What happened to the Outdoor Boys? Luke Nichols returns to YouTube to help MyLifeOutdoors' Steven Smith amid his family crisis

Luke Nichols is trending after he was featured in the latest video posted on the YouTube channel MyLifeOutdoors on Sunday, November 30. The news arrived a few weeks after the original owner, Steven Smith, revealed his wife’s struggle with health issues, including thyroid cancer.

Luke has a separate channel, Outdoor Boys. He originally took a break from his online activities in May 2025, stating that the popularity he had accumulated through YouTube had impacted his normal life with his family, according to Dexerto.

MyLifeOutdoors’ new video started with Nichols telling the viewers that he wants to help Steven at a time when the latter is taking care of his wife and their children.

The online personality was spotted going on a trip in Alaska. However, he did not have a tent or a sleeping bag, despite a snowstorm. Nichols manages to find a shelter after discovering a fallen tree alongside a root ball. This eventually helps him to survive before the sun goes down.

Furthermore, Nichols gathers some firewood to ensure he can stay through the night and prepares moose stew for his dinner. Nichols also attempts to replicate the format used by Steven in his normal videos and discusses certain things he observes in the place, such as water flowing beneath the ice.

Nichols then returns home in the end after retrieving his car from the snowfall. He also requested the viewers to continue supporting Steven’s videos and subscribe to the channel at the same time. As of this writing, the latest video has garnered over two million views.

Luke Nichols revealed the reasons for stepping away from YouTube: Statement and other details explained

As mentioned, the Anchorage, Alaska native announced his break from the video platform earlier this year. He shared the details on his channel at the time, addressing the hard work he had done to create the videos, alongside dealing with other problems, such as pneumonia.

Luke Nichols acknowledged that everything he has done so far has helped him provide for his family and make “wonderful memories” with them. However, he mentioned that the situation has changed due to the increasing popularity of his content, which has garnered billions of views.

“The sheer volume of fans trying to contact me, trying to take pictures with me, or just trying to come up and talk to me in public, could be a bit overwhelming at times. And my wife and I, we both have real concerns about what this will do to our family if I keep growing my YouTube channel at this pace. And the time to stop is before this problem gets so out of hand that my family and I can’t live normal lives,” Nichols said.

Nichols clarified his attraction towards making videos, adding that he wants to prioritize other things for now, including helping his children who aim to build a career in the same field. Nichols added that, for a change, he wants to see what could happen if he tries to help someone else.

Luke Nichols stated that although he is stepping away, he has planned a few trips, and the videos from these trips will be shared altogether by the end of the year.

“Now, I know there’s some of you out there who’ve gotten more than just entertainment from my videos. If you feel my videos have helped you in some way, then go out and find someone you can help. I’ll see you guys,” Nichols said.

Meanwhile, Nichols began sharing new videos around three weeks ago. The latest one has also received more than ten million views.