed on Saturday that a combination of deteriorating health and financial instability led to his six-month disappearance from the platform.
The Bengaluru-based creator, known for debunking pseudoscience and misinformation, informed his audience that he stopped uploading content in mid-2025 after realising he could no longer sustain his production costs through YouTube ad revenue alone.
Radhakrishnan explained that his choice of controversial topics, including critiques of influential spiritual figures, led to his being blacklisted by potential corporate sponsors.
The creator disclosed that his financial situation became dire after he was forced to let go of his video editor due to insufficient funds.
Radhakrishnan noted that over the past two years, he accepted only three sponsorships from two brands to ensure he remained aligned with his personal values. This reliance on ad revenue proved unsustainable when combined with his inability to secure a traditional job during his time away from the camera.
Radhakrishnan also addressed a chronic health condition he has managed since 2017, which he said worsened significantly in 2024.
While he declined to name the specific ailment in his public video to protect his future employment and insurance prospects, he shared the details on Patreon (a membership platform where fans pay a subscription fee to support creators).
He defended the decision to put this information behind a paywall, dismissing claims that the move was a scam and stating that the restriction was intended to limit public access to sensitive personal data.
The creator intends to resume regular uploads and confirmed he has several scripts in development focused on his usual niche of scientific skepticism.
Radhakrishnan has built a following of around 200K subscribers by providing evidence-based critiques of popular myths and high-profile figures in India.
His return marks the end of a period of uncertainty for his community, which had been speculating on his absence since his last regular upload.
Science Is Dope has gained prominence in the Indian creator economy for its rigorous approach to fact-checking. Radhakrishnan previously gained significant attention for his videos questioning the claims of various “godmen” and traditional medicine practices.
Despite the current challenges, he expressed a commitment to continuing his work in the science communication space while navigating the difficult job market.
